[NFB-Krafters-Korner] OT Blast from the Past

Mon Jan 4 17:35:56 UTC 2021

Hi Joyce

Wow you are certainly amazing. You obviously had not been blind for very long beffore you went to India. And you went alone as well. I was adventurous in my ounger days, but don’t believe I would have dared to go to India. Wonderful story, thanks for sharing.

May God bless you.
 Cathy F

> On Jan 1, 2021, at 3:42 PM, Joyce Kane via NFB-Krafters-Korner <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> HARNESS UP
> 
> Fall/ Winter issue 2005 Newsletter of the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users A division of the National Federation of the Blind Jana Moynihan,
> Editor
> 
> 
> 
> Diary of a World Traveler
> 
> by Joyce Kane and Corey, Connecticut, U.S.A.
> 
> 
> 
> “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
> Mahatma Gandhi
> 
> 
> 
> I had an opportunity this summer to perform what Mahatma Gandhi had once
> said. The U.S. State Department invited my Seeing Eye dog, Corey and I to
> travel to India and meet the Blind of India and share my story, my life and
> tell how a guide dog has played an important part in my regaining my
> independence. Corey and I went to India for a month to bring service animal
> awareness to the country and people of India. They invited me there to speak
> on advocacy for the blind, traveling independently with a guide dog,
> blindness, managing ones diabetes with the loss of sight and the Americans
> with Disability Act.
> 
> We toured India including Mumbai, Ahmedad, Chennai, Bangalore, Calcutta and
> New Delhi. It took a year of planning and getting things all set for our
> trip with special permission needed for Corey to be allowed to travel with
> me. We had to get special permission from the Indian airlines, restaurants,
> airports and hotels, places that here in the United States we do not give
> much thought to going with our guide dogs. It took letters from the
> Commissioner of Disabilities from the Capital in New Delhi to finally get
> the OK from one of the airlines that flies within India to allow Corey to
> travel onboard with me. I traveled to India and back only with Corey as my
> guide. This was the first time out of the United States and I was doing it
> alone.
> 
> Let me tell you a little about my Seeing Eye dog, Corey. She is a 9-year-old
> German Shepard. I have had her for 6 ½ years and she is my first guide dog.
> She did a wonderful job on the trip to India. She worked hard and reacted
> well in every new situation that we faced. The Seeing Eye can be very proud
> of her as she made quite an impression everywhere we went. Her picture was
> in all the newspapers and major television stations in India We visited many
> of the schools for the blind, visited hospitals and a medical University,
> spoke to audiences in the embassies, schools, hospitals and training centers
> and had over 400 come to hear my speech and meet Corey in Bangalore. We
> actually had to sneak out through the kitchen to finally escape from that
> crowd of people.
> 
> At one of the blind schools in Calcutta, after I had spoken to the children,
> they lined up and came up on the stage, shook my hand in greeting, saluted
> Corey and had to pat her back and then continued down off the stage. I was
> really impressed when someone described to me what they were doing. I had
> suggested they come up on stage to greet us and after 200 students did this
> we had a chance to tour the school. We visited another blind school in
> Bangalore that is well known for their traditional Indian dance
> performances. These children will be performing in the U.S. in the Spring of
> 2006. A dance teacher there showed me how they teach the blind students to
> dance; she strikes a pose and the students touch her to feel where their
> hands and feet should go and how they should be positioned. Corey watched
> while the teacher demonstrated to me how it is done.
> 
> Corey and I had a chance to do only a little sight seeing. We went to
> Gandhi’s home. The diplomat from Mumbai stayed out doors with Corey as you
> must remove your shoes to enter and we did not think they would allow her in
> with me. We were the only tourists there at the time. The wife of the
> caretaker said it was all right for Corey to join us. So Corey guided me
> through Gandhi’s home. They even allowed me to touch Gandhi’s spinning wheel
> and then asked me to sign and write a little in the guest book they have for
> “special guests”.
> 
> Corey and I leisurely walked around the Gate Way of India in Mumbai/Bombay
> that is located on the Arabian Sea. Our stroll was captured and appeared on
> the front cover of the “Woof” magazine, which featured the topic of service
> animals. The article stated that it was the “first time a blind person
> walked around this popular tourist sight with her guide dog from the Seeing
> Eye.” This is a publication in India.
> 
> I am happy to say while I was there I learned that there was a litter of
> Labrador retrievers born outside of Mumbai and the plans are that these
> puppies will begin their training soon to grow up to be the first guide dogs
> trained in India. I am sorry that I did not have the opportunity to meet Dr.
> Nitin Sule from the Drushti Guide Dog School for the Blind who has started
> the first guide dog school for the blind of India. I have been in touch with
> him since I returned home. I gave some blind teachers and blind students a
> chance to walk with Corey to have a little idea of the feeling of being led
> by a guide dog. Corey put up with it all. I was touched by so many people
> and I hope I touched them. I know that Corey did. We definitely brought
> awareness of guide dogs to India.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Joyce Kane
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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