Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!130!10!Henry.Kasten
From: Henry.Kasten@f10.n130.z1.fidonet.org (Henry Kasten)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Guide dog Rumors
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Date: 20 Sep 90 03:06:18 GMT
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Index Number: 10479

[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Howdy dan,
Sure wish I could quote you, but paraphrasing will have to do.  In the 
last message I read from you you said you did not want to start trouble. 
come on dan, just about all of us are to cause trouble in one way or 
another.  You also said that we should be aware of what is going on at 
these schools.  I couldn't agree more.  However, I rather doubt that the 
the third party hearsay we have been getting from the school bashers 
should have any reliability.  Seems to me that there must be more to the 
story about the poor woman who for more than a year and a half has not 
been able to cross an intersection comfortably.   I think a lot of the 
conversations have been a little bit glamorized for publication.  The 
truthof the matter is that nothing is perfect (excetp maybe Willie, tandy 
and me) and nothing worth having comes free of charge.  To make any dog 
work for you, you, will have to work with the dog.  God forbid if the dog 
should get sick, I think think you would have a difficult time claiming 
built in obsolecence.  Really, if we really wanted to scream about being 
ripped off, I think the Dog Guide Schools who provide a service to the 
blind for little or no money should be at the bottom of the list.  Bought 
any adaptive equipment lately?  Was sold to you at little or no cost? 
How long is expected work life?  Is it's work life close to 10 years? 
Can you use it 24 hours a day 7 days a week with little and inexpensive 
maintenance?  Will it lick you in the face when your felling down or 
lonely or make you proud and good about yourself?  when I look at all the 
thousands of dollars I've got wrapped up in all this crap from abacuses 
towatches nothing compare to the dog i got from a school who's only 
concern wasmy wellfare not there wallet.
Whew, almost fell off my soap box, reckon I better quit while its still 
safe.
Later, Henry

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