[Nfbmo] tech seminar
Fred Olver
goodfolks at charter.net
Fri Oct 26 23:33:11 UTC 2012
Brian, keeping all messages on this thread. I thought I heard you to say you
just bought an iphone, if you need any pointers or other information you can
reach me at 314 395-1159. and that goes for anyone else as well.
Fred Olver
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bryan Schulz" <b.schulz at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 4:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] tech seminar
> hi,
>
> i would like to see something like learning a gps and barcode app then
> later in the day, you have to find some store and come back with a certain
> product without human assistance.
> Bryan Schulz
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <DanFlasar at aol.com>
> To: <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 12:36 PM
> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] you and dog guides.
>
>
>>I think this is a great idea too. We are in the midst of a real
>> revolution in technology that can make our lives much more productive,
>> efficient
>> and enjoyable - if only we can figure out how to use all these new
>> gizmos!
>> I'd be willing to help out with this - and I think we have a lot of
>> tech savvy members who have a lot to contribute. We can host it here -
>> but
>> I think the topic is so wide-ranging that we would need two days to
>> offer
>> a basic understanding of the available technologies out there and how to
>> use them.
>> Dan
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> In a message dated 10/26/2012 12:30:54 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
>> goodfolks at charter.net writes:
>>
>> yes I would be happy too. How does the third saturday in January sound?
>> I
>> have some other ideas which I will communicate with you off-list.
>>
>> Thanks for asking.
>>
>> Fred Olver
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Gary Wunder" <gwunder at earthlink.net>
>> To: "'NFB of Missouri Mailing List'" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 10:36 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] you and dog guides.
>>
>>
>>> Good morning Fred. I think having a seminar on I devices would be a
>>> fine
>>> thing. Would you be interested in organizing it? I think it could be
>>> very
>>> informative.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Nfbmo [mailto:nfbmo-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Fred Olver
>>> Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 9:08 AM
>>> To: NFB of Missouri Mailing List
>>> Subject: [Nfbmo] you and dog guides.
>>>
>>> So, we're having a seminar on dog guides? An interesting topic to say
>>> the
>>> least. I do wonder though, why we are not having a seminar on the use
>>> of
>>> I-devices, an item which offers more flexability and perhapse more
>> options
>>> in terms of offering independence to a much larger segment of our
>>> population/group. Let me say first of all that dogs are wonderful
>> animals.
>>> I
>>> have two of them as pets. They each weigh about 40 pounds and help me
>>> to
>>> get
>>> some much-needed exercise on a daily basis. I decided to write this
>>> piece
>>> because I am concerned from the perspective of a former dog-user about
>> the
>>> whole concept of your using a dog as a guide for the first time if you
>> are
>>> considering doing so. There are some things I personally think you need
>> to
>>> know that you probably won't hear at the seminar this Saturday. First
>>> of
>>> all, there's a good chance that some of your friends won't want your
>>> dog
>>> in
>>> their car, especially if it's wet. Some folks just don't want to deal
>> with
>>> the whole issue of dog-hair and unless you are able to sit in the front
>>> seat, there may not be enough room for your dog in the back, on the
>>> floor
>>> where it should be. Secondly, although it is against the law, there are
>>> some
>>> cab drivers who will be unwilling to transport you and your dog because
>> of
>>> their religious beliefs. Third your dog isn't always going to relieve
>>> itself
>>> on cue. There may be times when your dog decides to take a dump in a
>> mall
>>> or
>>> public building and you will need to clean it up. You will no longer be
>> an
>>> individual. You will be a team, and chances are that Fourth, at some
>> point
>>> people are going to walk up to you and speak to the dog first. Five,
>>> sometimes, people may even feed your dog, or your dog may pick up some
>>> food
>>> from the floor when you are in a restaurant. Six, people are going to
>> want
>>> to pet your dog, and my experience tells me that although you might
>>> want
>>> to
>>> make lots of friends and a dog is a good way to do so, that if your dog
>> is
>>> in harness you ought not let anyone pet your dog not ever, while it is
>>> working. If you do, once, than your dog may think it is okay for folks
>> to
>>> do
>>> that on a regular basis and begin asking for attention without your
>>> even
>>> knowing it.
>>>
>>> Some folks feel that because they have dogs as guides that they ought
>>> to
>>> be
>>> entitled to reduced rates for shots and other services from their
>>> veterinarian. At one time there used to be a tax credit for folks who
>> make
>>> use of a dog guide although aI don't know that is true at this time.
>>> Some
>>> schools may offer assistance to extremely ill dogs, however you should
>>> expect that if your dog gets hurt that you need to be responsible to
>>> pay
>>> the
>>> vet bills. In other words, if your dog gets hurt, you should not expect
>>> someone else to pick up the tab just because you are blind.
>>>
>>> Some folks are going to be afraid of your dog, just because it is a
>>> dog.
>>> Your dog is not your child and should not be treated as such. It is a
>> very
>>> loving animal, but it is also a tool which will allow you independence
>>> however if not handled properly it can become a burden, a miss-behaving
>>> child and more trouble than it is worth. Some people feel they must
>>> take
>>> their dog absolutely everywhere, some show more common sense and have
>>> determined that a baseball stadium or a bar are not good places for a
>> dog.
>>> Make sure you use common sense when working your dog. Is it really
>>> necessary
>>> to inconvenience others so you can use your dog when you could give it
>>> a
>>> break and use your cane? After all, this whole independence thing,
>>> isn't
>>> it
>>> interdependence, and knowing when to allow yourself to rely on others
>>> at
>>> appropriate times? If you are going to make use of a dog guide, and I
>>> use
>>> this term because Guide Dogs is the name of an organization, you need
>>> to
>>> keep up your cane skills. You also need to let others feed your dog say
>>> once
>>> a week, and you need to give yourself time away from your dog, because
>>> if
>>> you don't, your dog may bond itself so much that it might not choose to
>>> eat
>>> when others attempt to give the dog it's dinner when you are away.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Below is a piece from my book Dealing With Vision Loss which can be
>> found
>>> at
>>> http://www.dealingwithvisionloss.com some folks will disagree with
>>> what
>> I
>>> have said and what is said below, it is after all my own opinion. What
>>> matters though here, is that if you are going to consider getting a dog
>>> for
>>> use as a guide that you understand as much as possible some of the
>>> ramifications of doing so. The good and the bad.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> YOU AND DOG GUIDES
>>>
>>> I just can't tell you how many times I have been asked "how come you
>> don't
>>> have a seeing eye dog?" Well, there are lots of reasons, but the fact
>> is,
>>> that most sighted people look at dog guides as "Wonder-dogs." When in
>>> reality, if you don't know how to get some place, how are you going to
>>> tell
>>> your dog to get you there? When you look at the list of resources in
>>> this
>>> book, you will not find any dog guide schools listed. There is a
>>> specific
>>> reason for that. Most schools which train people who are blind to make
>> use
>>> of dog guides like those individuals to be proficient in use of a cane,
>>> FIRST. Consequently, whether you want to use a cane or not, if you are
>>> thinking about getting a dog you need to learn to use a cane first.
>>>
>>> My own experience has taught me that, while using a dog guide, my
>>> orientation skills, that is to say that my skills of "knowing where I
>> was
>>> in
>>> relation to my environment" deteriorated. I was relying on my dog, as I
>>> was
>>> supposed to, so much, that I inadvertently became less aware of what
>>> was
>>> around me. Partly because I was not using my cane to be able to know
>>> that
>>> that trash can or bench was there, because my dog guide was taking me
>>> around
>>> it, as he was supposed to, but I found that when I didn't have my dog
>> with
>>> me that getting around, maintaining my orientation and being mobile was
>>> a
>>> much more difficult proposition than with a dog and that in order for
>>> me
>>> to
>>> be able to maintain my orientation skills that I needed to stop using a
>>> dog.
>>> Over the years, dog guide schools have modified their stand on using
>> canes
>>> and dogs. Used to be when you would go to the school, they would take
>> your
>>> cane away from you. Now, some schools encourage folks to use their
>>> canes
>>> in
>>> unfamiliar areas, or in order to help you to determine where you are in
>>> relation to objects around you. A footnote to these comments
>>>
>>> concerning dogs, when I was learning to use a cane, I asked my Mobility
>>> instructor whether or not I ought to consider getting a dog guide? He
>> said
>>> "no", that my skills were good enough that I didn't need one. Turns out
>> he
>>> was right.
>>>
>>>
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