[nabs-l] Training centers

[Brice Smith]

I have two concerns with this message. First, training and skill, not blindness, qualifies someone for teaching. While blind people may have an innate comfort with blindness subjects, this does not make them any more capable of teaching than anyone else. Second, it sounds like you are implying that sighted instructors do not gain practical knowledge when learning to teach blindness skills, such as orientation and mobility. You cannot make a comparable comparison between sighted instructors teaching blindness skills and an unqualified lawyer or social worker.  It would be ridiculous to assume that otherwise qualified sighted instructors in the blindness/educational field only learn from a book.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 15, 2014, at 9:27 AM, Karl Martin Adam via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/brice.smith319%40gmail.com