[nagdu] Guides at NFB training centers

[Debby Phillips]

Cindy, I have no problem with and am glad I did the cane part.  
All I'm saying is that I think it's short-sighted of the Centers 
not to allow people to use their dogs more, and to perhaps tailor 
some of the Travel lessons to include the use of the dog.  If you 
can't take the cane skills you have and then use your dog better 
with your improved skills, that could be an issue.  It is the 
same reason that though I believe using sleepshades is a good 
thing, I think that people with some vision should also have some 
travel lessons that incorporate that, since once people leave 
training they will no doubt be visual travelers.  Some people 
make efficient use of the limited vision they have, and some 
don't know how to.

Lamar did end up retiring after I came back from the Center.  I 
think that if TSE had been able to work with us in Denver, 
perhaps I would have been able to keep him with me and work with 
him on weekends, and at other times, and if there had been a few 
opportunities to use him in some of my Travel Lessons, that would 
have been a good thing.  The fact is though, Lamar was shutting 
down in Denver, and not able to cope with the city work.  He was 
used to more quiet working conditions, our lane, some work in 
Colville and going with Craig and me when we went places.  He was 
totally thrown by being in Littleton.  At that point, nobody from 
TSE was able to come and work with me.  So Lamar went back to my 
husband and was basically retired.  By the time I came back from 
the Center, Lamar rather liked not working.  Two months after ow 
made the choice to retire him, we bought our house and moved into 
my current neighborhood.  But I am grateful to CCB, because I'm a 
much more confident traveler, among other things.  They gave me 
back my independence, which I had lost.  I will forever love the 
staff there, and have awesome memories out things I did there, 
that still help me today when confronted with difficult 
situations, not just in orientation but in other things.  I still 
have a cruddy sense of direction, but it doesn't bother me as 
much.  And I still do better when walking with Nova, which is 
thrilling.  But I have learned to be mindful, to listen, and have 
found myself not lost because I heard something that made me 
realize I should go in another direction.  All I would like to 
see is the Centers allowing for more use of dogs as people 
improve in their cane use, so that the lessons learned in cane 
travel can more immediately be incorporated into use of the dog.    
Debby and Nova