[nagdu] moving to a new city: suggestions?

[Tracy Carcione]

I agree with Vivianna, except I travelled so long without GPS I don't always 
use it.  Or I look at things with the GPS before I set out, then go without. 
It's not too reliable in areas with tall buildings, anyway.  If I'm just 
taking a walk, I keep track of how many streets I've crossed in what 
direction, and then I can backtrack, if need be. I'm sure GPS is helpful, 
but I haven't found it to be a necessity.
When I moved to New York City, I got the best travel advice from other blind 
people already living here.
When I moved to New Jersey and bought a house, I got a lot of good info from 
the realtor about where things are in the neighborhood.
An O&M person could be useful, but is not essential.  Courage and curiosity 
will take you a long way.
Tracy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Vivianna via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2015 12:21 AM
Subject: [nagdu] moving to a new city: suggestions?




> Hi All.
> Well, my whole take on this situation is completely different from what i 
> have seen here so far.  i have a dog in order to use her for mobility. 
> when i brought her home from the school, i did not go around with my cane 
> first while heeling her around.  i just put the harness on and worked her 
> right away.
> when i moved last march, i did not go around with my cane and learn my new 
> neighborhood.  i put on her harness, put BlindSquare in my ear and, off i 
> went.
> when i travel to new cities, i do not go around heeling my dog until she 
> gets used to things, no way, i use her as the guide she is.
> now, with all that said.  if you are not comfortable just hitting the city 
> right away, harness up and go around the block.  don’t heel, work that 
> dog.  that’s what they love, their job.
> get the BlindSquare app and use it to simulate your new location and 
> familiarize yourself with the streets around.
> then, put the earbuds in and go for it.
> that’s the beauty of the combination of a dog and technology.
> my dogs have all loved to do new things.
> if you feel like it, you could put a folding cane in your bag just in case 
> you want to check something out but, IMO, that’s not necessary with a good 
> working dog at your side.
> also, if you need to learn things like, light rail stations, campuses, 
> etc. i would call around and get an O and M instructor to come out and 
> show you those places.
> here, all of the light rail stations are different.
> i also had an O and M instructor come over and drive around my 
> neighborhood with me so that we could cover a lot of distance and she 
> could tell me about the layout of the streets.  This was so that i can 
> take long walks in different directions.  when i moved last march, i went 
> out walking the very next day after my move.  it was great!  i had no idea 
> where i was going or what i might run into but, with GPS, you can always 
> find your way home.  i ended up in a parking lot and on a street with no 
> sidewalk but, i also ended up back home. lol.
> i could not have done this without BlindSquare.  things are so different 
> now.
> When i got all my previous dogs, i did not have this luxury.
>
> Vivianna
>
> On Jan 15, 2015, at 10:48 PM, Lori Dent via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> 
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Aleeha,
>>
>> First of all, what big city are you moving to in Ohio?You have gotten 
>> some good suggestions from others. I also live in Ohio  in the Northeast 
>> part of the state in  Kent, Ohio  which is a college town in the city.
>>
>> Anyways, is there anyway for you to get some time to go to that city you 
>> will be moving to with a friend and get fimilular  with thesurrounding 
>> area in which you will be living  by walking around with a friend using 
>> your cane. Then once you get a little fimilular  with the surrounding 
>> area  to where you feel more relaxed and more sure of things then you 
>> could take your guide and heal him while walking the route with your cane 
>> a few times or so to let your guide  get used to the surrounding area 
>> and be a little more comfortable  when out walking in a new area in the 
>> city.
>>
>> Then once your dog feels relaxed and a little more sure of himself and 
>> the new surrounding area then you can try taking him out on a short walk 
>> and work him in harness.
>>
>> I sure hope the move and the new change won't be to aweful stressful for 
>> your dog. It's going to be an adjustment for the both of you but I'm sure 
>> things will work out in the end . Good luck and keep us posted. Take 
>> care.
>>
>> Lori and the Gipper
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/irishana%40gmail.com
>


_______________________________________________
nagdu mailing list
nagdu at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/carcione%40access.net