[NYAGDU] NYAGDU Seminar on Diversity in the Guide Dog Community

[Heather Bird]

 The New York Association of Guide Dog Users (NYAGDU) presents a
workshop on diversity in the guide dog handling community.

What?
We will be hosting a facilitated discussion on how the myriad layers
of diversity, such as race/ethnicity, sex/gender/sexual orientation,
age, religious/cultural background, political/professional
affiliation, disability status, etc. affect guide dog handlers,
puppy-raisers, trainers, and the public with which guide dog/handler
teams interact. Diversity as it pertains to breeds and types of dogs
available will also be discussed.

Why?
If guide dog training programs are to serve a wonderfully diverse
community of prospective guide dog handlers, they must understand the
complexities of the lives, needs, perspectives, and situations of that
community. In order to support one another as guide dog handlers, we
must be able to recognize and celebrate the diversity within our own
community, and to understand how diversity affects others involved
within the guide dog community, such as the puppy-raisers, trainers,
and other staff that contribute to the breeding, education, and
placing of our dogs, and also the public with which we and our dogs
interact on a daily basis. Discussion of how guide dog training
programs have met or failed to meet the needs of, and to respect, or
failed to respect, the rights of various diverse groups, provides a
framework for advocacy, dialogue and, when necessary, collective
action in the future. In order to meet the needs of our diverse
community, a diverse range of dogs must be available, as various
breeds, both sexes, and a wide range of pace, pull, temperament, and
personality is required to ensure that diverse handlers have
appropriate and available matches across the US.

When?
Monday, October 19th, from 7:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

Where?
During the 2020 Annual Convention of the National Federation of the
Blind of New York State Inc, there will be a series of virtual
workshops and seminars, offered using the Zoom platform.
Visit https://nfbny.org/conventions/details to register for the
virtual convention, or for the Zoom link to the seminar directly which
will be posted in the convention agenda.

Who?
While this seminar is hosted by the NYAGDU, it is open to guide dog
handlers from other states, to handlers of other types of service
dogs, and to members and non-members alike. If you handle a guide or
service dog, are considering applying for a guide or service dog, or
have an interest in the breeding, raising, training, and working of
guide dogs, then, please join us for this productive and
thought-provoking discussion.

Please note, while we will raise food-for-thought scenarios, posit
questions to generate discussion, and cover controversial topics in
the course of this discussion, the NYAGDU does not purport to speak
for all members of any particular diversity group, as we are all
individuals with unique perspectives and needs. Further, we are not
attempting to provide the “right” answers, or the “only” solutions, as
this is intended to be a jumping off point for a more comprehensive
and informed understanding for all, not a rigid lecture full of
“musts” and “shoulds.”

For more information, please contact
Heather Bird
President, New York Association of Guide Dog Users
NYAGDU at NFBNY.org
(585) 739-6473