[nagdu] should the world conform to our desires was Guides at NFB training centers

[Julie J.]

Raven,

I disagree with you on all of your points, quite a lot actually.  It appears 
that you are expecting the whole wide world to conform to what you want, 
regardless of what they are in business to do, paying you for or what the 
rules are.  There are two key points in the law that perhaps have been 
overlooked in this discussion.  They are the concepts of fundamental 
alterations and reasonable accommodations.

The NFB centers offer a specific curriculum that includes using a long white 
cane.  that is what they have on offer.  Using a guide dog is a fundamental 
alteration of what they are offering.  You simply cannot learn what they are 
teaching if you are using a guide dog. I've heard your arguments and I don't 
think you truly understand the full complexity of orientation center 
training.

You stated that you do not want to clip nails or give eye ointment, even 
though this is a job duty you were assigned and your employer offered you 
training.  It looks to me like you are using your blindness as an excuse to 
get out of doing work you don't like.  I've never had a job where I got to 
pick and choose my job duties.  they were clearly stated from the beginning. 
I could accept the job or not, but the duties were not negotiable.  Perhaps 
I'm the only one and have had unreasonable employers.  I asked my son what 
would happen at his place of employment if someone did this.  He replied 
that in fact it had happened before and the person was fired.

A reasonable accommodation is required of the employer in order to get you 
the tools, training or whatever you need due to your disability in order to 
be able to do the job.  Your employer offered you training and you refused. 
If we want to be treated as equal in the workplace we have to act like 
equals, including doing *all* of the work we are assigned.

You also stated that at the beginning of each class of new dogs and students 
the staff is asked to not walk dogs through that part of the campus.  You 
work your dog irregardless of this requirement.  Have you requested this as 
a reasonable accommodation?  I think it could be considered a fundamental 
alteration, because it interferes with the normal flow of business there.

Reasonable accommodations doesn't mean we get whatever we want, whenever we 
want without consideration of the needs of the business.  It means 
reasonable.  The employer isn't required to let us do whatever we want.

There is a long history of guide dog programs not hiring blind people.  In 
recent years this has slowly been changing.  There are now a few blind 
people working directly with dogs at the guide dog programs.   I think this 
has been a really positive change.  I'd hate to see it go back to 
discriminating against blind people again, because experiences with blind 
employees have given the wrong impression that blind people really can't do 
equal work for equal pay.

Julie