[NAGDU] class coming up, and questions

Tue Oct 16 21:25:09 UTC 2018

Well, I had thought about home and away training, but when I asked about it, I was informed that it would be best to come to campus because it's been 12 years since my last visit, and I didn't fight it, because honestly, my town is not very blind-friendly, such as only having curb-cuts on SOME of the street crossings, traffic signal lights that are no longer timed, but depend on the way that the city has ordered that particular intersection to be set up, Also, not only do we not have very good sidewalks, or sidewalks at all in certain places, but, in those places where there are none, it's not your average normal country travel with the gravel road and the shoulder of the road, and indenting to cross streets and such; they're normal streets, but with regular 4-5 inch curbs and then grass along the streets which are oftentimes spotted with bushes, driveways which are no problem, or other obstacles that cause there to be difficulty in walking down the street sometimes.
But in this case I think home and away would be a good thing, because we could train right in the very environment in which I will be living.
Kerri

Kerri Sprecher,  President
Big Country Chapter NFBTX
spedangel84 at gmail.com
325-280-6272
Chapter Google Voice: 325-704-8787
Chapter E-mail: bigcountry at nfbtx.org
Check us out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AbileneAreaBlind

"
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back."

> On Oct 16, 2018, at 3:48 PM, Debra Chandler via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I haven't been to class in about five years but I'm thinking the retrains did a 19-day class give or take eve n when I got my last dog.  I would imagine that they're just trying to use their time as efficiently as possible.  It could almost feel like home and away training if it's too rushed.  I did home and away and I needed it but to me it was a bit rushed.  We didn't get everything in that was needed at the school.  Best of luck in class.  This is a wonderful time to train with a guide dog.  Just cool and comfortable.
> Deb and Tally
> ---- Kerri Sprecher via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote: 
>> Hello to all,
>> I'm so excited to be going to Morristown, NJ on Monday the 22nd. I
>> heard something about a welcome meeting or dinner when I got my flight
>> arrangements set up with the travel agency. That part was new to me
>> and I liked that.
>> So, my thing is this: in order to pack all the training that used to
>> go into a 3 and a half week class for a retrain and 4 weeks for a new
>> student, into a shorter class time, 2.5 weeks for retrains in my case,
>> can someone shed some light on how in the world they manage to pull
>> that off? I bet it's a whirlwind of activity; I'm definitely expecting
>> the 5:30 AM feed and park, meal times to be the same, one AM and one
>> PM trip, and feed and park again, some lectures and one last park
>> time, but, do they have you doing longer trips with more work per trip
>> than before? I would imagine that in order to get someone prepared for
>> life with a guide dog, you'd have to pack more skill sets into a trip
>> in order to get it all in there before going home time.
>> I spoke with a good friend of mine who goes to GDB for her dogs, and
>> she said hers is similar in that they do clicker training, targeting,
>> chaining, and the like, but when they shortened their class time also,
>> they changed the ratio of student/instructor to 2/1 instead of 4/1,
>> because they put in longer trip times with more training in each trip
>> than in previous classes before.
>> I'm guessing that Monday and Tuesday are dedicated to paperwork,
>> orientation, lectures, and Juneau walks to make sure the match is
>> right, and then Wednesday, the day everyone looks forward to, Dog Day,
>> lunch, and your first ever trip together. And, I am also guessing that
>> in the first few days of getting the new dog, it'll be the simple
>> familiar quiet routes, then more in-depth and more complex ones. I
>> just was shocked when I first learned they had shortened class,
>> because even with a 3 week class, it felt like we were always running
>> and going, with a little down time sprinkled in, but mostly busy, and
>> now, to think that it's even shorter makes me wonder just how much
>> more work they'll have for me to do at once. Glad I'm a seasoned
>> handler by now, or I might feel overwhelmed; heck I might feel that
>> way anyway. Smile.
>> So, what do you think, for those of you grads out there, about the new
>> 2.5 week class, and how has it affected or changed the way they do
>> trips and the amount of work for each trip?
>> Thanks all, and I am ecstatic!
>> Kerri
>> 
>> -- 
>> Kerri Sprecher,  President
>> Big Country Chapter NFBTX
>> spedangel84 at gmail.com
>> 325-280-6272
>> Chapter Google Voice: 325-704-8787
>> Chapter E-mail:
>> bigcountry at nfbtx.org
>> Check us out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AbileneAreaBlind
>> "The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
>> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
>> expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
>> between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
>> blindness is not what holds you back."
>> 
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