[nagdu] Leader dog and NAC Accreditation

Thu Jul 23 14:36:34 UTC 2015

Hi Raven,

Thanks for your thoughtful email and the letter from Leader. In fact, no matter what Susan says accreditation of Leader by Nac represents support for Nac by Leader. It does not matter what program or part of its organization Leader feels is accredited by Nac since the accreditation means Leader as a whole supports Nac, an organization that for nearly 50 years has specifically worked against the interests of the organized blind and which has consistently demonstrated an unwillingness to project and create a positive philosophy about blind people.

Nac has never demonstrated that it has a good set of standards nor a good knowledge of orientation and adjustment, much less mobility. Even its web site does not show good access for blind persons.  How can such an organization be mentioned in the same sentence as one such as Leader that claims to desire openness and transparency? The Leader CEO, and thus Leader, support NAC through accreditation and that support comes from the entire organization even if one part of Leader has been "accredited".

Nac is bad for blind people and now Leader has chosen to side with it. I too would love to see Nac's "standards" as well as its membership roster. What progress has Nac brought to its field and how has its "progress" been measured.

Susan Daniels has opened a can of worms through accepting Nac's so-called "accreditation". This will be a problem for Leader until it decertifies and breaks away from Nac. 

Best Regards,

Michael Hingson

The Michael Hingson Group, INC.
"Speaking with Vision"
Michael Hingson, President
(415) 827-4084
info at michaelhingson.com
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-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Raven Tolliver via nagdu
Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2015 5:54 AM
To: nagdu
Cc: Raven Tolliver
Subject: [nagdu] Leader dog and NAC Accreditation

Sorry to bring this back up, but I wanted to share some information on this matter.
I recently started working at Leader Dog, and an email was sent to all employees last week about NAGDU's resolution against Leader dog.
Specifically, LDB's president and CEO wrote a letter responding to NAGDU's resolution. That letter is pasted below, as we are advised to share it with clients, Lions Club members, and those who have questions about the programs offered at Leader Dog and our affiliation with the NAC. The letter is followed by my opinions and questions about this issue.
Here's the letter:

July 13, 2015

You may be aware of a National Federation of the Blind (NFB) resolution that was recently passed against Leader Dogs for the Blind’s accreditation by the National Accreditation Council for Blind and Low Vision Services (NAC). Within the resolution, the NFB demanded that Leader Dog terminate its accreditation by NAC, in part because NAC has no expertise in the guide dog arena. Leader Dog’s NAC accreditation is for our Accelerated Orientation & Mobility Training and our Summer Experience Camp, both of which fall under NAC’s expertise. Our Guide Dog Training has been accredited by the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) since 1999.

We had reached out to the NFB upon learning about its concerns and the NFB did not respond to our communication. We know that this resolution may create questions for our constituents and we’d like to address any and all concerns.

In addition, the NFB asked Lions Clubs International and individual Lions Clubs to cease funding to Leader Dogs for the Blind until the NAC accreditation is terminated.  We do not plan on terminating our accreditation and continue to stand behind our decision to become accredited by third-party organizations like NAC and the IGDF.

As you know, our goal is to provide consistent, high-quality service to all of our clients. Over the past decade we have made a significant effort to become a transparent organization that is receptive to outside review and input. Accreditation by third-party organizations, such as the IGDF and NAC, provide objectivity and hold us to industry standards when reviewing the services we offer.

Accreditation is a common practice in many industries and is used as a way to assess how quality is maintained. It provides a non-biased evaluation of the work that an organization does and helps establish standards to continuously improve the quality of service provided. We believe these certification processes provide our current and potential clients with relevant information when deciding who they trust to deliver high quality, state-of-the-art travel-related training.

We have fully embraced continuous quality improvement. This includes increasing client satisfaction by eliciting feedback during training, exit interviews and post-training surveys. We not only request client input, we also immediately act upon it to improve our services and to ensure we are providing our clients with the training they want and need to become safer, more independent travelers. Participation in accreditation processes provides additional information and feedback for us to use in improving the quality of our services. All of these efforts support our goal of providing the best possible service and training programs to our clients.

We want to ensure our relationship continues to be as open and transparent as possible. If you have any questions about this matter and need clarification, please contact Rachelle Kniffen, Director of Communications & Marketing at 248-659-5013 or rkniffen at leaderdog.org.

We truly value and appreciate all you do to support Leader Dogs for the Blind.

Sincerely,
Susan M. Daniels
President & CEO

Here are my comments:
It would be great if someone could provide what the NAC's accreditation standards are. Obviously, they have something to do with rehab services for the blind, and this is why LDB has accreditation, while other guide dog programs don't. In addition to its guide dog programs, LDB offers the accelerated mobility program, GPS training seminars, and the summer experience for blind youth.
Where did someone get the information that LDB's guide dog programs are accredited by the NAC? If you look up press releases on LDB's recent accreditation, they don't concentrate on LDB's guide dog programs, but their accelerated mobility program and summer experience.
How is their NAC accreditation relevant to their guide dog programs, or the funding and volunteer services they receive to aid in the raising and training of their guide dogs?
Pertaining to the guide dog programs, is there more to this issue than what LDB and the press releases are leading on?
--
Raven
Founder of 1AM Editing & Research
www.1am-editing.com

You are valuable because of your potential, not because of what you have or what you do.

Naturally-reared guide dogs
https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs

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