Blind Golf

Golf is one of the hardest sports around for many reasons. First off there are so many different elements of the game. You have the long game, the short game, putting, sand play, etc. With all of these elements it is very rare that you will play a round where everything clicks. You may be nailing your drives one day, make it to the green with a chance for a birdie and three-put your way out. Aside from the frustration, golf is also a very calming sport due to its settings and that’s why many people around the world enjoy the game of golf. But what about the visually impaired?
Marking their 10th anniversary this year as an organization, the International Blind Golf Association afford the opportunity for visually impaired golfers across the world a chance to compete in the sport. The IBGA has nine member countries that share the responsibility for hosting biennial world championships. The United States Blind Golf Association is a founding member of the IBGA, but its roots run deeper than ten years.
The USBGA was formed in 1953 by Bob Allman, a blind golfer and lawyer, according to www.blindgolf.com. This season the USBGA is running sanctioned events in Alabama, Arizona, Indiana, Ohio and California. The 63rd playing of the USBGA National Championship will be held from September 21-25 at River Bend Golf Links Tunica Resorts in Mississippi.
www.blindgolf.com

Credit Reports for the Blind

Through my observation of the various segments of the Fidelco operation it was very easy to just focus on the main challenge facing all visually impaired people – the lack of vision which impedes their mobility and freedom. Obviously, the diminished lack of independence as a result of vision loss is the most pressing challenge faced by the blind and this fact should be well respected and acknowledged, but this is just the top layer.
Further research led me to a discover another level of issues that result from the loss of sight such as losing favorite hobbies that were once possible with total vision as discussed earlier in the blog, to simple problems that you may not consider on the surface.
One of these issues is dealing with credit reports. How does a visually impaired person read a credit report if the standard production process doesn’t consider the needs of those visually impaired? As of Wednesday, April 24th the leading credit agencies will make on-line reports accessible to the blind through their audio software, according to www.myvisiontest.com.
The new program was coordinated by the American Council for the Blind, its California affiliate and the leading credit reporting agencies in the country, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The new program will now include a code contained in the credit reports that will allow a visually impaired person to use their audio software to read the report. Currently all of the credit reports are available on a central site at www.annualcreditreport.com

Canada Unveils Braille Stamp

Monday, April 21st marked a historical day for everyone interested in philately, especially the visually impaired. Marking the 100th anniversary of the first board meeting of the Montreal Association for the Blind, Canada Post unveiled the country’s first Braille stamp.
This event marks the culmination of nearly seven years of persistence from Pointe Claire resident Alan Dean. The 70 year-old Dean, who is blind, had been campaigning for a Braille stamp. According to www.myvisiontest.com, Dean has been a stamp collector since the age of 5. After losing his sight at the age of 58 he thought he had also lost his hobby. But a little research proved that there are a few countries in the world where Braille stamps have been produced. Mexico, Denmark, Costa Rica and Britain make up the list of countries.
In addition to the stamp, Canada post will introduce a commemorative envelope. This envelope will pay homage to the MAB’s centennial.

Heavy Drinking Linked to Macular Degeneration

According to the Mayoclinic.com, Macular degeneration is the leading cause of sever vision loss in people age 60 and older. Macular degeneration is a chronic eye disease that is caused by the deteriorating of tissue in your retina. This results in blurred central vision, and could also result in a blind spot in the center of your sight line. Macular degeneration typically develops gradually, but it’s something that patient’s should constantly be monitoring.
According to www.myvistiontest.com heavy drinking (more than three drinks a day) is a contributing factor to the increased risk of the onset of early macular degeneration. Myvistiontest.com cites published scientific literature that appeared in the April 2008 edition of the American Journal of Ophthalmology, claiming heavy alcohol use is a factor for increasing a person’s risk of early macular degeneration.

Pooled results showed that heavy alcohol consumption was associated with approximately 50% increased risk of early AMD, adjusted for age and smoking (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.95), whereas the association between heavy alcohol consumption and risk of late AMD was inconclusive. There were insufficient data to investigate an association between moderate alcohol consumption and AMD. Although this association appears to be independent of smoking, it could not be excluded completely. http://www.myvisiontest.com/index.php

For people that have macular degeneration and are looking to maintain a healthy retina, Myvisiontest.com offers a few tips. Below is a sample, to see the full list visit: http://www.myvisiontest.com/index.php

• Always protect your eyes with sunglasses that have UV protection. Ultraviolet rays are believed to cause damage to the pigment cells in the retina.
• Quit smoking. Smoking impairs the body’s circulation, decreasing the efficiency of the retinal blood vessels.
• Exercise regularly. Cardiovascular exercise improves the body’s overall health and increases the efficiency of the circulatory system.
For people who have never been tested for macular degeneration, follow the link below for a self-test.

Are You Smarter Than Your Dog?

Dogs are funny animals. They lead a simple life, yet their thought process can be pretty complex. For anyone that has ever had a dog you can easily relate to the fact that dogs have keen sense for reading people and knowing what they can get away with, and how far they can push certain people. Just like a child knows which parent will fold faster than the others, the dogs are very calculated in their actions.
After studying and observing German Shepherds for the past few weeks, their intelligence was quickly evident. But I was curious how they stack up against other breeds. I figured they had to be near the top since they are being used for guide dogs, but I wasn’t sure exactly where and how much research and information is on the internet regarding the intelligence of dogs.
After a quick search for “dog intelligence” I found a number of very informative links. One of these links - http://petrix.com/dogint/1-10.html - actually listed the dogs in order of intelligence. The Border Collie is at the top of the list followed by the poodle and the German Shepherd. Rounding out the top ten are the Golden Retriever, Doberman Pinscher, Shetland Sheepdog, Labrador Retriever, Papillon, Rottweiler and Australian Cattle Dog.
Another page on this site - http://petrix.com/dogint/index.html - cites three type of dog intelligence according to Stanley Coren, author of “The Intelligence of Dogs.” Coren lists the three types of intelligence below:
· Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability). The is specific to the individual animal and is measured by canine IQ tests.
· Instinctive Intelligence. This is specific to the individual animal and is measured by canine IQ tests.
· Working/Obedience Intelligence. This is breed dependent.

Just for those of you who are curious, dogs rounding out the 70-79th rankings of most intelligent according to http://petrix.com are as follows:

70 Shih Tzu
71 Basset Hound
72 Mastif Beagle
73 Pekingese
74 Bloodhound
75 Borzoi
76 Chow Chow
77 Bulldog
78 Basenji
79 Afghan Hound

Ok, so you’re probably wondering now that you’ve seen the three types of intelligence and seen the dogs at the top and the bottom of the list, how do I judge the intelligence of my own dog? Good question and I found a good answer for you on suite101.com in an article written by Joy Butler under the headline, “Canine Intelligence Test/How Smart is Your Dog?” Butler lists a few tests you can use to judge your dog’s intelligence. To find the full list follow this link -
http://dog-training.suite101.com/article.cfm/canine_intelligence_test. Here is an example of one of her tests:

Throw a towel over your dog’s head and time how long it takes him to free himself. An average may be 15 to 20 seconds.

I found the tests interesting and it also made me wonder how do we differentiate between acts of intelligence in our dogs and acts of conditioning? For example most dogs know when people are coming home as the car turns up the driveway and the react with excitement as they know a family member is coming home. Is this a sign of intelligence because the dog can differentiate the engine sounds amongst family members and associate this with their family member coming home, or is it simply a matter of conditioning because family members come home from work at the same time every day? I think it’s a little bit of both.

Yani Goes to School

Earlier this month on Monday, April 7th I had an opportunity to observe Ms. Celotto's second grade classroom at Deep River elementary school for my capstone project for my Writing for Interactive Media class. The focus of my project is on the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation and their tireless work to provide assistance to visually impaired people. I was fortunate enough to have been put in contact with Ms. Celotto and gain permission to observe her class for half a day. In addition to her role as a second grade teacher, Ms. Celotto is also a foster parent for her two-year-old German shepherd named Yani who attends class with Ms. Celotto and her 15 students.
I arrived a few minutes early to meet Ms. Celotto and Yani and to get acquainted before the students arrived. I could quickly see how comfortable Yani was in a class room setting and how he felt right at home as he freely walked through the classroom. Though his leash was always attached to his collar in case Ms. Celotto needed to gain control of him, it was never used in the time I was there. His comfort level was really amazing.
Once the kids arrived they greeted Yani just as they would any other student. He was excited to see them and welcome them to another day. The kids were very comfortable interacting with Yani and treated him just as another student.
After a little bit of observation time is was quickly evident how adapted Yani was to his environment. Whenever there was increased movement in the room as the kids moved to their reading groups, got up from their desks for reading circle, etc., Yani perked up and walked around the room making sure everything was running smoothly. When it was time for reading circle he would go around the room and round up the kids and herd them over to the carpet for reading time. Once all the kids were round up he would sit down right in front and relax until it was time to get up and move around again. I was amazed at how well he not only knew the daily routine but how well he anticipated it.
When it was time for lunch and the kids were gathering their lunch bags and getting ready, Yani's ears perked up and headed right to the door to be first in line. The kids then followed in right behind him.
As a foster parent your primary responsibility is to raise the dog, teach them basic obedience and to socialize them with people and other dogs. The classroom provides fertile grounds for socialization and adaption to a more human environment. But it also provides a great learning experience for the kids. Ms. Celotto said that having Yani in the class has helped to expand the student’s reading interest to include guide dogs.

Blindfold Walk

I can’t remember the last time I wore a blindfold. It was probably years ago and involved some sort of spinning around and around before swinging at a fixed object hanging above my head.
This past Thursday I donned a blindfold again, but this time it wasn’t in search of sugary treats and mystery prizes. This time I was in search of perspective – a chance to walk in the footsteps of a visually impaired person – just for a few minutes.
Under the direction of Fidelco trainer Tommy Mourad and the guidance of Frisco, a German shepherd guide dog, I set off on a walk through a mock obstacle course. Standing level with Frisco’s front paws and holding onto the harness with my left hand I embarked on a path of discovery and a journey of trust. Since I couldn’t see anything, I had no choice but to invest 100% trust in the successful completion of the obstacle course in my newly found four-legged friend.
I consider myself a pretty fast walker, thanks to many of shifts in the restaurant business, but once I took my first few steps with a blindfold on my pace severely decreased. As much as my mind wanted to trust Frisco’s ability my body was saying, “let’s take it slow!”
Frisco maintained a steady pace as he steered me around obstacles in the middle of our path. And then he stopped – on purpose. Frisco and all other Fidelco dogs are trained to stop when they reach an obstacle that could be dangerous and/or be a cause for a change of direction. In my case we had come to a narrow pathway.
The space was big enough for Frisco to freely pass through but not for the both of us at one time and he recognized this so he stopped. Tommy instructed me that once the dog had stopped I was to investigate the area to determine the issue by using my left foot. If feeling around with my left food didn’t reveal the problem, I was to reach out with my hand. After determining that two cones in the walkway had created a narrow pathway, Frisco knew to take the lead so we could both freely fit. Tommy explained how the dogs are trained to compensate for extra clearance room when they have their harness on which signifies they are working. To continue on I said Frisco’s name, the word forward and motioned forward with me right hand and we proceeded.
Frisco would make a few other stops along the path whenever he came to other obstacles and changes in terrain such as curbs or even the seams on level ground of the pavement and the sidewalk.
In the end we successfully completed the course, a bit slower than my normal pace, but with a new found perspective for the visually impaired and appreciation for all the work that goes into raising, training and trusting a Fidelco guide dog. I can’t begin to comprehend what life would be without my sight, but knowing that there is an organization like Fidelco to offer assistance to those in need is warming and reassuring.
www.fidelco.org