[blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?
Albert J Rizzi
albert at myblindspot.org
Thu Jan 21 14:36:25 UTC 2010
I agree with you on one thing it is best left up to the schools and or
trainers to determine who has the ability and skill set sufficient to be a
guide dog handler. It is not up to you, not up to me nor is it even up to
the parents of impressive youth to make that decision. Step out of your
rhetoric head and open your mind to the possibility that there are young
people out there able and ready to accept the responsibility and freedoms
that come with a guide dog. Where would we be if antiquated myths and
misperceptions about the blind and their abilities weighed in on that very
first blind child who stepped into a general education program in 1969? What
if we all gave in to the pandering of the cannot rather then seeing the
potential in each person regardless of age? We would be in that all to often
assumed dark place that others see blindness as being. Those who say it
cannot be done need to get out of the way of those who are doing it. Lets
all go into the 21st century full of hope and with the choices available to
realize our fullest potential regardless of age. Statistically blindness is
lumped into the third or fourth concern in IEPs and blindness is still often
considered a cognitive disorder which hamppens educational advancement. So
it is unfortunate that numbers do not accurately show how many of our
children live with blindness and only blindness, but I would stand to
speculate that the numbers are significant. Would you also think that a man
or woman of 75 should not get a dog since as you mentioned before about some
others, would only use the dog to walk to and from their mailbox or to and
from a garden? who are we to determine who is worthy or not when the desire
and need of a guide is ever present. And who are we to determine how a guide
should or should not be used once matched with their handler. Where do you
stop imposing your sense of limitations on others because of your own
position on what is right? Again I would like to know where you would have
been if the position you hold were imposed upon those under 21 which is
still a very strong sentiment today by the blind right! Where would you be
and then come back and make your position devoid of all that you
accomplished because you too had a guide dog much earlier then anyone back
then would have agreed or deemed to be appropriate.
Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
CEO/Founder
My Blind Spot, Inc.
90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
New York, New York 10004
www.myblindspot.org
PH: 917-553-0347
Fax: 212-858-5759
"The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
doing it."
Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Heather
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 11:22 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?
As I said in a previous email, a large percentage of blind individuals are
either senior citizens, who lost their sight because of old age, or have
severe multiple handicaps such as blindness and mental retardation,
blindness and major mobility issues or blindness and other developmental and
or neurological disorders. I would be very interested to find out how many
blind or low vision individuals there are, for whom blindness is their only
disability, between the ages of sixteen and sixty living in the united
states. Ultimately, it is not up to you. It is not up to me. It is up to
the people who know the dogs best, the trainers, as it should be, because
this is about the dogs, not the kids. If we were talking about canes, I
would say that it is about the kids, because canes are objects, but dogs are
living brething beings with rights and needs, even if those rights and needs
are different from those of humans.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)'"
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 9:37 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?
> My research tells me that there are 15 million people with a visual
> impairment and of those percentages from usable vision to complete
> blindness
> only 10,000 use guide dogs according to school figures and add to that
> maybe 1000 or more owner trained, and then reported figures of only
> 115,000
> cane users, probably not taking into account children and youth. The only
> reason guide dogs are 2nd to cane use is there is no other option for
> independent mobility, perhaps if we nurtured this option for our blind
> youth
> there would be a shift in more then just choices in mobility but doors
> will
> be opened for choices in education, employment, etc. freedom to move and
> freedom to choose are key for our youth. Let them get a guide, if they can
> meet the standards who are we to deny them the option simply because some
> think that their parents would be helping them with veterinary decisions
> and
> the like. When I got my first car I turned to my dad to learn how to care
> for my car and he taught me. I did not wait until I was 21 to consider
> choosing that option for my mobility and then learn about cars over night.
> A
> child is as responsible as the parents raised them to be and who are we to
> determine if that parent did a sufficient job or not? A responsibly raised
> child should have all the responsibility and options they can handle.
> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> CEO/Founder
> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> New York, New York 10004
> www.myblindspot.org
> PH: 917-553-0347
> Fax: 212-858-5759
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
> doing it."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Heather
> Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 12:40 PM
> To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?
>
> I have to disagree with one statement that you made, regarding Guide Dogs
> not being a primary means of mobility for most blind adults. Not counting
> senior citizens who are blind because of their old age and complications
> there of, guide dogs are second only to canes in terms of numbers of
> people
> using them for mobility, and they are no small fraction of the number of
> cane travelers. I don't know the most recent statistic off the top of my
> head, but we are talking about a half or a third here, not one point
> something percent comparatively. One must also take in to consideration
> blind individuals with mental retardation or severe multiple disabilities,
> as these persons would not, of course, be considered for guide dogs. So,
> out of blind individuals who have average or above mental functioning, and
> who are not septagenerians, I would guess that guide dogs make up half, or
> even more than half of the choice mobility aids. I will agree that many
> other factors must be taken into consideration, other than age, primarily
> living skills compitance, mibility aptitude and personality and temperment
> of the perspective handeler. That is absolutely true, but I was asking
> purely about the age component. Thanks for your thoughts.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Richard Holloway" <rholloway at gopbc.org>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 11:18 AM
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?
>
>
>> Carol,
>>
>> Having no direct knowledge of the process by which guide dog ownership
>> and placement is determined, I would assume that your main concerns
>> would
>
>> (or should) all be addressed in the process of applying to get a guide
>> dog for people of ANY age, is it not?
>>
>> It seems like guide dogs are not the primary choice of most blind adults
>> and I would suspect they are appropriate for even a smaller percentage
>> of
>
>> young people, but I cannot see the harm in additional study to determine
>> if this is a good and helpful option for some (however few) kids under
>> 16.
>>
>> To be sure, your concerns are well received and I agree with them in
>> general, but again, I am very hesitant to decide something is a bad idea
>> for everyone when (as far as I know) this has really never been tried. I
>> guess what I'm driving at the most is I think this would be best
>> determined by many factors apart from age, per se. One person might be
>> ready at 12 or 15, Another, not until his or her mid-20's (if ever).
>>
>> Richard
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Jan 20, 2010, at 10:53 AM, Carol Castellano wrote:
>>
>>> Well, I'll chime in with a different view. My experience observing
>>> young guide dog users leads me to believe that even at 16 or 17, it is
>>> the RARE young person who has the required all-around ability to use a
>>> guide dog. I have no statistics for this; my opinion is based only on
>>> observations...over the past 20 years or so.
>>>
>>> Another concern I would have for allowing a 12-year-old to use a dog is
>>> that in order to be a good traveler with a dog, the blind person needs
>>> to be a good traveler in general. A person would need a lot of
>>> experience in all aspects of travel in order to be successful with a
>>> dog. For example, much information needs to be kept in mind when
>>> traveling without the direct contact with landmarks, etc., that cane
>>> travel provides. How many 12-year-olds have such experience? Have
>>> they
>
>>> traveled much independently at that point?
>>>
>>> Last but not least, many people out there--some parents included--
>>> believe that a guide dog would protect their child and take him/her
>>> places safely. They see dog use as a panacea for what they perceive as
>>> the travel difficulties and safety issues facing their blind child.
>>> This is no basis for getting a guide dog!
>>>
>>> So, all in all, my feeling would be against this idea.
>>>
>>> Carol
>>>
>>> Carol Castellano, President
>>> National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
>>> 973-377-0976
>>> carol_castellano at verizon.net
>>> www.nfb.org/nopbc
>>>
>>> At 10:09 AM 1/20/2010, you wrote:
>>>> Here here! Wy set the bar low when in fact a child of 12 years or 13
>>>> years
>>>> has the capacity and maturity to handle the responsibility? Isn't it
>>>> our
>>>> responsibility to give all children those tools they need based upon
>>>> their
>>>> individual abilities to achieve all things possible in their lives. I
>>>> do not
>>>> see the reason for nor the reluctance to allow any teenager an
>>>> opportunity
>>>> to exercise their choice for mobility and that it include a guide dog.
>>>>
>>>> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
>>>> CEO/Founder
>>>> My Blind Spot, Inc.
>>>> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
>>>> New York, New York 10004
>>>> www.myblindspot.org
>>>> PH: 917-553-0347
>>>> Fax: 212-858-5759
>>>> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one
>>>> who
>
>>>> is
>>>> doing it."
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid- bounces at nfbnet.org]
>>>> On
>>>> Behalf Of Doreen Frappier
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 9:40 AM
>>>> To: (for parents of blind children)NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List
>>>> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?
>>>>
>>>> I am not opposed to having responsible 12 year olds own and care for a
>>>> guide
>>>> dog. I believe that children mature at different rates. For example,
>>>> 4-H
>>>> children own and care for animals (on their own) at very young ages.
>>>> They
>>>> are responsible for feeding and caring for that animal. One of my
>>>> children,
>>>> (sighted) is 13, and has been the sole trainer of a dog since she was
>>>> 9
>>>> years old. She has won many awards and competitions with her dog,
>>>> including
>>>> adult dog shows. She is responsible for feeding and caring for that
>>>> dog.
>>>> When the dog gets her check ups at the vet, she comes to the vets
>>>> office.
>>>> It's true, a young person can not take care of the expenses of a guide
>>>> dog,
>>>> but I am all for training teaching blind children to be independent as
>>>> early
>>>> as possible. I think each situation is different. I am not aware of
>>>> everything that goes into caring for and owning a guide dog, but I
>>>> think
>>>> some children are capable and should not be excluded because of
>>>> age.
>>>>
>>>> Doreen
>>>>
>>>> --- On Wed, 1/20/10, Heather <craney07 at rochester.rr.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> From: Heather <craney07 at rochester.rr.com>
>>>> Subject: [blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?
>>>> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)"
>>>> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 7:22 AM
>>>>
>>>> I just wanted to get some feedback on this from some parents of blind
>>>> children and teens. I, personally, was absolutely apalled to hear
>>>> that
>
>>>> a
>>>> local guide dog school, not mentioning names *coughs* Freedom guide
>>>> Dogs
>>>> *Coughs* has preposed a program to place guide dogs with twelve year
>>>> olds.
>>>> All of the other schools in the US accept teens no younger than
>>>> sixteen
>
>>>> or
>>>> eighteen years of age, depending on the school, but twelve? I am
>>>> happy
>
>>>> to
>>>> note that at present, no O and M instructors, parents or twelve year
>>>> olds
>>>> have contacted the school to enquire about this program, but I am
>>>> dreading
>>>> the day. This makes a mockery of those exceptional blind teens who
>>>> are, at
>>>> sixteen or seventeen, responsible enough, committed enough and have
>>>> demanding enough schedules to properly care for, utalize and actually
>>>> need a
>>>> guide dog. At what age would you consider supporting your teen in
>>>> researching guide dog schools? At what age would you support them
>>>> actually
>>>> submitting applications? How old would you want your teen to be
>>>> before
>>>> actually being placed with a guide dog? Do you think that you would
>>>> have
>>>> the blunt honesty to deny your support of your child getting a dog
>>>> guide, if
>>>> they were not emotionally, mentally, etc capable of utalizing a guide
>>>> dog,
>>>> at that time in their life? Do you think that you could restrain
>>>> yourself
>>>> from taking care of the dog, interacting with the dog, or doing things
>>>> that
>>>> would undermine the ownership of the dog by your blind teen,
>>>> acknowledging
>>>> their sole ownership and responsibility for the dog, even if you, as
>>>> their
>>>> mother or father still have all other rule-making power in the
>>>> house-hold?
>>>> Finally, would you ever, honestly let your twelve year old apply for a
>>>> guide
>>>> dog? I just felt this should be brought to the list's attention.
>>>> Just
>
>>>> me
>>>> personally, I would not encourage my blind teen to start researching
>>>> guide
>>>> dog schools until age fourteen or fifteen, and I would not
>>>> allow them to apply to schools until they were at least fifteen, and
>>>> that
>>>> is assuming that they are emotionally ready to deal with the demands
>>>> of
>
>>>> a
>>>> guide dog, such as handeling an emergency vet situation, mentally able
>>>> to
>>>> care for the dog, such as, researching and selecting safe toys,
>>>> effective
>>>> medications and appropriate foods, mature enough to deal with the
>>>> social
>>>> implications, such as access issues, and that they actually had a
>>>> need,
>
>>>> not
>>>> just a want for a guide dog, due to a challenging travel area or
>>>> complex and
>>>> demanding schedule of activities and classes. Please share your
>>>> thoughts.
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>>
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