[NAGDU] A Little Education Goes a Long Way

[Melissa Allman]

Hi Stacie. I'm glad you were able to educate the driver and provide him with a positive first guide dog experience. I once took a cab back to an airport and as I got in, the driver hadn't seen my dog yet for some reason. I always get in first and then get my dog in. He made a noise of fear and I told him not to worry and that my dog would lie on the floor and not bother him. He started to calm down and as he drove, I chatted with him and asked if he had had other experiences with dogs in his cab. He then told a story about how he was driving on the highway and this lady's dog was jumping on him and being aggressive while he tried to negotiate through traffic. I let him talk and empathized with how scary that must have been for him and when we got to the airport, he said Luna was the best dog he'd ever had in his cab. I think he breathed a bit easier and the exchange, which could have been really negative, made my day a bit better because I was proud of my dog and the training we received. Sometimes we have these opportunities and sometimes we don't, and not everybody feels like educating all the time, but it's nice when it works out.

Melissa Allman

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Stacie Gallegos via NAGDU
Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2022 8:43 PM
To: NAGDU List <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Stacie Gallegos <sgallegos at nfbtx.org>
Subject: [NAGDU] A Little Education Goes a Long Way

Hello All,


Today, after celebrating a friend’s birthday, Raul and I decided to forego our para-transit   ride, and requested a Lyft; which was going to get us home an hour earlier. When the driver arrived, I proceeded to get in the car with no issues. When the driver saw Larry, Raul’s guide dog, he began apologizing; stating that he couldn’t take dogs in his car. Raul and I both begin explaining to him that he did in fact have to transport guide dogs in his car, and further informed him that if he didn’t he could face serious consequences not only from the Lyft platform, but might also have to deal with the police being called. The driver admitted to being afraid of dogs. I was in the car, and seat belt fastened. In my mind, there was no way that this driver was going to deny us. 
With Raul and Larry finally in the car, our trip began. A few minutes into the trip, I could  tell the driver was beginning to relax. Now or never, is what was going through my mind. We first thanked the driver for accepting us and Larry in  his car, and slowly but surely started educating him. I told him that I appreciated his sharing with us his fears, and continued assuring him that Larry was well trained, and was not going to harm him. When we finally arrived home, the driver mentioned how nice Larry was. 
I’m  sharing this story to illustrate that as guide dog users, we have to sometimes do a little bit of educating before we can eliminate discrimination. As the subject line says, a little bit of education goes a long way., As it turns out, this driver has worked for Lyft for a year and a half, and tonight, he transported his first guide dog. 
—
Stacie Gallegos / President
National Federation of the Blind Houston Chapter
(346) 704-0190 | SGallegos at nfbtx.org

"Live the life you want: Blindness is not what holds you back”




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