[nabs-l] dog v. cane

Wed Nov 24 14:26:50 UTC 2010

you make some exceptional points which goes back to the initial decision 
making process. For me being in college i am sitting for an hour and 15 
minutes then off to the other class. I still use my cane frequently because 
sometimes if we are just making a quick trip somewhere or i am going 
somewhere already talked about. The main thing that i have acquired by 
obtaining a guide dog is confidence though. I have been completely blind for 
4 years as of last thursday and also i damaged the auditory nerve in the 
right ear and nasal cavities. As you can imagine i have difficulty walking 
in a straight line and hearing certain traffic cues because of the 
continuous ringing in right ear and popping in both ears so for my situation 
a guide dog was a good idea but it is a big responsibility and should be 
thought about in depth.

        -Teal
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "darrel kirby" <dkirby at mchsi.com>
To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 7:00 AM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] dog v. cane

> Hello All:
>
> I infrequently throw in my two cents, but I think most all blind persons
> have an opinion on whether to use a dog or a cane. This most likely 
> explains
> why some blind people choose to use a dog and others use a cane. As stupid
> as that just might sound, we are forced to have an opinion on the matter. 
> I
> warn everyone that it is important to avoid dichotic thinking, i.e. a dog 
> is
> ultimately better than the cane or vice versa. Like most things in life, I
> am sure there are advantages to both. I prefer not to use the "versus" 
> lingo
> when I think of dogs and canes, as it perpetuates the belief that there 
> will
> be a winner in the debate. It is a personal preference.  There are five 
> main
> reasons that I, Darrel Kirby, choose to stick with my stick and not switch
> over to rover:
>
> 1. My cane needs no care, i.e. it does not poop, eat, get sick, and rarely
> requires a bath. Therefore, when I travel, the speed at which I travel is
> quite quick. I grab the cane; walk out the door, and go. No potty breaks,
> searching for poop, or stopping to let the curious citizen google over my
> dog.
>
> 2. The training of a dog is expensive. Although it might be convenient to
> say, "Well, I'm not paying for it." The fact is that tens of thousands of
> dollars go into training a dog. In a world where seventy some percent of
> blind persons are unemployed, I can think of better places to place the
> money. Please remember that this is just my opinion.
>
> 3. I think that I would need a cane to travel along with me and my dog, if 
> I
> ever had a dog guide. I love my cane because it is an extension of my
> fingers/hands and an extension of my eyes. I am able to tap a garbage can 
> or
> a chair or a person or a million other things to find what I am looking 
> for.
> I red in an earlier posting that people using dogs felt that they "moved
> more smoothly." Personally, I want to hit things with my cane. That is how 
> I
> know that those things are there.
>
> 4. I work at an office for nine hours per day, five days per week. I am 
> not
> comfortable having a dog sit below my desk for that amount of time. I
> recognize that this is my own perspective. I grew up on a farm with dogs
> that ran around and played all day long. It would be a personal challenge 
> to
> ask a dog to sit by my side for that amount of time.
>
> 5. I do not feel that a dog guide fits with my personal philosophy of
> blindness. I preface this with the fact that I have friends who use dog
> guides and I do not condemn anyone for using a dog guide, but the
> fundamental concept of my personal philosophy of blindness is that eye 
> sight
> is not necessary to navigate this world. If I were to use a dog, I would 
> be
> using the eye-sight of a dog. With all the misconceptions of blindness 
> that
> already exist; I do not want to convey to the public that eye sight, even 
> if
> from a dog, is necessary to travel independently.
>
> I thank you all for reading along this far. These are the five reasons I
> would not get a dog. I do not expect the reasons to be adopted by other
> blind people. I do not feel that these five reasons are absolute truths.
> These reasons are based on my opinion and are subject to change. If any of
> these reasons strike a cord with dog users on the post, I ask everyone to
> respect my opinion. I will do my best to respect yours.
>
> Respectfully yours,
>
> Darrel Kirby
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nabs-l:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/tealbloodworth%40gmail.com
> 