[Nfbf-l] Fw: [nagdu] o/t Found this story on Blind, Inc.

[Sherri]

I saw this on an NFB list and thought I would pass it along. It's very 
interesting!

Sherri
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "cheryl echevarria" <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
To: <travelandtourism at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2010 6:49 AM
Subject: [nagdu] o/t Found this story on Blind, Inc.


> For those who do not know what Blind, Inc. is
>
>
>
> BLIND, Incorporated is an adjustment to blindness training center. We 
> teach the skills that blind people need to become independent and 
> employable such as braille, home management, the use of the white cane, 
> and computers with screen reading software, etc. But just as importantly, 
> we instill in our students the confidence to put these skills into 
> practice. We utilize the positive view of blindness of the National 
> Federation of the Blind. We work from the premise that blindness doesn't 
> have to be a tragedy. We know that, if given training and opportunity, 
> blind people can live full and productive lives.
>
> I have not been to any of the schools but definitely know the philosophy 
> of the NFB that Blindness doesn't have to be a tragedy. I enjoy my life 
> and want others to enjoy it as well.
>
> Anywhere here is the link and the story.
>
> http://www.blindinc.org/articles/dogs.html
>
>
> BLIND, Inc., Goes to the Dogs
>
> by Harry Hogue
>
> From the Editor: Last spring we received the following article from the 
> staff of BLIND, Incorporated, the Minnesota affiliate's adult training 
> center for the blind. It seemed appropriate to squirrel it away till 
> cooler weather. Here it is, beginning with an introduction by BLIND, 
> Inc.'s, assistant director, Dick Davis:
>
> Most people think of Minneapolis, where Blindness: Learning In New 
> Dimensions (BLIND), Inc., is located, as way up north. In fact it's on the 
> edge of the agricultural southern quarter of the state, barely 100 miles 
> from the Iowa border. But stretching 300 miles farther north to the 
> Canadian border is a different land, a land of small towns, great 
> distances, and wilderness areas populated by deer, bear, moose, and 
> timberwolves (who ignore people).
>
> It's a beautiful land of forests, glacier-sculpted hills and lakes, and 
> low mountains like the Mesabi Iron Range, where a lot of the nation's iron 
> ore is mined. It was settled by fur trappers, loggers, and miners, who 
> used canoes, horses, and dogsleds to cover the miles between isolated 
> villages. Those forms of transportation have been replaced by powerboats, 
> SUVs, and snowmobiles, but some of the old ways still linger on.
>
> We at BLIND, Inc., are always seeking over-the-top activities for our 
> students to do that uniquely highlight Minnesota--like dogsledding. 
> Dogsledding is still popular in northern Minnesota, although more as a 
> sport than as a form of transportation (snowmobiles have taken its place). 
> The annual John Beargrease Dogsled Race, which ends in Duluth, brings 
> competitors from all over the country. Minnesota mushers travel north to 
> Alaska to compete in the Iditarod, the famous Alaskan dogsled classic. 
> People we know who've tried dogsledding have described it as a rush, so it 
> seemed exactly what we were looking for.
>
> After searching the Internet and making some phone calls, we discovered 
> Krystal Kennels in Grand Rapids, 200 miles north of the Twin Cities. Joe 
> and Robin Oberton, the owners, host a number of school, college, and 
> corporate groups each winter. But would they let blind people drive the 
> sleds? Sure! In fact they'd employed a blind dog handler, who now works in 
> Fairbanks, Alaska. Joe said he'd stand on one runner, the student would 
> stand on the other, and he'd describe the country they were passing 
> through, give instructions, and tell when to turn and when to stop.
>
> In fact he wanted our students involved in the complete experience: 
> harnessing the dogs, holding them (they're strong) until the sled was 
> ready to go, driving the sleds, and riding as passengers. It sounded like 
> a good deal to us, so off we went to Grand Rapids, arriving at the Sawmill 
> Inn about fifteen minutes before our orientation to dogsledding was to 
> begin. We laughed when we saw the sign posted to the left of the door: "No 
> Hockey Sticks Allowed." Welcome to Northern Minnesota.
>
> Harry Hogue is a BLIND, Inc., student from Arkansas, a warmer place, where 
> dogsledding is not a local phenomenon. We asked him to write an article 
> for the Monitor, giving his impressions of the trip. This is what he 
> wrote:
>
> If someone were to ask me, "What one thing do you think you will do during 
> your training at BLIND, Incorporated, that will surprise you?" I would 
> never have thought to answer "dogsledding." Before the experience, like 
> many other people, I really had no concept of what it involved. Only 10 
> percent of people have ever been dogsledding. All of the students, most of 
> the staff, and the director went along for the fun, and everyone rode in 
> and drove the sled. If the guides were nervous about having twenty-two 
> blind people in control, they didn't show it. The only accommodation 
> needed or provided was that one of the dog handlers stood behind us on the 
> runners to provide directions and ensure that the dogs didn't lead any of 
> us into trees, potholes, or snow banks.
>
> Everyone had an incredible time; the only complaint was that it could have 
> lasted longer. Because of the size of our group and the stamina of the 
> dogs, we were outside for approximately three hours. This gave everyone at 
> least one opportunity to ride and one opportunity to drive. Some people 
> rode more than once.
>
> I greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to drive the sled; the feeling of 
> wind on your face is incredible, particularly considering that I had never 
> before driven a vehicle under my own power. Everyone else expressed 
> similar sentiments. Steve Decker, the computer instructor, said it was "an 
> incredible experience!" Laura Oakgrove, Valerie Williams, Tavita 
> Faasuamalie, and Jonathan McClung all agreed that it was "really nice," "a 
> lot of fun," "really cool," and, in Jonathan's case, "It reminded me of 
> Alaska."
>
> So what happened before our sled rides? We started the adventure the day 
> before with the drive to Grand Rapids in northern Minnesota, followed by 
> an orientation to dogsledding immediately upon arrival at the hotel. Joe 
> Oberton, the owner, with his wife Robin, of Krystal Kennels, led the 
> orientation with energy and pride. He was enthusiastic about having blind 
> people participate in riding and driving the sleds and showed clear pride 
> in his dogs and their abilities.
>
> At one point during his orientation, he said he was not unfamiliar with 
> blindness. He remarked, in fact, that he had a legally blind dog handler 
> work for him before she moved to Alaska. In addition he had a blind dog as 
> part of the dog teams that we would meet the next day. After the 
> orientation all of us enjoyed a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant, 
> followed, for most of us, by an enjoyable swim in the indoor pool or a 
> relaxing few minutes in the sauna. This relaxation was important, because, 
> starting at 9:00 a.m. the next morning, we would be on our feet for the 
> majority of the day.
>
> Joe prepared us to meet the dogs by telling us that they would "scream" in 
> eagerness to pull the sleds. It was a cacophony of noise with nearly forty 
> dogs simultaneously vying for our attention. I found the dogs, despite my 
> previous expectations, to be quite friendly.
>
> After meeting the dogs, we followed Joe, Robin, and one of Joe's 
> assistants to a local snowmobile trail that cut through the woods. While 
> some students helped harness the dogs to prepare the team for the sleds, 
> others discussed who would be first to ride or drive. Though some 
> expressed nervousness initially about driving, once they had ridden, they 
> were eager to try it.
>
> I can't speak for everyone, but I found driving to be far more enjoyable 
> than riding. It went deeper than a simple sled ride. It was a physical 
> sensation of freedom that represented the fact that, despite blindness, I 
> could do lots of things that I had previously thought impossible. The 
> experience opened possibilities for employment, leisure activities, and so 
> forth that I had never considered possible.
>
> While none of us drove the sleds without a dog handler traveling behind us 
> providing directions, this was the same as it would have been for anyone 
> else. No one, blind or sighted, goes through life without accepting some 
> form of assistance. Sighted people depend on directions in an unfamiliar 
> city; blind people do the same. Sighted people depend on reading print to 
> access materials; blind people depend on Braille.
>
> Attitudes are the overarching determinant of success or failure for any 
> individual in any stage of life. We would have had a different experience 
> in Grand Rapids if Joe and Robin had not expressed their enthusiasm and 
> confidence in blind people and if we had not been willing to find a way to 
> participate in this activity. It is the same at BLIND, Incorporated. When 
> I walk through the door each morning, I expect and receive a feeling of 
> confidence from every instructor here. It is the attitude, "Of course you 
> can. Why wouldn't you be able to?" This feeling-this attitude-naturally 
> lends itself to success.
>
> If you listen to something long enough, you will start to believe it. 
> BLIND, Incorporated, is a six-to-nine-month adjustment-to-blindness 
> training program for a reason: it takes much less time to acquire the 
> skills of blindness than it does to acquire the positive attitudes that 
> make those skills truly efficient and effective.
>
> If someone hands me a piece of wood and says he or she would like me to 
> make a project, I expect, because of my training, that I can. If someone 
> gives me a recipe and requests that I prepare a meal, I expect, because of 
> my training, that I can do so. If someone gives me directions to a place I 
> have never been and asks me to bring something back, I expect, because of 
> my training, that I can.
>
> I do not worry about my performance; I will not worry about other people's 
> perceptions of me. These days I worry only whether or not I am challenging 
> myself. It seems to me that challenging yourself should be the goal of 
> everyone, anywhere, regardless of life circumstances. As Harry Emerson 
> Fosdick said, "The man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted 
> by someone doing it."
>
>
> Echevarria Travel! One on One Travel Agent, Making Your Travel Dreams Come 
> True!
>
> Cheryl Echevarria
> Independent Travel Consultant
> C10-10646
>
> http://Echevarriatravel.com
> 1-866-580-5574
>
> Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
> Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel 
> CST-1018299-10
>
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