The Guide Derp
I've been getting to know the other visually impaired student on campus, now that Dari broke the ice. What's fascinating is that we have very similar issues, and fairly similar visual acuity from what I can tell. I use a cane (when I'm not being a coward about it) and she has a very sweet guide dog. We both have severe photophobia (Her eyes have been degenerating since she was in high school, mine have only slightly since childhood) and vision that is "passable". The biggest difference is her field of vision is a fair bit narrower than mine, which is mainly why she doesn't drive anymore (She had a scare with a pedestrian a few years ago).
Her guide dog is a sweet, lovable lab.
He's also not the sharpest tool in the shed. He's young, or at least looks it, and he has the attention span of a gnat.
He's easily distracted (especially by food), easily excited, needy and doesn't always grasp the idea of staying on the right part of the walkway. I've seen him "lead" her down the middle of the road, while she tries to steer him back to the shoulder. In some ways, he feels like a big, fuzzy signal cane (For those not up on the lingo, this is a tool that shows that one is visually impaired, but does not do much in the way of "feeling")
I am left musing on whether or not he really "counts". I tend think he does, because he is a big, fuzzy signal cane, which is a legitimate visual impairment tool. He also steers her around campus, which is no doubt beneficial. He's not the most disciplined, or of the best training, and I'm not fully sure how much good he does in practice. I think if a lot of fully sighted people knew her visual acuity, they'd think it not "valid", but I sure as hell know how that boat feels. Their relationship is still very much symbiotic, just not up to the "standard" that is usually associated with guide dogs. I'm not honestly sure he'd pass the standards for "public" training that I often see described.
I also know that tools standardly thought of for the blind only can be super helpful with unusual visual impairment. I don't have binocular vision, stairs, curbs, slight changes in pavement or floors with weird patterns are a nightmare because I can't always tell when they're flat, how far down they are, where the next is and where that drop off suddenly came from. A cane may seem like "overkill" in such a situation, but I don't like the idea of careening down the stairs. I know of two people who use canes because they have no vision in one eye, and despite still having a decent range/acuity in the other, a cane can still be beneficial to them. If it works, use it.
Okay, Part of me also wonders what school is getting away with "graduating" such a dopey dog, and fearing how he'd be in the hand of someone with less vision. She can at least tell that she's just gone from the shoulder to the center of the road, and steer him back. I've heard of some people accidentally de-training their dogs, but I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt.
I like the idea that there is help out there for those with unique visual impairments, even if he is... questionably helpful at a glance.
Her guide dog is a sweet, lovable lab.
He's also not the sharpest tool in the shed. He's young, or at least looks it, and he has the attention span of a gnat.
He's easily distracted (especially by food), easily excited, needy and doesn't always grasp the idea of staying on the right part of the walkway. I've seen him "lead" her down the middle of the road, while she tries to steer him back to the shoulder. In some ways, he feels like a big, fuzzy signal cane (For those not up on the lingo, this is a tool that shows that one is visually impaired, but does not do much in the way of "feeling")
I am left musing on whether or not he really "counts". I tend think he does, because he is a big, fuzzy signal cane, which is a legitimate visual impairment tool. He also steers her around campus, which is no doubt beneficial. He's not the most disciplined, or of the best training, and I'm not fully sure how much good he does in practice. I think if a lot of fully sighted people knew her visual acuity, they'd think it not "valid", but I sure as hell know how that boat feels. Their relationship is still very much symbiotic, just not up to the "standard" that is usually associated with guide dogs. I'm not honestly sure he'd pass the standards for "public" training that I often see described.
I also know that tools standardly thought of for the blind only can be super helpful with unusual visual impairment. I don't have binocular vision, stairs, curbs, slight changes in pavement or floors with weird patterns are a nightmare because I can't always tell when they're flat, how far down they are, where the next is and where that drop off suddenly came from. A cane may seem like "overkill" in such a situation, but I don't like the idea of careening down the stairs. I know of two people who use canes because they have no vision in one eye, and despite still having a decent range/acuity in the other, a cane can still be beneficial to them. If it works, use it.
Okay, Part of me also wonders what school is getting away with "graduating" such a dopey dog, and fearing how he'd be in the hand of someone with less vision. She can at least tell that she's just gone from the shoulder to the center of the road, and steer him back. I've heard of some people accidentally de-training their dogs, but I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt.
I like the idea that there is help out there for those with unique visual impairments, even if he is... questionably helpful at a glance.