July 17 th, 2015 Paula Green Michael McLaughlin Kelly McKeage.
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Transcript of July 17 th, 2015 Paula Green Michael McLaughlin Kelly McKeage.
INTRODUCTION Terminology:
Handler: A person who works with a dog in a professional manner. For example: a person who is blind who works together with the dog for mobility purposes, or a police officer who works in partnership with a dog.
Unit: The handler and the dog together.
CANE OR DOG? DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIESCane Traveller Dog Guide Traveller
Listens for clues in the EnvironmentMakes traffic judgements
Relies on sense of distance travelled
Relies on tactile cues Follows the dog’s lead around obstacles
Does not need to assess or interpret the cane’s behaviour.
Assess their dog’s actions and behaviour interpreting it for orientation and other environmental information.
Moves as fast as he/she can, potential hesitations
Moves as fast as he/she can in combination with a dog, fewer hesitations due to trust of the dog.
HOW DO THE DOGS RECEIVE TRAINING?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjVbYES3ygg
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER IF APPLYING FOR A DOG GUIDE
Am I a responsible person with an active life?
Am I physically active? Healthy? Have I received orientation and mobility
training? What is my age?
SEVERAL FACTORS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN APPLYING
FOR A GUIDE DOG
The Orientation and Mobility Specialist will advise on these factors:
Personal Preference Life Circumstances and Activity Level Age Physical and Mental Health Hearing Amount of Remaining Vision Orientation Skills
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3g9sehEmew
HOW CAN DOG GUIDES IMPACT AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS BLIND?
https://www.youtube.com/user/seeing4me
THE ROLE OF THE ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY SPECIALIST
To act as an advisor to those who are considering becoming a handler
To submit O & M report to the Dog Guide School
To help the student orient him/herself in a complex environment in preparation for travelling with the dog guide. This preparation may include coaching, monitoring (solo phase), and self-familiarization
To be a resource in troubleshooting issues with the unit if needed
ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY SPECIALIST REPORT
This report is given to the dog guide school to help evaluate the mobility of the applicant.
The report includes the candidate’s...CoordinationBalance and strengthOrientation skillsAbility to align with traffic soundsAbility to recover when disorientedThe amount of mobility instruction already
received
TROUBLESHOOTING
The dog guide user may request the help of the O&M specialist
It is important that any criticisms made about the dog or the unit should be made carefully, as the handler may be overprotective, and these criticisms should be addressed with the school in a team approach.
ON A FINAL NOTE... Need a different perspective...check out
this facebook page