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From: Carla.Campbell@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Carla Campbell)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: The Guide Dog School In San Rafael
Message-ID: <9986@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 4 Feb 90 14:11:29 GMT
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Index Number: 6597

 V*> I am becoming rather concerned that they have strong 
 V*> reservations about accepting me because of my hearing 
 V*> impairment. I Have heard some rather negative things about this 
 V*> school lately and I just found out that NFB is becoming upset 
 V*> with them and are saying that it is about time that school 
 V*> (Which always had a good reputation) became accountable to 
 V*> someone and maybe it should be NFB. Some of the things I have 
 V*> hear is that have really become "custodial" and are treating 
 V*> clients like children, and lord forbid an adult client should 
 V*> visit a female client in her dorm room! Also, they seem to have 
 V*> become very very concerned about liability for those of us who 
 V*> are multiply disABLED. I did hear one voice say however, that 
 V*> hey you have to expect some  of that stuff to a degree, but you 
 V*> just put up with and get your dog. So, I don't know. NFB folks 
 V*> told me that if they giveme a runaround, they will come and 
 V*> help me. So, I am wondering what is going on right now!

Well, good luck, Vixen. Personally, I hope no one forces any of the dog
schools to give a dog to anyone, if they determine that they don't feel
the dog will assist the person in staying safe.  Forcing them, if they
believe, sincerely, that your hearing loss is too great to make the use
of a dog guide safe is putting yourself and the dog at risk. I don't
beleive taht you cannot use a dog, understand, and think that it's bound
to be as safe for you as a white cane, if not more so-- but I think the
schools ought to have final judgement on such things.  There might
always be another school whose training is significantly different that
they feel they can take you on if another does not. I doubt it will come
to that, though, knowing you!

As for the stifling atmosphere: all the dog schools I've heard about,
including the one I attended are like that. It was very degrading to be
treated like a five year ould, indeed.  On the other hand, I thought
some of the folks with whom I attended probably needed that kind of
"institutional care". What, precisely, they were going to do with a dog,
I dunno, but they weren't responsible enough to live like adults.
Liability has become a big issue. Most of these organizations cannot
afford a major law suit, and they'd more than likely face one if one of
their..umm.. less responsible female "inmates" was to become pregnant
during her stay. Personally, I think it's terrible... but I just gritted
my teeth and occasionally reminded the staff that I had an IQ over 50
and lived alone, etc, and would they please stop acting like I was some
kind of juvenile delinquent. Worked, for the most part.

In some schools, too, the rule about visiting in the dorm rooms is as
much for the comfort of one's roomies as it is to prevent "naughty
stuff". As someone who roomed with a hyperactively social person my
freshman year at college, and therefore spent a lot of nights in the
lobby of my dorm while my dear roomie invited in her male friends to
stay, I almost appreciated that little rule.  Nope, the atmosphere isn't
pleasant, but if you just concentrat on getting the dog and learning
what ya need to know, it's bearable. Take a lot of books.

... Happiness is a warm modem.

--
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