[NAGDU] Guide Dog School Appeals

[Sandra Johnson]

Good Morning:

 

Over my 45 years of guide dog use I have been to a few of the schools.  I
have also talked with graduates of almost all of the US schools.  One common
complaint is the appeals process.  When a problem arises and a school
unfairly takes a dog back the graduate files an appeal.  As the case of
Southeastern.  The appeals are heard by the same group of unfair school
staff and/or board members who made the unfair decision in the first place.
I have another example of that.  My previous guide dog, Tara a golden from
Guide Dog Foundation, had to retire due to hip dysplasia and cataracts.  She
was 7 when I began the application process.  Immediately upon my request for
an application I was told that just because I had been working one of their
dogs successfully, it did not guaranty my being accepted for another dog.
This is wrong because most schools show respect and preference for their
current graduates and will try to get them back on class as soon as
possible.  The Guide Dog Foundation is making an unfair assumption that you,
their current graduate is not capable of working a guide dog.  Finally after
six months of constant phone calls and emails I received a denial letter.
That letter did not say why I was not accepted.  All I was told during a
couple of phone calls is that I could continue working Tara because she was
still so young.  Now that is a stupid statement,  On one hand they thought
it was fine for me to continue working Tara with her hip dysplasia and
cataracts but I was not suitable for one of their new dogs.  Does that make
any sense to you?  I did appeal that denial by written request.  In my
appeal I resubmitted all the proof of Tara's eye exams and her ongoing,
extremely expensive, treatments for hip dysplasia.   They could have done a
home interview to observe Tara and see how difficult it was for her to walk
for even short distances and observe her bumping me into things, missing
curbs and her beginning fear of guiding in parking lots.  Any trainer would
have immediately observed that although she was only 7 years old, she did
need to retire.  Fortunately I am not a cruel person so had already had her
as semi-retired and only doing trips to a stores or medical buildings where
I was getting a ride.  That way she still got out for a bit of exercise
which my vet said was important but she was not working in dangerous
environments.  After I submitted the appeal it took another few months
before I finally received their answer still denying my application.  I
never was given a chance to speak to the board on my own behalf.  Tara's
trainer who agreed with my decision to retire her was not given the chance
to support me in the appeals process.  The same board who accepts or denies
applications was the same people who handled my appeal.  They had already
made their decision and nobody was going to make them change it no matter
what we did.  The entire appeals process was unfair right from the
beginning.  

 

Sadly this is the case with all the schools.  We are not granted the rights
that should be granted to all graduates.  We are not treated with respect
and dignity.  For my 45 years of working a guide dog I have always spoken up
while most graduates kept quiet afraid of what the school would do to them.
I would return dogs with serious health issues.  I would return unsafe dogs
because I insisted that my guide dog be a safe worker, not like a few I had
that crashed me into posts giving me concussions, dropped me off the edge of
a train platform, dragged me into traffic, or one who almost made me fall in
a large hole in the middle of the street where they were digging new gas
lines.  Blind friends told me just to put up with it, all guide dogs make
mistakes.  Well, I value my life more than that so would apply for a new dog
as the current one was a failed match.  The unfortunate result of this is
that then the school says you failed with dogs so obviously you cannot be
successful with a guide dog.  No, that is not true because once I went to a
different school and was given a healthy safe guide I worked that dog for
several years until health issues resulted in retirement.  Our fellow
graduates and the   Guide dog schools are always comparing those of us who
want to retire younger dogs to those who are working their very elderly dogs
even if those dogs should have been retired a long time ago.  They don't
like graduates who follow their veterinarians advice and retire a younger
dog with a significant health issue.  Guide dog schools tell us to contact
them if we have any problems.  On the other hand, if we contact them too
much we get labeled as a troublemaker or problem graduate.  they do not
accept us for a new dog if our current one has serious behavior or work
issues.  They just think of their numbers of graduates, not whether those
teams are safe.  I have seen far too many guide dogs who really should not
be out there working but somehow the schools don't care about this.  On the
other hand when one of us who really does care wants to retire that type of
dog, we get denied.  

 

There should be an impartial neutral appeals board to support a graduate.  I
have thought this since my own dog was taken in 1976.  Fortunately my lawyer
was able to get him back to me in a couple of weeks but too many blind
people are too afraid to fight back.  Until we all support one another and
speak up about the unfair treatment from the schools things will never
change.  I have been extremely disappointed in the lack of support offered
by both of the organizations on this issue.  It is great that NAGDU and even
GDUI fight for    access rights to travel anywhere with our dogs but, why
can't they fight for fair treatment from the guide dog schools? 

 

Sandra Johnson

SLJohnson25 at comcast.net