[nagdu] Fwd: A question

[S L Johnson]

Hello again Tom:

Well, there you have it.  You still have too much sight.  Be thankful for 
that and hope you never lose more vision so you will then really need a 
guide dog.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Tom Hunter via nagdu
Sent: Friday, August 28, 2015 2:06 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Tom Hunter ; Buddy Brannan
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fwd: A question

Buddy, 2 schools, first GDB on the west coast, then a school in NY which
sent me an email:

August 14, 2015

Dear Tom,

Our Admissions Committee has carefully reviewed your file.  Your
application for a guide dog has been denied on the basis of your being
too visual a traveler to benefit from a guide dog and be successful with
one.
I am sorry we cannot be of service to you, Tom. It has been my pleasure
corresponding with you throughout this process.

--> To be honest, if you are determined, you may find a guide dog school
that will accept you. But when the judgment of both Guide Dogs for the
Blind and our school is that it is not a good idea, you may not want to
consider a school with softer criteria.  A guide dog is a real benefit
when your vision loss is such that you cannot get around safely without
a cane. But this is not the case for you. When a person has enough
useable vision to get around visually, the particulars of handling and
using a guide dog can actually be a burden and can slow you down rather
than enhance your mobility.
Our best wishes go with you.
Sincerely [etc]
-- 
  Tom Hunter
  tomhunter at operamail.com


On Fri, Aug 28, 2015, at 01:56 PM, Buddy Brannan via nagdu wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Twice rejected: from the same school or from several? Even if you were
> rejected by two guide dog schools, that leaves about a dozen left at
> which to apply. Did they give you any reason for why you weren't
> accepted? If so, what was it, and what steps were recommended that you
> take to improve your chances at getting accepted next time?
>
> --
> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> Phone: 814-860-3194
> Mobile: 814-431-0962
> Email: buddy at brannan.name
>
>
>
>
> > On Aug 28, 2015, at 1:30 PM, Tom Hunter via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> 
> > wrote:
> >
> > Hi, all. I'm new to this list, and have been 'legally blind' since 2012,
> > when I fell from my bicycle, starting my commute home from work.  Severe
> > head injury left my optic nerves dead from one eye, and damaged from the
> > other. Optic nerves are gone and do not recover.
> >
> > I was told I could be teamed with a guide dog, but have been rejected
> > twice. Hence my question.
> >
> > Is there a service dog I could be paired with, despite being judged a
> > bad match for a seeing eye dog?
> >
> > Original ms was;
> >
> > I am a disabled 60-year-old, who can't drive or do my old job. I have a
> > MetroAccess card, and can take local trains and bus service, or get a
> > ride if I give 24 hours notice.
> >
> > In 2012 I fell, while commuting home from work on a bicycle. I wasn't
> > wearing a helmet, and hit my head on the sidewalk. After weeks of coma,
> > I recovered, but for the optic nerves, which are permantly gone to the
> > left eye, and severely damaged to the right eye, less than 20 degrees
> > field of vision in the eye that sees.
> >
> > I am in a study at the NIH, and a therapist there thought I'd qualify
> > for a guide dog.  This is not the case, it seems. 2 schools have
> > evaluated me, and now both judge my case to be not needing a guide dog.
> >
> > My question is, Is there any chance of getting a service animal, to help
> > me with partial blindness, which could help me with things I don't see?
> >
> > I don't see things overhead while walking, at times, and have hit my
> > head as a result. My doctors warned me not to hit my head at all!
> >
> > And, a cane helps but a dog might warn me better of uneven terrain while
> > walking in a local park, since my depth perception is mainly gone.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > --Tom
> >

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