[Nfbf-l] Iowa decision goes against dog users
Marion & Martin
swampfox1833 at verizon.net
Mon Feb 23 13:27:48 UTC 2009
Jodi,
There has been a great deal of discussion on this issue in which I have
participated on the NAGDU list. I believe it is not a matter of "we know
best"; however, it is a matter of developing sound fundamentals in the skill
of orientation & mobility. although all guide dog schools claim a person
must have good O&M skills before obtaining a guide dog, the practice is
quite different. It cannot be assumed that a person who uses a guide dog has
had such training. Likewise, it cannot be assumed that any person - even one
who uses a cane - has good mobility skills. Some on the NAGDU list have said
the centers show very little concern for the individual and I don't see it
this way. In order for a curriculum to be effective, there needs to be some
sort of structure and consistency. If there is not, there is no way to
determine if any individual graduating from the program received the same
training as another.
While in undergraduate school I took particular classes to obtain my
degree. One of them was Research Methods and everyone was required to take
this course, as it gives fundamental knowledge to understand and interpret
other courses. There was a blind guy in my school who claimed that this
class should not be required of him because he is blind and, he argued,
blind people cannot grasp the concepts taught in statistics. I wrote an
article for the University newspaper stating, in part, that to grant his
exception would call into question every degree the school offered,
including mine, as no one would be able to be certain that anyone received
an adequate education.
Every student who attends the Iowa commission for the Blind's center
receives O&M training, whether you have had it in the past or not and
whether you use a cane or a guide dog. Students know this when they go to
the center and, by doing so, consent to the program.
Now, when I went to graduate school, the school required me to take
Research Methods....again! I could have argued that I already had Research
Methods in undergraduate school and, therefore, should not be required to
take it again. However, my argument would have been futile, since the school
would simply say, "This is a part of our program that you are required to
take!" Furthermore, the scope and complexity of the course was very
different than what I took in undergraduate school, so there was no
substitution.
On the NAGDU list, one person argued my example by stating that schools
often offered electives, so why couldn't O&M be an elective? The
counterpoint is that the school also has prerequisites and mandatory classes
that provide the foundation for other classes. Research methods is one of
those prerequisite, mandatory classes that provide the foundation for other
classes, including electives. Orientation and mobility training, I believe,
is a prerequisite, mandatory course.
Fraternally,
Marion Gwizdala, President
National Association of Guide Dog Users
National Federation of the Blind
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jody W. Ianuzzi" <jody at thewhitehats.com>
To: "NFB of Florida Listserv" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 5:24 PM
Subject: [Nfbf-l] Iowa decision goes against dog users
>I have a real problem with this decision. If a person makes the decision
>to
> use a guide dog then that decision should be respected. The training
> program can enhance this training rather then rejecting it.
>
> it strikes me that the training center is taking a 'we know best' attitude
> and this custodial attitude towards approach of a training center is the
> very reason the NFB was established in the first place.
>
> Good cane skills are a prerequisite to getting a guide dog in the first
> place and both cane travel and guide dog work can be improved at the same
> time. many people are in a situation where they can't leave their dogs
> behind and a prolonged absence will greatly hurt the bond and training of
> the guide dog.
>
> I think it is very wrong that a training center for blind people is so
> bluntly discriminatory against guide dogs. Any place else would be
> accountable.
>
> JODY
>
>
> Jury finds Iowa Department for the Blind's Guide Dog Policy Does Not
> Discriminate
>
> Des Moines. A Polk County jury has rejected a Des Moines
> woman's claim that the State of Iowa Department for the Blind
> discriminated against her by refusing her request to use a guide dog
> while she attended the Department's orientation and adjustment training
> program.
>
> The Department for the Blind orientation and training
> program is a comprehensive program that utilizes a totally non-visual
> approach to teaching blindness skills. Students with partial vision are
> required to wear eyeshades to prevent reliance upon any visual cues
> during training. Department policies prohibit the use of any visual
> aids within the orientation and training program, including guide dogs.
> The Department has no objection to guide dogs in other situations.
>
> Stephanie Dohmen, who is legally blind, attended the
> program for several months beginning in September 2000 and sought to
> re-enter the program in June 2002 accompanied by her guide dog.
>
> Dohmen claimed in her lawsuit that the Department's policy
> violated her rights under the Iowa Civil Rights Act and under federal
> laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability.
>
> After a six-day trial, the eight-person jury rejected
> Dohmen's claims in a verdict entered Wednesday.
>
> The Department for the Blind, which
> was represented in the trial by the Iowa Attorney
> General's Office, argued that a totally
> non-visual approach - and training without
> assistance of a guide-dog or other visual aids -
> is the most effective approach for
> visually-impaired persons who are learning skills
> and techniques for dealing with blindness.
>
> The Department places no limitations
> upon the use of guide dogs in other settings,
> including in the Department for the Blind
> building in downtown Des Moines. For example,
> Karen Keninger, the Director of the Department,
> uses a guide dog, and the dog accompanied
> Keninger during her testimony at the trial.
>
> The orientation program typically
> includes about six months of full-time training
> in various problem-solving skills, such as
> cane-travel on public streets, using Braille,
> using computers, and dealing with many other situations.
>
> The Department for the Blind's
> orientation and adjustment program was
> established in 1959 and is considered by many to
> be one of the most effective in the country.
>
> During the trial, the State
> Department for the Blind presented testimony from
> Joanne Wilson and Frederic K. Schroeder, each a
> former Commissioner of the U.S. Rehabilitation
> Services Administration, which oversees programs
> for the blind around the country.
>
> "Iowa's orientation program
> profoundly changes lives," said Wilson, who also
> is Executive Director of the National Federation
> of the Blind. "It works. It's a cutting-edge
> program and a model for other states." Wilson is
> a Webster City native and ISU graduate who went
> through the Iowa Department for the Blind's orientation program herself.
>
> Schroeder said: "To me the central
> point is that individuals have a choice in the
> type of training they take. While programs must
> and should make reasonable accommodations, they
> cannot be required to alter the fundamentals of the program."
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
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