[nagdu] navigating without your cane

[Margo and Arrow]

the Seeing eye let us use the cane prior to getting the dog and I doubt I'd 
go to a school which did not allow me to use my cane prior to getting the 
dog.

Also, at the Seeing Eye, we use the harness in the building starting at 
suppertime on the Wednesday after the monday we receive our dogs.

Margo andArrow
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jenine Stanley" <jeninems at wowway.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 08, 2011 1:42 PM
Subject: [nagdu] navigating without your cane


> Julie,
>
> One of the reasons guide dog programs ask that you navigate without your
> cane prior to receiving your dog, say during those first few days on 
> class,
> is to in part observe your skill at orientation and mobility and also get
> you used to not having that cane input as you move around spaces. Most
> schools have you walk with your dog at heel in the building. When you do
> progress to harness work indoors, you're used to that form of input, but
> initially while heeling the dog, you are in charge of movement, 
> orientation,
> etc.
>
> At GDF we have the dogs guide on leash from the beginning and very rarely 
> do
> we ask you to heel your dog and simply walk around.
>
> For some people changing the input from the cane to the dog is hard, 
> harder
> than they thought. When traveling with a dog, we do lose important sound
> cues initially, replacing them with others eventually, but we also lose 
> cues
> about proximity to obstacles that we have to relearn with new inputs.
>
> Hope that makes sense.
>
> We do allow people to use their canes in the building prior to receiving
> their dogs but there are times when we do ask that canes be put away. Once
> the dogs are issued, unless someone really needs it, we ask that all canes
> other than support canes be put away when working the dogs and when moving
> around the building.
>
> Jenine Stanley
> jeninems at wowway.com
>
>
>
>
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