Great things about being blind. Giving speeches.

I know I know.   I said yesterday I would tell you a story about a pit bull in disguise.  But, that will have to wait.  A friend attended a guide dog graduation this past weekend.  She e-mailed me to say that a great thing about being blind is being able to give a speech, read your notes in braille, and still have your head up and facing the audience.
Morgan the CEO of guide dogs did this this past weekend and it impressed her.
Way to go blind people making speeches!
This way notes aren't covering our faces and the braille is just under our fingers!
Yay yay blind speech makers!  We are the best!

Great things about being blind. That is a vicious dog!

Yesterday, Tulia and I were walking down the sidewalk.  Tulia is a guide dog.  A little shiny black labrador female guide dog.  Tulia wags a lot.  She is a little over 50 pounds.  She is short and still has a cute puppy face.  tulia was wearing her harness and her leash but there was nothing near her face.  This woman said.  "Oh that must be a dangerous dog.  Let's cross the street.  It's wearing a muzzle!"  The man with her said,  "It isn't wearing a muzzle.  That's a seeing eye dog."  "No.  That woman isn't blind.  She's walking too fast."
Well, they did cross the street.  I don't know what in the world she saw or was thinking!
Ah well.  We had the sidewalk to ourselves!
Tomorrow, stay tuned for the story of the bus driver and the pit bull in disguise.

Great things about being blind. Being with wonderful blind people.

We spent the evening last night with some blind people and some sighted people, and several guide dogs.  It was in honour of a friend's birthday.  Much of the time, we spent out in the yard.  Since I don't have a yard, it is always nice to do that.  The three guide dogs ran and played, drank water, chased toys, and then would hang out with us or around our feet.  It amazed me that Tulia often came and sat by me even though she was off leash and loose.  I'd put my hand out and there was her little black head.  She is such a fast runner.  she would often get the toy and then let other dogs steal it.  It was so amazing to be there with such wonderful people.  We come from diverse backgrounds and locations.  From Newfoundland, to the prairies, Ontario, someone even originally from France.  Someone else from another country too.  We have different careers, family situations.  We might not have met if we hadn't been blind.  We had a fabulous dinner, cake, and lots of chat and laughter.
If I hadn't been blind, I might not have met these great people and guide dogs.

Great things about being blind. Driving my boss's car.

Yesterday, I talked about tulia wanting to drive a car and I told you that I drove my boss's car.


I did this just after I turned 16 which was the legal driving age here at that time.

I was working as a camp counsellor at a camp for kids aged 6 to about 12 I think.

The camp was located on a river and there was a long gravel road to get from the highway to the camp itself.

I was working away when someone came from the office and said that the boss wanted to see me. I was a fairly new camp counsellor and wondered if I had done somethingn wrong. We almost never got called to the office. I walked over there and I was pretty frightened as I tapped along with my white cane. When I got there, he said, "I understand that you are now 16." I said that I was. "so. You're of age to drive a car?" This puzzled me a little. I doubted that anyone would want me to take the 6-year-olds in my charge driving. I said that I was. "so. Have you ever driven a car?" "No." "would you like to drive my car?" "Oh yes."

So, off we went. He said that I could drive it out to the highway and then he would turn it around and I could drive back in.

It was great fun!

No mishaps either. When I was drriving back in, a group of my fellow counsellors were sitting on the picnic table. You know how sometimes people glance up to see who is driving? Well, one of my friends glanced up, looked at the car, and matteroffactly said, "Oh! Kim's driving." then, she thought, there isn't something right with this picture. then, she screamed, "Oh Kim is driving." And they all jumped up and followed the car calling out to us.

It really was a highlight of that summer.

The next summer, I also worked there.

II was the first blind person they ever hired. At the end of the second summer, I told my boss that he was the only one ever to let me drive a car.

He asked if I wanted to do it again so we did.

No one else has ever let me drive since.

He had a lot of faith in me and hired me when others were sceptical.

He let me go through the counsellor in training program.

He was always open minded and wonderfully natural.

A great first boss to have and the icing on that particular cake was driving his car twice!

Thanks to him wherever he is now!

Great things about being blind. Self driving cars.

Perhaps my guide dog Tulia has been reading somewhere about google making a self-driving car.  Yes they are creating one.  I'd like very much to drive it some time when it becomes available.
I guess Tulia would like to drive too.  Yesterday, while riding in a friend's car in order to go and perform as a storyteller/speaker, Tulia was lying on the floor at my feet in the front passenger seat.
She tried various positions to get comfortable.  One of them involved her putting her head on the gears and putting the car into neutral.
I heard this strange sound in the motor and that's what it was.  Tulia, making her first attempt at driving.
She's a little short for a lab so might have some trouble with the driver's seat and controls.
but she is smart and resourceful and can't stand working in the rain.
Since i'ts been raining here for what feels like forever, she has obviously decided she can't wait for the google car to be perfected.  She is sharpening her skills now.  Go Tulia!  tomorrow, I will tell you a story about driving my boss's car.

Great things about being blind. Additional jobs for my guide dog.

In yesterday's post, I wrote about additional jobs my guide dogs perform.  To read that, see the post below this one.  Afterwards, I had a few additional suggestions for other jobs they hold and added a few myself.
Foot warmer.  Gia my golden was very good at this.  Lying on your feet.  There was one time when another storyteller and I were performing in an old ice house at a local museum.  It was autumn and freezing down there.  Gia lay on his feet all night and didn't bother with mine.  But she was an excellent foot warmer.
Alarm clock.  They tend to try to get up around the same time every day.  I'm a morning person but still it is handy to have them carry out this task.
Tulia the circus performer.
Tulia does this thing when going down carpeted stairs.  She extends her back legs straight out behind her and slides down on her belly.
I've never known any other dog to do this.  She tried this while working but I discouraged it.
This circus trick is for home use only.
Bed warmer.  I don't let any of my guides on the bed but when camping, they have shared a tent and a sleeping bag and kept me nice and warm.  I am grateful for that.
Wildlife tour guide.  My first guide Gwenny caught a frog.  She held it in her mouth and brought it to me and tried to put it in my hand.  As soon as she opened her mouth, the frog hopped away.
Gia brought me a dead fish once to show me.
I wasn't grateful enough so she rolled her face and head and neck in it.
Gia used to pick flowers sometimes and even gave me one from a funeral display by the coffin when we attended a service.
Gia also liked to find and give me pinecones and other such things.
She really was a true nature guide although Gwenny was the only one to bring me a live creature.
Wilderness director.
My dogs have been great while hiking, going to work through blizzards, etc.  They always seem to find the way even when I might get a bit turned around.
Tulia says with all of these additional job titles, she would like a raise in salary.  More kibble, more belly rubs, more toys please please please!

Great things about being blind. One job only.

Yesterday, Tulia and I were waiting to be picked up by a friend so that I could go and teach my storytelling workshop.  We were standing on our walkway.  Well, tulia was sitting.  I was standing.  She was in her harness.  A man and a woman and a dog walked by on the sidewalk.  They were maybe five feet away I would say.  tulia wagged a little and the other dog seemed to be prancing and huffing but neither dog lunged for each other or did anything more than indicate they noticed each other.  The woman started yelling at the man.
"That's a blind dog."
Good for the man because he said,
"That dog isn't blind."
Yay man!
Whenever anyone asks if I have a blind dog, I always say, "I hope not."
Anyway, she says.
"keep your dog away from that dog.  It is trained to do one job and one job only."
She said it like she was the lifetime expert on guide dogs.
I started to get annoyed but I wasn't about to chase after them to set them straight.
Then I thought, "Oh how wonderful.  She gave me something to blog about.  How great is that?"
And then I thought.
One job and one job only?
I don't think so.
My guides have had so many jobs over the years.
I'll list a few here.
The average person also thinks they work all of the time.
They think it is a tough life.
Not so!
Tulia is currently snoozing on her huge bean bag with about ten toys surrounding her.
If I move in her direction, the tail immediately swishes and she flips over for a belly rub.
Not a bad job as I slave away at my computer is it?
Anyway, here are some of the jobs my guides have had over the past 19 years plus.
guide dog.  Yes this is number one.  Helping me to navigate my environment safely.  Crossing streedts, negotiating obstacles, construction, going through buildings, up and down stairs, on planes, trains, canoes, ferries, buses, cars, taxis.  In restaurants, schools, nursing homes, palliative care units, on stage, at festivals.  Anywhere I go, they go and assist.
Not a bad job considering they are also admired wherever they go.
Other jobs have included:
Unofficial therapy dog in all of the nursing homes, schools, group homes, palliative care units, I've worked at over the years.
My guides have known how to be with all kinds of people and just the right things to do.
When to lean a head on a knee.  When to keep distance.  when to wag and be silly.  When to be calm and serious.
Physio therapy assistent.  When I wrecked my knee, Miss Gia took this on without any further training.  Stopping for uneven patches of sidewalk.  Finding me ramps instead of stairs.  Helping me to balance at physio and when I got up and down.  Never complaining when we couldn't walk far or fast.
Story listener.
As I practice and learn stories for my career, Gia and now Tulia have been wonderful, uncomplaining listeners as I ramble on.
Ice breaker.  Nothing like having a dog with you to have people come up to meet you.
Fund raiser.  A couple of summers ago, at a storytelling conference, we were raising money for a worthy project called storysave.
http://www.storysave.ca/
And I offered pats of Gia out of harness if I was given donations for the project.
In an hour, she raised about $50.
Everyone was missing their dogs at home.
Stress relief coaches.
Nothing like having a dog beside you at the dentists or the doctors or when you're stressed at work.
Just giving them a pat or having them  come over and lean on you, helps so much.
Secret keeper.  A few months ago, I got a huge grant to develop a storytelling one woman show.
Thank you Canada council for the arts.
And, I couldn't tell anyone until I got the official letter.
I told Tulia and she kept it to herself nicely.
Clown.  Nothing like a dog with a toy in mouth, rolling all over the floor snorting, greeting everyone with a wag and smile, to keep everyone happy.
Official greeter.  Walmart should have dogs don't you think?  Almost everyone loves a canine welcoming committee.
Yoga assistent.
When I go to yoga classes, Gia, and now Tulia lies on her own yoga mat beside me.  She does the occasional downward dog movement, leans her little face on me from time to time,  keeps an eye on me, and is calmness itself.
Lifeguard.  I don't know if tulia swims yet but the others have loved it and have even taken it upon themselves to guide me in the open water which can be quite hazzardous for me.
Person trainer.  Can't we go out for a walk?  We must do that!  Let's do that!  Oh you can't, well you can throw a toy for me or play a vigourous game of tug can't you?
So there you go lady whoever you are.
You are wrong about the blind dog and you are also equally wrong about my dogs having just one job.
They seem to have high job satisfaction and always get great performance appraisals too.