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From: mcgrew@ichthous.Eng.Sun.COM (Darin McGrew)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: attitudes about guide dogs
Message-ID: <13024@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 23 Jul 90 20:06:32 GMT
References: <12999@bunker.UUCP>
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Reply-To: mcgrew@ichthous.Eng.Sun.COM (Darin McGrew)
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Index Number: 9398

In article <12999@bunker.UUCP> Marda.Anderson@f150.n321.z1.fidonet.org writes:
>I went to a school for the blind and I am a guide dog user.  The school I 
>was at always had a representative from Seeing Eye come to speak to the 
>students about dogs.  Still, I agree with you that there is an attitude 
>problem and lots of times, the worst anti-dog propaganda comes from 
>orientation and mobility instructors.

My wife's experiences with orientation/mobility instructors after
she got her guide dog were often frustrating.  Many instructors
just didn't seem to figure out what she needed, and kept trying
to get her to use landmarks that her guide dog was trained to
avoid (one man's landmark is another man's obstacle).  If her
instructors were half as frustrated with the experience as she
was, I wouldn't blame them for discouraging other blind people
from getting guide dogs.

I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both guide dogs
and canes.  My wife can walk much faster with a guide dog than
with a cane, especially in areas that she is only somewhat
familiar with.  But then, canes never chase squirrels and you
don't have to feed them, take them to the vet, groom them, etc.

Darin McGrew			mcgrew@Eng.Sun.COM
Affiliation stated for identification purposes only.