[nagdu] Fwd: A question

Fri Aug 28 18:47:01 UTC 2015

I agree.
and, yes, guide dogs are for blind folks.  i have no problem at all with that statement.
sighted folks don’t need a guide dog.
man, if i could see, i certainly would not be taking my dog around everywhere with me
a couple months ago at the airport, one of the staff said to me; “isn’t that just so nice, you can bring your dog with you everywhere.”
my response was; “ yes, but, i’d rather be able to see like you and leave my dog at home.”
she sure was quiet after that.
i sincerely believe that, if i only asked my dog to do a task, and one of the most difficult tasks at that, every now and then, this would not work.  overheads are one of the hardest things for a dog to become good at.
also, GDB is super liberal and will give their dogs to legally blind folks with lots of vision.  so, if even they say that you see to much…just be glad you can see and, perhaps learn some alternative techniques for getting around places with over heads.

Vivianna

> On Aug 28, 2015, at 1:22 PM, S L Johnson via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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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