[NAGDU] General public advising me and Alec

Tue Feb 13 22:29:53 UTC 2018

if it were me, I'd just ignore what your counselor said about Alec and 
just figure out whether the job readiness courses is worth it to you, I 
suspect Alec will adapt if you need to go there. if the skills you think 
you'll master with that course are worth it to you and you think will 
help you then just go for it. The counselor isn't a dog guide trainer 
and is speaking just from his own opinion which may be worth absolutely 
nothing--smile. but don't throw out the baby with the bath water, if and 
only if you think this might help you, then try sticking it out and go 
for it, and why not, call your school and ask for thoughts about keeping 
Alk calmer or whatever...Anyway take care.

I'm glad I'm out of that orbit and don't feel obliged to go to any 
courses like that any more..

Warmest,

Dan

On 2/13/2018 5:06 PM, Andy B. via NAGDU wrote:
> We don't go to very many meetings or interviews right now. The only regular
> meeting we go to is the public transit ADA committee I vice chair. This is
> once a month. Alec gets social interaction when I socialize. Going to
> church, life group events, going to the store (more than one type of store),
> up to the university campus when required (soon for sporting events), riding
> the bus,, and sometimes job interviews. The job class isn't something I
> need. As I explained to this specialist, my job hunting skills are more
> advanced than what the classes teach. It is the specialist who thinks the
> job classes will be useful because Alec can get training on how to handle
> social situations. It is an excuse to try and keep me there. Before he saw
> Alec in class, his only excuse was that we can see what other people are
> dealing with in the area of employment problems...maybe it will inspire us
> to figure out another path to a career. In any event, the career part is OT,
> and I will let it rest for now.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cindy Ray via
> NAGDU
> Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 2:52 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Cindy Ray <cindyray at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] General public advising me and Alec
>
> Andy, what all are you doing to get your dog exposed to these kinds of
> situations? Are you going to a lot of meetings/interviews? Is there anything
> of value in the classes, or are you wanting to opt out because of the dog? I
> think you have the right to say no; just be clear that the real reason is
> that the classes are not useful. If they aren't, they are a waste of time.
> If they are, the dog needs to learn to behave through them just as he will
> have to do when he is in a job situation. While I agree that you have the
> right to say no and cannot be bullied into going to the class, you just need
> to be sure your no is because you honestly don't need the classes.
>
> Cindy Lou Ray
> cindyray at gmail.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Andy B. via NAGDU
> Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 10:25 AM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Andy B. <sonfire11 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [NAGDU] General public advising me and Alec
>
> Hi,
>
>   
>
> I came across an interesting predicament. At this time, I am working with an
> employment specialist that works for my state blind rehab agency. During our
> normal mettings, he advised we attend an employment class taught by another
> state agency. We agreed to attend a session or two for the general
> experience. During the first session, which lasted about 1.5 hours, Alec
> tended to be somewhat annoyed that people were required to get up and move
> about to interact with each other during an ice breaker activity. The
> conference room is small and contained about 20 people.
>
> While everyone was sitting down during lectures, Alec whimpered every so
> often. He also wanted his space and moved his back end out away from my left
> side. I only assume he wanted to face the direction of the speaker. I
> attempted to get him back to my left side. In most cases, it worked.
> However, a few times it didn't work very well. After a point, I let him lay
> where he was at the time. Besides, he wasn't bothering anyone or getting
> into trouble. When the session finished, I informed the specialist that the
> class probably wouldn't meet my needs, and we most likely shouldn't
> continue. The employment specialist disagreed and started telling me that I
> should attend the remaining 3 weeks because it is good practice for Alec to
> be involved in social events such as employment class, staff meetings, job
> interviews, and the like. Naturally, I agreed that Alec needed to be
> involved in social events. On the other hand, seeking them out just to get
> practice is not what we need right now. Alec gets enough practice in
> interviews, staff meetings, and committee meetings to understand what I
> expect. I attempted to explain that dogs will do what dogs do the best. The
> main concern is keeping them under control at all times, not expecting them
> to act like robots. He will never stay perfectly quiet during a meeting, he
> will never lay down and be perfectly still like an inanimate object, and he
> will most likely want to visit other people for some time. Unfortunately,
> the specialist insists on the practice and doesn't understand how dog
> guide/handler relationships work. What do I do to put out the burning flame
> of this problem?
>
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