From time to time we are ask many questions about blindness or blindness related issues and as we can we would like to share them with you via Question and Answers.
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Q. Where can I find information on eye conditions?
A. If you have a condition of the eye the best place in my opinion is make your regular visits to your doctor. There are many good links to reliable information on most all eye conditions. Here are just a few.
National Eye Institute @ www.nei.nih.gov/health/
St. Luke Eye @ www.stlukeseye.com/Conditions/
Vanderbilt Eye Institute @ www.vanderbilteyeinstitute.com/
Q. Many people ask me the question how does a guide dog know when it is safe to cross the street, can he tell the colors of the stop light?
A. The answer to this question is no the dog can not tell the colors of the stop light. It is up to the guide dog user to know when it is safe to cross the street. The guide dog user uses their hearing to know when it is safe to cross, when they hear traffic moving in front of them they know it is not safe to cross, when they hear traffic traveling along side them then they know it is time to cross the street. The guide dog will only go when the guide dog user gives the command to move usually this is the command "forward". If the dog is given the command to go forward and there is something in the way that the guide dog user is unaware of the dog will not obey the command. Usually this lack of action by the guide dog will tell the guide dog user that something is blocking their path. The guide dog user will check what the obstacle is to the best of their ability then decide what command to use to continue on with their travel.
Q. Many people ask what the guide dog application process is and what is it like while you are training with the guide dog.
A. The actual application process is not the same at all guide dog schools but they all have a general feel to them. In general to be eligible for a guide dog most schools require that you are legally blind, in good physical and mental health, at least high school age ( some guide dog schools have higher age requirements), that you are able to provide adquate housing and care for the dog, you need the dog for mobility purposes,and that you are able to travel on your own (most schools require a letter from a mobility instructor stating this). When you receive your application there are many parts to it, in my own case there was a part I had to fill out, a part my doctor had to fill out, a part my eye doctor had to fill out, and there were parts that personal references had to fill out as well. The school I went to also required at short video tape of my walking, this was to show them how well I walked with a cane and at what speed I walked. Once all parts of the application are completed and mailed it can take 2 -3 months before you will get a answer as it takes time to review your application and develop a pool of dogs that could best suit you. When informed my application had been approved I was told what class i would attend and what my transportation arrangements were . The process at the schools again can somewhat differ, the one I attended lasted 4 weeksm the first few days you are there you work with only an instructor no dog. Once you and the dog are teamed up he is with you 24 hours a day, you vegin learning how to work with the dog on the grounds of the school first, then you move on to small subdivisions, small towns and finally we traveled downtown Detroit. You can talk lessons at night for night travel, also at night there are lessons in dog grooming, feeding and what could be considered dog psychology (examples of how your dog will react to your family when he meets them, how he will react to other pets, etc). When you come home with your dog you will probably be somewhat nervous or at least I was as I did not know what to expect flying with a dog, to make things more intersting when I was seated in the front of the plane with my dog the lady beside me complained about having to sit next to a dog (this only added to my nervous feeling, luckly they moved her), the flight itself was a breeze only during takeoff and landing was the dog even slightly concerned. Once home it was somehwat like learning how to work with the dog all over again because we had to travel routes that were new to the dog so he was quite cautious in the beginning. I have tried to give a brief explanation of how the guide dog application and early training process works as I mentioned each school is somewhat different, here are some of the interent addresses so you can see how each guide dog school works.
http://www.guidingeyes.org
http://www.guidedogs.org
http://www.guidedogs.com
http://leaderdogs.org
http://fidelco.org
Also here is a address for an article in the Braille Monitor in 1997 conceerning guide dogs that you might find interesting.
www.nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm97/Bm970603htm