[nabs-l] Training centers

[Karl Martin Adam]

Hi Antonio,

I definitely agree that for most jobs it doesn't matter if you're 
blind or not and we shouldn't segregate ourselves.  Being blind 
does make one more qualified for certain jobs though.  If I want 
someone to teach me blindness skills like O and M or daily living 
skills or how to use a dog, I'd much rather have a blind person 
doing it because they have experience using the things they're 
teaching instead of just learning them from a book.  For the same 
reason, if I want to be a lawyer or a social worker I'd rather 
study under people who have practiced as lawyers or social 
workers.  It's not about discrimination; it's about the 
difference between book knowledge and practical knowledge.

Best,
Karl

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Antonio Guimaraes via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: Valerie Gibson <valandkayla at gmail.com>,National Association 
of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 08:48:27 -0400
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers

Valerie,

Thank you for your message, especially since you had to type it 
twice, and still got your thoughts out there.

I am hoping to be swayed, or at least have a better understanding 
how blind people can train a blind and dog team for mobility.

I am slightly confused when you said that here is why a blind 
person can’t teach guide dog work. Then you made great points on 
how a blind person would be able to do it.

I don’t think it is difficult to gage the dog’s temperament, and 
to understand also the person’s energy, then match all that to 
see how the tea works together.

This is all very interesting since it gives me information I 
didn’t realize went into matching a person with a dog.

In my case, I am a mello person, and was matched with a very 
energetic gold retriever. I needed a dog with a very light pull, 
and that is what I god.

What you do training dogs may be frowned upon by many, including 
most schools, and many dog users, and blind observers. But you 
prove to me to be good at what you do, and you love it, too.

I would not sign on to an individual trainer for my guide dog, 
blind or sighted. Maybe excluding those trainers who came from 
the background of working at a dog guide school. I would in the 
latter case question why that trainer left the school.

I think the schools are there for a reason, and they know what 
they are doing. They offer follow up and support for their grads, 
so I would much prefer to be actively involved with a school.

Now, I may not mind having you train my dog. I think you know 
what you’re doing, you know dogs and people, and you are 
competent. I don’t know your background, but I can say with 
certainty you love dogs, and have been around them for a long 
time.

You have the skills, the love, and the drive to teach dogs to 
guide, or to do other things. I can tell from your message that 
you have a large repertoire of techniques you use.

You made no mention of how much you can see in the original 
message, and it doesn’t really matter if you’re applying for a 
job, and you sound like a great candidate, and you’re going to 
train my dog.

If you were to do that, I might freak out when I found out you 
are blind, which is how we usually experience things. Prejudice 
is all around, including from those of us who are blind