[NAGDU] {Spam?} The myth of the magical cane

[S L Johnson]

Hi,

I completely agree with you.  If you cannot orient yourself to your 
surroundings and know the rout you must take to get somewhere it will not 
really matter whether you are using a cane or dog.  I have seen too many 
people get dogs thinking the dog will solve their mobility issues.  That is 
not true.  You must have good orientation skills in order to be a good guide 
dog handler.   If I had not been such a good cane traveler with the 
confidence I had I do not think I would have been able to transfer that 
confidence to working with a guide dog.  I guess I have to say that I am 
glad that now the guide dog schools pay more attention to an applicants cane 
skills.  In the short time you have on class it would be impossible for the 
trainers to also have to teach basic orientation and mobility skills. 
Furthermore, as others have said, there are times you might want to go 
somewhere without your dog.  Your dog may become ill and you still have to 
get to school work etc....  I know in my 42 years of guide dog use I have 
found myself having to pull out my cane many times when my dog was ill or 
when I was between dogs.  So, even though I prefer using a guide dog, I 
think it is important to have good cane skills too.

Sandra and Eva

-----Original Message----- 
From: Raul A. Gallegos via NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2017 6:01 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Raul A. Gallegos
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] {Spam?} The myth of the magical cane

Dan, I definitely don't want to see this turn into a dog versus Cain issue 
on the list. It's one of those things that has been brought up time and time 
again and there is no real answer. However, that being said, it is my 
opinion only that a fair amount of Cain travel skills are necessary in order 
to be a successful dog handler. Canes are certainly not magic wands. 
Although I am a good Kane traveler, there are people who are better than me 
and there are people who are not as good as me. This is Merely my own 
observation and not from a professional's viewpoint. One example of how Cain 
travel is important to me as a dog user is, I will not depend on my dog for 
100% of my travel. There are times that I will not take my dog to certain 
situations, or my dog might not be feeling well. Therefore, having good cane 
skills is a must. I have met blind people, both cane and dog users who had 
trouble finding their way out of a simple one door room with four walls. It 
has made me sad that people like this have not been able to receive adequate 
mobility training, or if they did, they have a lead that training laps for 
one reason or another. The dog is not going to make someone be a better 
traveler just like the cane won't, it is merely one's personal abilities and 
goals with whichever tool one uses to utilize. There might be situations 
that I am shopping at a store and will take my guide dog in and out of the 
isles. However when I need to find something specific that he might normally 
take me around, you bet I will take out my cane and heel the dog. I hope my 
comments make sense. Thanks.

--
Raul A. Gallegos
Assistive Technology Trainer - RGA Tech Solutions

Mobile: 832.554.7285
Work: 832.639.4477
Personal Email: raul at raulgallegos.com
Work Email: training at rgats.com

â?oAny teacher that can be replaced with a computer, deserves to be.â? â?" 
David Thornburg


> On Feb 9, 2017, at 4:03 PM, Dan Weiner via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> Gosh you make cane skills sound like some magic wand, I know if when I
> first got a guide dog someone had known quite how little confidence I had
> with a cane , judging by what seems to be today's standards I would have
> never been given a dog--lol. I'm glad guide dog schools gave people a 
> chance
> when I, for example, started out. I got a dog and soon understood what I
> would need to do to become a good traveler with a dog and I worked hard 
> and
> voila I'm using a dog 24 years later, have traveled all sorts of places,
> even other countries and so on...   This though I only hear in one ear 
> and
> of course am totally blind.
> fact is I was very motivated.
> this isn't directed at your question about high school but I am just 
> amazed
> at how much I hear about people saying things like "oh before you have a 
> dog
> you had better have good cane skills."
>
> And even now, every time I go for a successor dog they'll come to your 
> home
> a lot of times and try  out my cane skills  on a walk and I hear grumbling
> about how I veer with a cane when I cross streets...if I thought I were 
> the
> cat's miao with a cane I probably wouldn't necessarily opt for a dog, fact
> is it's a better mobility tool for me.
>
> Just an observation.
>
>
> No comments about the TVI, I actually agree with what's been said on that
> subject already.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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/raul%40raulgallegos.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/sljohnson25%40comcast.net