[nagdu] Grabbing my harness was Humor for blind people

[Raven Tolliver]

If someone grabs my harness handle, I tell them "Please don't hang
onto the harness handle. You are interfering with my dog's ability to
guide and my ability to follow him."
Surprisingly, I'm pretty diplomatic about it. I don't usually react
kindly to people invading my space.

Once, I was at a cafe on my college's campus, and I needed help
finding a waste basket, so I asked the girl sitting at the cash
register if she could help me find it. She stood up, came over to me
and said: "Raven, I'm in your class, and I'm going to touch you." As
if I should just accept that because we were familiar with each other
or something. I told her that she should ask in the future if it is
okay to touch, or ask how would I prefer to be guided rather than
asserting that she is going to grab me.
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

On 11/26/15, Cindy Ray via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Oh, I have to fight against reacting that way, and I think I may do so more
> than I realize. One day at church a woman grabbed me because she thought I
> was going to knock over a pitcher of water. Given where I was, I hope it
> was
> on a table. I wasn't moving quickly and I was conscientiously using my
> cane.
> I told her to please not grab me, and she was offended. But really, how
> does
> someone feel about being grabbed like that. It isn't a fun thing.
> Cindy Lou Ray
> cindyray at gmail.com