[nagdu] Fwd: A question

[Tom Hunter]

 Vivianna via nagdu wrote:
> I agree.[...] 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.

Thanks and I am lucky to have the optic nerves to one eye, that remain.

I did feel a bit guilty applying for a guide dog, that others would need
much more.

The GDB rep who watched me walk, was quite clear that a guide dog would
only slow me down, and I don't need one. This was on March 12th this
year, and I thought he was being a bit harsh, after a bad day?

Yesterday someone explained what the GDB rep meant by saying a dog is
too short to see over my head. A guide dog is trained, she explained, 
to look down, and overhead is not where the dog is trained to look.

> 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

Yes my blind spots include overhead, but I can walk slower and look up
down and to the left( the left eye's completely blind, as is the left
field in the right) and I hesitate to try again to apply to another
school, though someone from GDA told me that's what she'd do.
> 
> 
> > 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?