[nagdu] negative experiences was Puppy raising

Fri Aug 6 12:19:51 UTC 2010

Julie M.

I totally get how overwhelming all the stories can be!  A survey with a 
rating scale would give everyone an equal opportunity to rate their 
experiences.  The negative ones would get no more weight than the positive 
ones.

I agree that most of the schools are doing a good job.  However no one 
person has ever attended all of them to make a true comparison from the same 
perspective.  Add in that personal views change as do the various school 
policies and there's no way to get a current comparison without some sort of 
survey.  At least I can't come up with anything.

I think it would also be very, very useful for the small and upcoming 
programs.  It's easy to get graduates from TSE, GDB and even smaller 
programs like GDA to talk to you about their experiences.  But what about 
KSDS or Guide Dogs of Texas?  I don't know a single guide dog graduate from 
either of those places.

Julie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julie McGinnity" <kaybaycar at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 10:48 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] negative experiences was Puppy raising

> Hi.  I've always thought that the schools, at least for the most part,
> were pretty good.  Oh, they all have their flaws and faults, but they
> do a great job training and preparing these dogs for us.  I've always
> believed that it depends on what you want in a school.  One person may
> totally love one thing about a school that someone else couldn't
> stand.  It's all a matter of perspective.  One of my friends is
> currently researching guide dog schools.  I'm trying to just tell her
> the facts, nothing else, in hopes that she can make a decision soely
> bassed on what she wants and not what other people say.  There are so
> many things to consider when you pick a school.  I still kind of
> compare it to picking a colege.  Of course, I know this is not
> completely valid.  Honestly, I was more worried about my guide dog
> school applications.  Lol!
> I hope I don't seem crazy, but I think that doing the research
> yourself or just asking for the facts when choosing a school might be
> the way to go.  If I had heard all the thousands and thousands of
> crazy stories about all the different schools before I chose a school,
> I don't know if I would have had the courage to go.  You hear so many
> things.  I've been telling my friend not to rely so much on hearing
> stories about people's experiences because you could get caught up in
> stories so much that you could forget what you really want in a
> school.  That being said, I think a handler survey would be an
> excellent  idea.  That could weed out the stories from the reality.
> Hope I made any sense at all.
>
> On 8/5/10, Margo and Arrow <margo.downey at verizon.net> wrote:
>> I think any school can have graduates who have had bad experiences. 
>> Humans
>> run the schools; the graduates are human.  Just happens.
>>
>> Margo andArrow
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Julie J" <julielj at windstream.net>
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 6:55 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] negative experiences was Puppy raising
>>
>>
>>> Rebecca,
>>>
>>> I have wondered this for years.  I have noticed when someone says
>>> something even approaching negative about a school, any school, a ton of
>>> graduates from that particular program will chime in with how they 
>>> didn't
>>> experience x, y or z.  Frequently the satisfied graduate will continue 
>>> on
>>> with how they can't understand how the dissatisfied individual could 
>>> have
>>> possibly had that experience.  Then this will be followed up with a
>>> suggestion to call Mr. So-and-So from the school so things can get
>>> straightened out.
>>>
>>> While I don't have any issue with hearing both ends of the satisfaction
>>> scale, it has always sort of bothered me that frequently the bad
>>> experiences are discounted as someone overreacting or just being picky. 
>>> I
>>>
>>> don't understand why expressing your feelings about a bad experience is
>>> any less valid than relating a good one.
>>>
>>> In reference to Dan's point about fear of repercussions from the
>>> program...it makes sense, but it disturbs me greatly.  What can we do?
>>> The only idea that comes to mind is some sort of Consumer Reports thing.
>>> A survey of a random sample of graduates of the various programs about
>>> their experiences.  Of course this would mean the schools would have to
>>> cooperate.
>>>
>>> The GDUI school survey is an excellent tool to compare the components of
>>> the guide dog schools.  Why not supplement this info with a handler
>>> satisfaction survey? This would give a really thorough overview of what 
>>> to
>>>
>>> expect.  It might also get programs with low customer service ratings to
>>> improve.
>>>
>>> I'm just chock full of ideas lately. LOL
>>> Thoughts?
>>> Julie
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nagdu mailing list
>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nagdu:
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/margo.downey%40verizon.net
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> nagdu:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/kaybaycar%40gmail.com
>>
>
>
> -- 
> Julie McG
> Lindbergh High School class of 2009, participating member in Opera
> Theater's Artist in Training Program, and proud graduate of Guiding
> Eyes for the Blind
>
> "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
> everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
> life."
> John 3:16
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/julielj%40windstream.net
> 