[NAGDU] Japan guide dog schools, and being blind deaf

Sun Feb 26 01:27:57 UTC 2017

`	27 guide dog schools in the US? No offence, my dear Michael, but where are the other 15 or so that I don't know about, any comprehensive list  that I could look at, I mean including those not accredited by the IFGS??
I remember when in Japan I did a lot of reading and research about guide dogs there, there are ten schools or so, they seem  to be a lot smaller than our programs and they have long waiting lists unfortunately.

Most of them are named after their regions or are regional though I think you can theoretically go to any of them, but things may have changed...When I asked at the city welfare office , since they kept a registry of guide dogs in the area, they told me that depending where you are you are "recommended to go to a certain program" but I don't know how true that really is.

Let's see if I remember:

Eyemate, the oldest school, in Tokyo but takes students from all over, they seem to have a relationship with the Seeing Eye, I visited them.

One thing that eyemate users do is they have started this campaign to call guide dogs eyemates (I suppose if you are from there) this causes in my opinion rather unnecessary confusion, you'll ask an Eyemate dog owner if he has a guide dog and they'll say "No, I have an eyemate", anyway, just reporting the facts, folks.

Japan Guide dog Association:  Yokohama, but with a center in northern Japan, the second oldest I think. I think takes folks from all over:

Tochigi guide dog association, tochigi prefecture maybe 150 miles north of Tokyo.

Osaka lighthouse guide dog association, Osaka.
Hyogo guide dog association, Hyogo, western Honshu Island.

Chuubuu Guide dog association, Nagoya.

Hokkaido guide dog center, northern island of Hokkaido.

Fukuoka guide dog association: Fukuoka, Kyushu Island, and I visited there too

Oh I forgot I visited the Japan guide dog association headquarters too.

And the relatively new kid on the block 

Japan service dog association, which seems to be a split from the Japan guide dog association, don't ask me how or why. I knew a trainer from there.

I may have missed some program or other, I just haven't cared much about it since I came back from my studies in Japan so I haven't kept track.

There were when I was there approximately 900 guide dog users, I heard  there was a waiting list combined for all schools of eight thousand people , but those are of course old statistics. I have not had the interest or opportunity to update my research, almost two years there were enough--lol I did travel there with my guide dog, Evan, my super dog--smile. He was amazing and I wasn't too bad myself.

Now several people have said they are blind deaf here...a question, how do we define this, I have a hearing impairment but I honestly never thought of myself as blind deaf because, I have met people who are really really totally deaf and blind and my problems are as nothing compared to what they deal with. I mean I only hear in one ear, the right one, but I'm very functional...just curious, not trying to detract from anyone's situation.
And I am most definitely totally and irreparably blind.

Cheers,

Dan

,  
-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michael Hingson via NAGDU
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2017 6:38 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Michael Hingson
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] about fory

Hi dbTarzan,

As the vice President of NAGDU I want to welcome you to the list. I am using my eighth guide, Africa. Africa and I visited Japan in 2012 to promote my book, Thunder Dog. I have had the pleasure to visit some of the Japanese guide dog schools. I hope to have the opportunity to visit again.

Feel free to participate in our discussions. There are people from several countries on the list.

The last number I heard is that there around 27 guide dog schools in America. Many of them are accredited by the International Federation of Guide Dog Schools.

Have a good day. 

Best Regards,

Michael Hingson

The Michael Hingson Group, INC.
"Speaking with Vision"
Michael Hingson, President
(415) 827-4084
info at michaelhingson.com
To order Michael Hingson's new book, Running With Roselle, and check on Michael Hingson's speaking availability for your next event please visit:
www.michaelhingson.com

To purchase your own portrait of Roselle painted by the world's foremost animal artist, Ron Burns, please visit http://www.ronburns.com/roselle

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of "Dr.????" via NAGDU
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2017 2:16 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "Dr.たーざん" <dr.dbtarzan at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] about fory

Hi Becky. This is dbTarzan.

There are fourteen schools for guide dogs in Japan.
People can choose one of them freely.

1000 of guide dogs are working in Japan.
How many guide dogs are there in USA?

dbTarzan.

>Hi Db, I am also deaf-blind and work a golden retriever. My golden  is
>29 Kgs., named Jake and he is twelve years old. I got him from the 
>Seeing Eye in New Jersey USA.  How many guide dog schools are there in Japan? Do you
>have a choice where you would like to go in other countries?    
>Jake is my third golden retriever guide dog.
>
>We have about fourteen schools in the US and we can choose any school 
>we wish to apply to, as I think they all serve now the entire country.
>Freedom might be the only one, that only serves the Northeast part of 
>our country, but others will know more than I do.
>
>I live near the Pacific ocean here in Washington State. When you all 
>had the horrible tsunami a lot of those objects from Japan landed on 
>our shores here in Washington State.
>
>Warm welcome to this fine list,
>
>Becky and Jake waving a paw to Fory. 
>-----Original Message-----
>From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of "Dr.????" 
>via NAGDU
>Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2017 3:40 AM
>To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users 
><nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>Cc: "Dr.たーざん" <dr.dbtarzan at gmail.com>
>Subject: [NAGDU] about fory
>
>Hi.
>
>This is dbTarzan in Japan.
>I'll introduce my dog.
>My dog name is Fory, Golden retreaver, almost 7 years old, male, 33 Kg 
>waight.
>He useally works about 6 days a week.
>
>Have a nice day.
>
>dbTarzan.
>
>_______________________________________________
>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/b.butterfly%40comcas
>t.net
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>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/dr.dbtarzan%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/mike%40michaelhingson.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/dcwein%40dcwein.cnc.net