[Nyagdu] My Thoughts and Perspective on the Resolution concerning Ownership

[Marion Gwizdala]

Dear all,

 

                Since I disabled mail delivery while I was at convention, I
have not read all the messages concerning the resolution for which I was a
proponent. I have, however, received a number of telephone calls both in
favor and opposition of the resolution. I would like to offer my perspective
on this issue.

 

                As most of you know, I am in favor of training programs
transferring unconditional ownership to the consumer upon completion of
training. As the NAGDU president, I have fielded a number of calls from
guide dog users who have either been threatened with or have had their dogs
removed without cause and without due process. The unfortunate response I
have for them is that there is nothing that can be done to protect their
rights if they do not own their dogs. I realize that most of you will say
your training program would never do such a thing without just cause;
however, the fact is that it happens and you will likely never hear about
it. It is not up to me to tell you about these cases, as it is protected by
my ethical code of confidentiality. It is also sadly true that the people to
whom this happens will likely never tell the list either, because they fear
retaliation in the form of a negative report that could impact their
application to another program. 

 

                The one thing I regret during the consideration of this
resolution is that I failed to ask for the whole resolution to be read. For
those who did not attend the convention, with twenty-nine resolutions being
considered, the chair chose to only read the resolved section of the
resolution to save time unless someone asked for a reading of the whole
resolution. I don't know if the results would have been any different but
there may have at least been a little more awareness of the purpose of the
resolution. After all, this was my primary purpose in introducing this
measure.

 

                Though I am disappointed the convention chose to not pass
this resolution, the other purpose for introducing it was to hear from the
membership in a democratic forum. As president of this Association, I serve
at the pleasure of the membership and am charged with representing their
interests. This is true of each member of the Board of Directors, as well.
My personal belief is that ownership affords certain protections and will
always express this opinion; however, my personal agenda is not that of the
membership. My duty is to express the will of the membership and to be their
voice. 

 

As for this resolution being introduced again, it may very well be. At this
time, though, I have no plan to do so. We have a great deal of work to do
and I am dedicated to the work, not my agenda. There is much more that
unites us than divides us. We may not agree on the issue of ownership but we
agree we must have the right to full and equal access to those places the
public is invited and we are creating collaborative relationships with the
restaurant, lodging, health care, taxicab, and zoo industries to remove the
barriers we face. I trust you will stand with us as we open the doors to
full participation in society on terms of equality. In the words of Dr.
Kenneth Jernigan, "come! Join me on the barricades and we will make it all
come true!"

 

Fraternally yours,

 

Marion Gwizdala, President

National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc.

National Federation of the Blind

(813) 626-2789

(888) 624-3841 (Hotline)

President at nagdu.org

http://www.nagdu.org

 

High expectations create unlimited potential for the blind!