The choices we make
When I was growing up my mother and father were both very involved in the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). This is one of the advocacy organizations here in the US. I went with them to meetings, fund raisers, and I even participated in selling things for the local chapter that they were in such as candy and cook books. It was something I just did with my family.
In high school I was losing more vision which finally got so bad that I needed to learn how to use a cane. Being a teenager and having to carry that stick around made me feel self-conscious. I didn’t like having that cane with me one bit. But I learned really fast how important knowing the skills of orientation and mobility was. If I wanted to get out in the world and do things I had to use my cane to keep myself from getting hurt. So after leaving home at age eighteen I embraced using my cane. With that I learned another lesson. There were other kids my age who didn’t like using a cane either. We got together just so we could gripe about using a cane. By getting together with them we all found ways to encourage one another to keep on trying.
The biggest thing to ever happen to me in my life was moving to where I live now. Knowing how to use that cane came in pretty darn helpful when I first moved here. I did not know anyone but a few family members who could not always just take me places and one other person. She only used the bus to get around. If I was going to learn this town, I needed that cane to get around. That cane and I became fast friends in a real hurry.
It was about a year later that I met the first person who used a guide dog. It was because of them that I made the life choice to get my own guide dog. Having a dog in my life opened a lot of doors for me but it also brought discrimination into my life as well. I never knew how important taking this step would become in my life when I first made this choice so many years ago.
One particular time I can remember was while visiting with my sister and brother a year or so after getting my first dog. We wanted to go camping and in a town near where our camp was set up, had some shops to check out. We went into this clothing store only to be accosted by a sales lady about my guide dog. She threw us out of the store even though I tried to explain about my guide dog and the laws pertaining to guide dogs. We all were really upset. As we stood outside my sister wanted to know if we could do anything at all. I said lets call the police for help without even thinking.
A very nice police officer came to our aid that had not heard of the laws about access for guide dogs. But he was willing to read the information I had and verified that information with other police officers as well. The officer finally went in on my behalf to talk to the lady. He was in the store for what seemed like a very long time. Finally he came out a bit frustrated but satisfied.
He told us that the lady argued with him about the laws and simply said that she did not care one bit about allowing “that” dog into the store. Finally, he gave up and said that since she was arguing with him that he was writing her a ticket for arguing with him. At this point she apparently gave in. But the officer was done and still wrote out that ticket which ended up being a five hundred dollar ticket. Boy, if I could have seen the woman’s face when he gave her the ticket.
While the officer was in the shop the owner showed up to see what was going on. The sales lady had apparently called her when the officer came into the store on my behalf. When she found out from the officer what had happened she really got mad at the sales lady right there in front of the officer. She then came out and asked us all in and proceeded to give us the choice of two outfits each. That really made my day too because I found two wonderful summer outfits that I wore proudly for three summers. I had no idea how standing up for my rights would turn out so this was all unexpected to me and encouraged me a great deal about the choice I had made to get a guide dog.
It was this situation that started my days of helping others. This happened in 1991, just after the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. After coming home I got offered a job at a company where we went and helped stores and other businesses comply with the ADA under title III, public accommodations. I worked at that job happily for five years before the company went belly up and I lost my job.
I did not want to stop helping people though, so it was at this time in 1997 that I joined two committees here in our town that was devoted to helping transportation and the whole city comply with the ADA. As a part of the transportation committee I got involved in teaching bus drivers, both fixed route and for paratransit about dealing with people who have a disability. This was one of the most rewarding jobs I had so far on the local level.
In 2002 our town formed a chapter of the California Council of the Blind (CCB). It is an affiliate of the nation wide group called the American Council of the Blind (ACB). It did not take long for me to find the one thing that helped my need to do something productive for others to fall into my lap. I joined a special interest group that is apart of the CCB called Guide Dog User’s of California (GDUC). This special interest group has all sorts of people from the state with guide dogs that are from the different schools here in California. Becoming a member of GDUC also made me a member of Guide Dog User’s Incorporated, (GDUI). That group has guide dog users from all over the nation and the world as well.
Since joining CCB, GDUC, ACB, and GDUI, I have helped a lot of people. Everything from helping someone who was told to leave a restaurant because of her dog to just being there to listen to someone who was not sure if the guide dog lifestyle was for them. I still teach bus drivers and from time to time I see one of them on the bus. It makes me feel good to know that they remember me and the things I taught them in one of those two hour class sessions. I even still get asked the occasional question about laws regarding service animals.
What my parents started in me as a child has carried on throughout my life. I plan to keep on fighting and being there for all people who have disabilities for as long as I am able to do so. I also hope I am able to help the public as well. Doing what I do to educate others makes me happy even though it is frustrating at times. It is my passion. May the fight continue.
In high school I was losing more vision which finally got so bad that I needed to learn how to use a cane. Being a teenager and having to carry that stick around made me feel self-conscious. I didn’t like having that cane with me one bit. But I learned really fast how important knowing the skills of orientation and mobility was. If I wanted to get out in the world and do things I had to use my cane to keep myself from getting hurt. So after leaving home at age eighteen I embraced using my cane. With that I learned another lesson. There were other kids my age who didn’t like using a cane either. We got together just so we could gripe about using a cane. By getting together with them we all found ways to encourage one another to keep on trying.
The biggest thing to ever happen to me in my life was moving to where I live now. Knowing how to use that cane came in pretty darn helpful when I first moved here. I did not know anyone but a few family members who could not always just take me places and one other person. She only used the bus to get around. If I was going to learn this town, I needed that cane to get around. That cane and I became fast friends in a real hurry.
It was about a year later that I met the first person who used a guide dog. It was because of them that I made the life choice to get my own guide dog. Having a dog in my life opened a lot of doors for me but it also brought discrimination into my life as well. I never knew how important taking this step would become in my life when I first made this choice so many years ago.
One particular time I can remember was while visiting with my sister and brother a year or so after getting my first dog. We wanted to go camping and in a town near where our camp was set up, had some shops to check out. We went into this clothing store only to be accosted by a sales lady about my guide dog. She threw us out of the store even though I tried to explain about my guide dog and the laws pertaining to guide dogs. We all were really upset. As we stood outside my sister wanted to know if we could do anything at all. I said lets call the police for help without even thinking.
A very nice police officer came to our aid that had not heard of the laws about access for guide dogs. But he was willing to read the information I had and verified that information with other police officers as well. The officer finally went in on my behalf to talk to the lady. He was in the store for what seemed like a very long time. Finally he came out a bit frustrated but satisfied.
He told us that the lady argued with him about the laws and simply said that she did not care one bit about allowing “that” dog into the store. Finally, he gave up and said that since she was arguing with him that he was writing her a ticket for arguing with him. At this point she apparently gave in. But the officer was done and still wrote out that ticket which ended up being a five hundred dollar ticket. Boy, if I could have seen the woman’s face when he gave her the ticket.
While the officer was in the shop the owner showed up to see what was going on. The sales lady had apparently called her when the officer came into the store on my behalf. When she found out from the officer what had happened she really got mad at the sales lady right there in front of the officer. She then came out and asked us all in and proceeded to give us the choice of two outfits each. That really made my day too because I found two wonderful summer outfits that I wore proudly for three summers. I had no idea how standing up for my rights would turn out so this was all unexpected to me and encouraged me a great deal about the choice I had made to get a guide dog.
It was this situation that started my days of helping others. This happened in 1991, just after the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. After coming home I got offered a job at a company where we went and helped stores and other businesses comply with the ADA under title III, public accommodations. I worked at that job happily for five years before the company went belly up and I lost my job.
I did not want to stop helping people though, so it was at this time in 1997 that I joined two committees here in our town that was devoted to helping transportation and the whole city comply with the ADA. As a part of the transportation committee I got involved in teaching bus drivers, both fixed route and for paratransit about dealing with people who have a disability. This was one of the most rewarding jobs I had so far on the local level.
In 2002 our town formed a chapter of the California Council of the Blind (CCB). It is an affiliate of the nation wide group called the American Council of the Blind (ACB). It did not take long for me to find the one thing that helped my need to do something productive for others to fall into my lap. I joined a special interest group that is apart of the CCB called Guide Dog User’s of California (GDUC). This special interest group has all sorts of people from the state with guide dogs that are from the different schools here in California. Becoming a member of GDUC also made me a member of Guide Dog User’s Incorporated, (GDUI). That group has guide dog users from all over the nation and the world as well.
Since joining CCB, GDUC, ACB, and GDUI, I have helped a lot of people. Everything from helping someone who was told to leave a restaurant because of her dog to just being there to listen to someone who was not sure if the guide dog lifestyle was for them. I still teach bus drivers and from time to time I see one of them on the bus. It makes me feel good to know that they remember me and the things I taught them in one of those two hour class sessions. I even still get asked the occasional question about laws regarding service animals.
What my parents started in me as a child has carried on throughout my life. I plan to keep on fighting and being there for all people who have disabilities for as long as I am able to do so. I also hope I am able to help the public as well. Doing what I do to educate others makes me happy even though it is frustrating at times. It is my passion. May the fight continue.