[NAGDU] Introducing myself to the list

[Raul Gallegos - NAGDU]

Hello Vanessa, welcome back to the NAGDU list. Thank you for sharing a
little about yourself. I am glad that you were able to get back onto the
Lyft platform. Yes, Al Elia has done a lot of wonderful work with our
advocacy efforts relating to guide dog users and the issues we face with
rideshare and with flying.



--
Raul Gallegos, President
National Association of Guide Dog Users
rgallegos at nagdu.org
(346) 439-7444
www.nfb.org
www.nagdu.org
Facebook Group | Email list | Mastodon
Live the life you want.

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Vanessa Lowery via NAGDU
Sent: Friday, March 1, 2024 10:44 AM
To: NAGDU List <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Vanessa Lowery <val4dogs at gmail.com>
Subject: [NAGDU] Introducing myself to the list

Good morning from mostly warm Lutherville, Maryland. My name is Vanessa
Lowery, and I was on this list many years ago. So a few of you might
remember me from that time or may know me from other Guide Dog related
circles.

I am currently working with my seventh dog from The Seeing Eye, a large male
shepherd named virtue (27 inches tall, 87 pounds). I obtained him in the
late January, 2023 class (though most of the class was in February). I
received my first Seeing Eye dog way back in the day when the dinosaur still
roamed the Earth in 1982.

In 1993, I obtained the second dog, in 1998, the third dog, in 2001 the
fourth dog, in 2004 the fifth dog, and in 2013, the sixth dog. In total,
three of the dogs were labs, and the rest have been shepherds.

In a separate email, I will explain why I have decided to join the list. But
let me also be transparent in that I also am a member of the List run by
Guide Dog Users Inc. I think it is reasonable to share information on both
lists that will benefit all Guide Dog Users. But in short, I was unfairly
removed from the LYFT platform, and  Al Elia was instrumental in getting me
back on the platform. I was connected to him by Melissa Allman, the go to
advocacy staff member at The Seeing Eye who is an attorney and also a
graduate of The Seeing Eye. Cut kudos to Al for getting me back on the
platform! Again, I will go into more about that situation in a later email.
But I wanted to take the time to introduce myself. Everyone have a good one,
and stay warm if you're in an area of the country where it is freezing.


Vanessa and the zoo  
Sent from my iPhone
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