Jean, Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely...
The problem here is one is spoiled for choice. Hundreds & hundreds of VIs at least in Mumbai, are confidently getting about in the city in the worst of travelling conditions because they have determination to move out with their white stick and have no option. I was one of them, what gives most confidence to me that i can reach safely to any corner of the city if friends call upon me. At least in Mumbai i never required my family members or any aid to help me go out. I required and certainly took help when crossing the streets, Knowing the bus number, and sometimes catching scarce autos. To repeat, it's not my qualification or my achievements give me confidence,, but ability to pick up my stick and get going. However, i appreciate the search for more comfortable, more safer options of travelling. Debates are always good. Cheers Jean Parker <[email protected]>, [email protected] On 9/7/11, Jean Parker <[email protected]> wrote: > All: > > > > I have been asked by several people, both off list and on, to clarify my > posting regarding the viability of guide dogs in India. Please read my > entire post below, before commenting as this is not a simple question. It > is a long post but I don't post that often so I'll make up here for lost > time. > > > > To have an enlightened discussion about whether or not guide dogs as an > aide to independent mobility by blind people is a viable option in the > Indian context, some facts about guide dogs and guide dog training must be > understood. There are many misnomers perpetuated by popular media, about > what guide dogs for the blind can and can't do and how guide dogs and their > blind handlers interact. Many people, both blind and sighted, believe that > a guide dog is responsible for taking a blind person to their destination > rather like a sighted companion. Stories abound of the heroic guide dog who > saved its blind owner from some tragedy. In reality, a guide dog responds > to commands given by its blind handler such as left, right, forward etc, as > part of a progressive set of directions from one place to another. The > blind person must always know where he or she is going and must remain > oriented to the environment at all times. At no time does a guide dog > assume responsibility for "taking" a blind person from one place to another. > It is therefore manditory that the blind handler be trained in and practice > good mobility and orientation skills in order to use a dog effectively. > Using a dog does not substitute for mobility training, quite the opposite. > Anyone contemplating training with a guide dog must have above-average > mobility skills before any training can begin. Many people make the mistake > of believing that having a dog will make this requirement unnecessary. > > > > At present, the cost of training a guide dog is about fifty thousand US > dollars, that is within the US economy and taking into account current labor > costs etc. The suitability of a particular dog for guide work begins with > the breeding process. Genetics, temperment and other profiling are factors > in determining whether a dog is right for this work. Although donated dogs > are occasionally trained for work as guides, the vast majority are bred at > the training schools and given to families to raise. The job of > puppy-raising families is to acquaint the dog with typical environments it > will encounter throughout its working life. The dog is socialized within > the family and local community, taken into public, and must demonstrate > certain qualities of temperment and behavior necessary for a guide dog. > During this time the pupppies are assessed to ensure they are developing the > required skills and behaviors. When they are about eighteen months old they > are taken to the training school where they begin learning how to become a > guide. During this process they are constantly assessed as to whether they > should remain in the program. A substantial number of dogs each year are > removed from the program due to one or another reason and they are given to > local families where they make excellent pets. Some even become therapy > dogs or assume a service that is less stressful or demanding. During the > training period the dog is also evaluated to determine what type of person > would be the best match for that dog. Careful records are kept on all of > these aspects so that the best possible pairing can take place. > > > > All of this explanation is to say that as one person correctly said in his > posting to the list these are not pets. One does not go to a shop, pick out > a dog he likes and have it trained. > > > > A person who is qualified to train guide dogs through a recognized school > must first complete a two year apprenticeship before applying to be a > trainer with that school. They must understand both dogs and people and > they must understand how dogs can supplement the independent travel of blind > people. It is not enough that someone has been a dog trainer of police > dogs, therapy dogs or service dogs such as what paralyzed people have. In > fact, many of the attributes desirable in guide dogs are opposite of those > required in these other fields. For example, a police dog is trained to > obey its owner and show aggression to a criminal or provide protection in > the case of security details. Aggression on the part of a guide dog on the > other hand is almost always inappropriate and can land the blind owner in a > lot of difficulty. But another aspect of guide work which is different than > any other work dogs do is known as "intelligent disobedience." If you as > the blind handler tell your dog to go forward and the dog knows it isn't > safe, the dog is trained to disobey that command. In order to do this > successfully, a dog must have the right combination of initiative and > confidence to disobey its handler yet remain docile enough to be responsive > to commands. To what degree the knowledge and skill a person has in > training other types of working dogs is transferable to guide work is beyond > the scope of this post. But suffice it to say that competence in training > dogs as guides for blind people is not achieved by reading "procedures," > academic tomes or other literature. It is a specialized area of dog > training. The life of the blind handler will depend on this training being > successful. > > > > An often ignored aspect of this question is the welfare of dogs who might be > trained as guides in very stressful environments. India presents unique > circumstances that introduce hazzards for dogs. In my observation, Indian > society is quite hostile to dogs on the whole. Many including myself, would > say that subjecting a highly trained, sensative dog to the kind of meanness > found in India's streets is irresponsible. The excessive crowding on > railway platforms is only one example where the human environment as it is > today could be perilous for a dog who is, afterall, closer to the ground > than we are and likely to be kicked, stepped on, and otherwise abused > without your knowledge or ability for recourse or to identify the > perpetrater. Daily or even occasional exposure to these conditions can make > an otherwise well-behaved dog traumatized and aggressive, and for good > reason. Vetri has correctly stated that even in the US there is sufficient > rubbish in the street to interest a dog with a scavenging nature but it is > nowhere near the amount or variety as we have here in India. Loose dogs are > another reality that must be acknowledged. Dogs operate in packs and when a > strange dog enters their midst they respond with aggression and attack. > > > > One of the most important functions of a guide dog is keeping its blind > handler safe in traffic. As you know, the traffic conditions here in India > are some of the most dangerous and chaotic in the world. I don't honestly > know how or if a dog could be trained to work safely in the traffic > conditions we have here. Only someone who has been trained to assess > traffic conditions in the context of guide dog work can say whether or not > it is viable. When a blind person is walking on the street people interfere > by grabbing a person's arm or in some way attempting to assert their > control, to prevent this or that catastrophe, real or imagined. This sort > of interference on the part of the public can be devastating for a guide dog > and result in its losing confidence in its abilities as a guide. A dog who > is not confident is not safe. > > > > The sheer lack of space in restaurants, on trains and buses and so forth in > countries like India is another factor that put dogs at risk for injury. > > Many, many people in India are not only hostile towards dogs but are truly > afraid of them. No amount of public education is going to change the mind > of someone who was attacked as a child or has a belief that dogs will > somehow contaminate their environment. The question must be considered of > how this reality would impact one's relationship with potential or current > employers, perspective or current customers, etc. > > > > As when anything new is introduced into a society, massive amounts of public > and private education must be done so the public, police and others > understand what that thing is, how it works and why it is there. Guide dogs > first appeared in the US in 1929 and even today discrimination is rampant. > The advantage in places like North America is that there are municipal, > state and federal laws designed to protect the rights of guide dogs and > their blind handlers and for the most part, these laws are enforced. But > this does not prevent discrimination from happening. I should know. During > my tenure as a guide dog handler in the US I had to file countless > complaints and one lawsuit because of discrimination. Public education > campaigns are conducted by the guide dog schools and consumer organizations > continuously with no end in sight any time soon. It is debatable as to > whether things are getting better or worse with regard to guide dog > discrimination. > > > > If this is the state of affairs in a country with a presence of guide dogs > since 1929 and one where dogs are generally respected and integrated well > into society, how can there be any realistic expectation that any similar > law would be upheld by the courts of this country? We are all aware of how > laws are enforced in this country. The biggest difference is that in Europe > or North America the public is likely to support you in a conflict > situation. In India, they would stand by and watch the show for their own > amusement. No law will help you when someone throws a stone at your dog to > see if they can make it drag you into traffic. Sorry folks, that is the way > it is. > > > > The education and accountability campaigns to be undertaken if guide dogs > were introduced in India would be massive, expensive and ultimately > unproductive. The first people to begin traveling with guide dogs would > enjoy no respite from interference and scrutiny. The slightest mistake or > problem would be magnified out of all proportion by a media that thrives on > sensation and controversy. You would spend all your time fending off > interference by both the well-intentioned as well as the malevolent. The > stress of this on a person is one thing, but the stress on a dog is quite > another. > > > > In addition to the costs of training a guide dog, there are ongoing expenses > to consider. Guide dogs have strict dietary needs. They are not fed people > food. If this is done, the next time you visit a restaurant with your dog I > suspect you will have some explaining to do to the people at the table next > to yours. A dog must be groomed every day and receive regular veternary > care. Daily obedience routines must be maintained especially for young > dogs. > > > > Govind Reddy is correct that comparing life for blind people in India with > that of other countries in this context is not helpful. In response to > Rahul Bajaj's assertion that blind people in places like the US have better > lives than those in India, I believe the quality of one's life is largely > determined by internal factors and that although external environments can > play a large role in one's quality of life the ultimate responsibility for > the quality of our lives is held by each one of us as individuals. Anand > Sharma's statements about "uncivilized people" being cause for concern are > correct. The bitter irony is, that the scenario he describes of someone > deliberately parking his car below your steps for you to trip over is > exactly the kind of situation guide dogs are meant to minimize. > > > > I believe the question going forward is not whether or not guide dogs are a > viable mobility option for blind people in India. This discussion leads us > to a bigger, much more important question of how can we maximize the > options for independent mobility we have and develop new one's if the one's > available now aren't good enough. What is missing in our current skills of > mobility and what can be done to enhance independent travel? > > > > It is no accident that this discussion is taking place just prior to the > November meeting in Trivandrum where options for the future can be discussed > and debated in person. Here are some things to consider. > > > > To determine once and for all whether or not guide dogs are a viable option > for India, one or a combination of the blindness organizations should > undertake a study in which those with a high level of knowledge and hands-on > experience with training guide dogs are brought to India and consulted about > whether dogs could be used safely and effectively. I reiterate that when I > say safely I mean for the dog as well as for the blind handler. If it can > be done then the study should articulate under what circumstances and with > what modifications to current training it can be done. Competent > consultants should come to India to give an opinion. And, if the trainer > who has been mentioned wants to raise dogs for possible work as guides she > should go abroad for proper training. If it can't be done then they should > articulate the reasons why it can't be done and put the matter to rest. > > > > Several years ago Joyce Kane of the National Federation of the Blind of the > United States visited India accompanied by her guide dog. I don't know much > about her visit but engaging with her about her experiences would be > informative, keeping in mind that she was a visitor here for a short time > and was in India as an official guest. Her experiences will reflect this > fact. > > > > My observation over the years is that proficiency of mobility and cane > travel among blind people is uneven. Some people have mastered advanced > skills of orientation and mobility while others have not. Whether this is > do to a lack of standardized training or other factors I don't know. Part > of the problem is that the environment in which people learn their mobility > skills is a difficult one and the potential to be independently mobile is > hard to achieve. Afterall, if you are trying to teach someone to analyze > traffic at a signal but no one bothers to stop at the signal or remain on > the correct side of the road the exercise of teaching traffic analysis is > pointless and proficiency can not be expected. Those of us who travel both > in India and Europe modify the independence strategies we use for a > continuum of environmental factors, at least I do. Others can comment as to > their own experiences. > > > > I do think the time has come for this group to evaluate what exists for > mobility training and discuss what might be done to make things better. Is > it dogs? Is it technology? Is it improved training? A combination of > these? Is it something else? I have noticed that echo-location training is > on the Trivandrum agenda and while the practice seems a bit anti-social to > me it is certainly worth considering as one part of an overall mobility > strategy. Whatever the outcome, the biggest thing I have observed that is > missing is how to obtain and use personal power effectively. There are > blind people in the world who have no mobility training or aides whatsoever > but assume the rights and responsibilities of self determination anyway. > There are also people who have all the advantages of mobility aides and > services and remain dependent. So the difference is not just external. > > > > Finally, I was asked by several people to comment about my own experience as > a guide dog handler for over ten years in the US. I had a very successful > partnership with a wonderful black Labrador named Harvey. We had many > memorable experiences together and he died of old age in 1996 after a grand > and fulfilled life. So why didn't I get another dog? Even in the US people > interfere, discriminate and behave ignorantly and I found it intolerable. I > would never subject a dog or other animal to the kind of hostility and > creulty found in India's streets simply for my own gain. To promote some > notion of independence at the expense of another creature is inhumane and in > itself, a criminal act. > > > > Madhu Singhal inquired about other countries in Asia where guide dogs are > used. To my knowledge, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea have successful guide > dog programs. There are schools throughout western Europe, North America, > Australia and South Africa as well. Acceptance of dogs as a legitimate part > of society tends to take place in countries that have moved beyond survival > and become prosperous. This kind of acceptance is necessary for a > successfull guide dog program. > > > > The unfortunate irony is that countries such as India are exactly the place > where the type of assistance provided by a guide dog is the most needed. If > it was not for the human element and all the destructiveness it brings the > concept might be workable. And, if you think I have more concern for the > dogs in this equasion than for the people, you are right. > > > > As always, comments on or off the list are welcome. > > > > Jean > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > [email protected] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > -- Regards Ekinath Khedekar Sr Mgr Corporate Strategy & Planning, Reliance Power Limited, I block, North wing, DAKC, New Mumbai Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. 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