[nagdu] Training Hotel Staff

[Larry D. Keeler]

Who, us!! We need all the help we can get! Actually, we are always educating 
someone no matter who we are. Us blind folks just have a much harder time 
because there are so many folks to educate! Just a couple of days ago, a 
younge girl working at Krogers was helping me and asked if I lived in a 
home. I told her sure, mine! After I teased her a little, I woundln't do 
that! I told her because She thaught I was offended that if its a good 
question and you don't know the answer, well, ask!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Margo and Arrow" <margo.downey at verizon.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 14, 2013 7:09 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Training Hotel Staff


> Julie, yep, I agree.  Because of possible cultural influences, I found
> myself educating some staff about blind folks.  Many of them were amazed 
> we
> did not have caretakers in our rooms with us; that we could live in the
> hotel rooms by ourselves and we could travel.  Please, everyone, I am not
> complaining at all and I did not mind educating folks and they were
> absolutely wonderful people and I got to know some staff by name and hope 
> to
> see them again next year.
>
> Anyway, I think that NFB and Nagdu need to take cultural diversity into
> account a bit more.
>
> Margo and Arrow
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Julie McGinnity
> Sent: Sunday, July 14, 2013 6:42 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Training Hotel Staff
>
> Margo, I agree completely.  I noticed many people at this convention who
> were directed to go to either the pet area or on the grass.  Very strange
> since they don't want dogs relieving on their lawns.
>
> I noticed at this hotel the language barrier was a particular issue.
> I had to repeat several times to a hotel employee that I did not need help
> before he understood.  One of the hotel staff also grabbed at my dog's 
> leash
> in an attempt to guide me when I was going the wrong way.
> This is only my fourth convention, but one of the things I usually love
> about convention is that this doesn't happen.  Usually, the NFB trains the
> employees about how to work with blind people.  I wonder what happened 
> this
> year.
>
> On 7/14/13, Margo and Arrow <margo.downey at verizon.net> wrote:
>> I know we're having the feedback call this evening but want us to look
>> at the training of hotel staff.  Some people were asked the questions
>> one would ask according to the hotel's pet policy and apparently some
>> staff did not realize or understand what was meant by service or guide
>> dog.  I contacted two hotel managers about all of this while we were
>> there.  Staff were asking what breed the dog was and how big and the
>> weight.  The managers understood that these were irrelevant questions
>> and promised to talk with staff.
>> Also,
>> one person was told that those of us with big dogs would only be able
>> to stay on the second or third floors which was the pet policy.  That
>> must have been corrected.  Also, even after our relief areas were set
>> up, staff were occasionally sending folks to the pet relief area only.
>>
>> There needs to be omore consistency there and understanding by staff.
>> I think, too, there might have been some cultural and/or language
>> misunderstandings.
>>
>> There was also an incident when housekeeping knocked on our door and
>> we had our dogs on leashes and the housekeeping staff member didn't
>> look but loudly proclaimed that we needed to have our animals on leash
>> or crated.  Okay, that's fine but both guide dogs were on leash and we
>> were holding the leashes and we were close enough for her to see that
>> that was so.
>>
>> I'm thinking NAGDU might need to monitor the understanding hotel
>> staffs have regarding service dogs.
>>
>> Margo and Arrow
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
> --
> Julie McG
> National Association of Guide dog Users board member,  National Federation
> of the Blind performing arts division secretary, Missouri Association of
> Guide dog Users President, and Guiding Eyes for the Blind graduate 2008 
> "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
>
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