[nagdu] Disabilities and alert dogs

Sun Mar 6 01:09:39 UTC 2011

Yeah, Lisa, we have those lovely folks in our community who show the public 
what blind people are like - ahem NOT.  And you and I get painted with that 
brush rather than people seeing us as individuals.

Lyn and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lisa Irving" <lirving1234 at cox.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 11:14 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Disabilities and alert dogs

> You know better than many folks that I'm not always philosophical when it 
> comes to sharing my thoughts with people who have been hit with the stupid 
> stick. However, since I'm in the cocoon of my apartment I can be more 
> objective. I try to see where the person who says I'm faking, or I can see 
> more than I can. If they know next to nothing about blindness they 
> probably can't figure it out. I mean to say, maybe they expect to see dark 
> sun glasses and some one smacking to everything. Think about it. Where are 
> the positive blind role models on TV and in the movies? Yeah, where are 
> the positive role models in mainstream media and Holly Wood that use a 
> guide dog. They are few and far in between.
>
> That reminds me. The other night I was fumbling around a large transit 
> center. I came across a bus with an open door. I didn't see the ramp as it 
> hit the ground and smacked my foot. Darned if the driver didn't get snotty 
> with me. He had the audacity to tell me that I saw him. I pointed to my 
> guide dog and over reacted, but didn't cuss him out. A security guard went 
> and talked to him. When he pulled around to the other side where he was 
> boarding passengers, his tone and tune did a 180 degree turn; so did mine.
>
> Lisa and Bernie
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Lyn Gwizdak" <linda.gwizdak at cox.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 11:21 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Disabilities and alert dogs
>
>
>> Yeah, Mardi,
>> I think it really sucks that the medical profession can treat us like 
>> crap and not believe us when we tell them about what we know to be going 
>> on in our own bodies.  Your story sounds like a real good lawsuit! But, 
>> glad you are now doing much better.
>>
>> As a partially sighted person, people have told me I'm faking blindness. 
>> It really sucks that people can't just believe us when we tell them 
>> things we know to be true aboout ourselves. I know what that's like.
>>
>> Take care,
>>
>> Lyn and Landon
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Mardi Hadfield" <wolfsinger.lakota at gmail.com>
>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 1:54 AM
>> Subject: [nagdu] Disabilities and alert dogs
>>
>>
>>> Hi every one, Disability is not always cut and dried. After I was a
>>> passenger in a car hit by a drunk driver,I began experiencing seizures 
>>> and
>>> double vision.When I complained to my doctor,I was given an EEG to check 
>>> for
>>> seizures. Nothing showed up. I had a CAT scan when I was in the hospital
>>> recovering from a blood clot in my brain after the accident, and that 
>>> showed
>>> up. Every time I would have a seizure,I was told that I was doing this 
>>> for
>>> attention.I was faking.I was told that my double vision would clear up 
>>> with
>>> new glasses. It did not. I was labeled a "NUT CASE"and no doctor did any
>>> thing to find the real cause of my problems.They actually made me feel 
>>> like
>>> a nut case because of their attitudes.Because I was not given 
>>> anti-seizure
>>> medicine to control the seizures,they just got worse.I ended up having a
>>> seizure while riding a motor cycle and further damaged my brain and
>>> fractured my spine in 2 places and also had other severe injuries. It 
>>> took
>>> the doctors 5 years to catch the seizure on the EEG.Finally I got the 
>>> proper
>>> diagnosis and the proper meds which controlled the seizures. I was not
>>> considered disabled before this or after the proper diagnosis as the 
>>> meds
>>> controlled the seizures.Still no one did any thing about the double
>>> vision.When My seizures again started up and the meds no longer 
>>> controlled
>>> them,that's when I was considered to have a disability.By this time I
>>> finally was able to get SSDI which made living a lot easier. My back 
>>> became
>>> worse and I had to use a wheelchair to get around,and my vision got 
>>> worse.I
>>> did not go and get my vision checked as I knew no one would do any thing
>>> about it, so I just lived with it.Disability is not always easy to prove 
>>> and
>>> some doctors are real jerks!  I had trained a dog as a service dog for 
>>> my
>>> self and when my vision got even worse,I finally went to get it checked. 
>>> I
>>> was sent to a Retina specialist and was given the diagnosis of Cortical
>>> Vision Impairment and Macular degeneration with macular leisons
>>> (spelling?).I was legally blind!That is when I got my service dog also
>>> trained as a guide dog.I have had 2 dogs that washed out as guide dogs 
>>> since
>>> then, that I discovered could predict and warn me of my seizures. They 
>>> both
>>> barked and jumped on me as their method of warning me. I trained them to
>>> touch me with their nose or paws instead of the original method. I do 
>>> not
>>> take these dogs out in public with me as one dog is not good in public 
>>> due
>>> to him being abused before I got him,and the other because I can only 
>>> handle
>>> 1 dog at a time. I need the guide dog more.I do consider these dogs as
>>> service dogs but they only work in the home.My seizures have been better
>>> controlled now and I have better doctors now who listen to me.Disability 
>>> is
>>> even harder  to prove to the government these days.I consider myself 
>>> very
>>> lucky now as I am old enough to get social security by age and they can 
>>> not
>>> take it away by saying that I am no longer disabled.I am not the only 
>>> person
>>> to go through all this crap as I have met quite a few others.I no longer
>>> feel like a nut case and life is much better these days.Sorry for the 
>>> long
>>> post but we were talking disability and I wanted to share that getting
>>> diagnosed with a disability can some times be a long drawn out process. 
>>> I
>>> can not change my past experiences. I can only go on from here. This 
>>> List
>>> sure does help me when I get to deep in my own self pity as I remember 
>>> that
>>> there are many others who are out there with problems,some worse than 
>>> mine,
>>> and we are all trying to help each other.I am so glad I found this List.
>>> Have a great day Mardi and Shaman and Nala,retired.
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> http://wolfsinger-lakota.blogspot.com/
>>> http://wolfsinger2-thegoldendragon.blogspot.com
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>>
>>
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>
>
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