Nouveau and I recently traveled from Vancouver to San Francisco to visit her puppy raisers and a group of friends I have down there. The trip was an absolute blast, and the journey there is a perfect example of what it’s like to travel with […]
Tag: #GuideDog
The $100,000 Dog
It costs approximately $100,000 to train one guide dog puppy. It takes an average of 251 volunteers to help a single puppy become a guide dog (guidedogs.com). A guide dog puppy is in training for eighteen to twenty-four months before they are able to graduate. […]
Transitioning to a Successor Guide Dog
“No matter how perfect the next dog is, transitioning to a successor guide still breaks your heart.” I met my first guide dog, Susie, when I was sixteen years old. She bounded into the room and immediately decided to love me. The feeling was mutual. […]
Six-Legged Teamwork: What Guide Dogs Are and Are Not Responsible For
Many people labor under the assumption that guide dogs do all the work, make all the decisions, and generally act as a GPS that takes their person wherever they need to go. Friends, guide dogs are brilliant, but they are not omniscient. A guide dog […]
Puppy Petting
“I know I shouldn’t pet her, but she looked so cute I couldn’t resist.” “He looks just like my dog who passed away last year. I’m sorry I probably shouldn’t be petting him, right?” No friend, you definitely should not. Guide dogs have important jobs […]
Social Inclusion
As a #blind woman, I am used to being overlooked or ignored by sighties. It’s an annoying truth that comes hand in hand with having a #disability. Some people don’t know how to talk to me. Others are uncomfortable that I can’t make eye contact. […]
The Right to Refuse Help
At least once per outing, I am offered help I do not need. People ask if I’m okay while I’m sitting on a bench listening to music waiting for a friend. Bus driver’s ask me if I know which bus I’m on. Total strangers will […]
How To Help a Blind Person Memorize a New Area
The best way to help people is to help them help themselves. Today on Safe Space, we’re covering a rather advanced sighted ally skill. Until last week, I’d never met anyone besides my immediate family who could do it. Want to learn? Keep reading! O&M […]
Top Five Blind Girl Myths
A while ago, I posted about the top five blind girl perks, and in that post I mentioned the existence of blind girl myths. Well lovelies, here they are. Top Five Blind Girl Myths Blind girls are saint’s, they don’t date based on hotness or […]
VIP Tag
When I first heard of the VIP (Visually Impaired People) tag, I thought it would be us blindies chitchatting about fun perks like those fancy passes we get in amusement parks that allow you to skip all the lines. You know, VIP treatment! But no, […]