Jessy DiNapoli, of Guiding Eyes, was still in good voice and retained a lot of energy after being on the NFB Exhibit Hall floor at the end of two days. Trust us, that is no small feat! In this interview Chancy speaks to Jessy about the differences in the various programs offered, alternate communication methods and how technology plays a role in Guide travel. To learn more about the services spoken about in this podcast, visit the Guiding Eyes For The Blind Website.
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Transcript
We strive to provide an accurate transcription, though errors may occur.
Hide transcriptTranscribed by Grecia Ramirez
Direct from Orlando, it’s blindbargains.com coverage of NFB 2018, brought to you by Google.
Our friends at Google are working hard to create great technology products for everyone. They’re inviting you to participate in Google user research studies, where you can help shape the future of accessible products and features and get rewarded for it. Check out our tweet for the sign-up link, at blind bargains, or head to google.com slash user research.
Now, here’s Chancey Fleet.
CHANCEY FLEET: Hey. I’m here with Jessy DiNapoli, and she is with Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown Heights, New York.
Jessy DiNapoli: Got it.
CF: Jessy, how many years have you been coming to the show here?
JD: Well, this is my third year at the convention, although it’s been spread out over, probably, the last eight years.
CF: And how many Guiding Eyes grads do you think are here every year?
JD: We usually have anywhere from 15 to 30 grads.
CF: Awesome. So how many teams do you place every year?
JD: This past year, we placed about 157 teams, and next year, our goal is to do 175.
CF: Excellent. So what’s that breakdown like? I know you have a couple different types of training programs.
JD: Sure. We have a residential training program, which is a three-week program where the individual comes to our school and trains with their new dog for 18 days. We also have a home-training program, where we bring the dog to the person in their home area, and the dog trains – the team trains together for 10 to 15 days. And we also have a special needs program.
CF: So if you’re trying to decide among home-town training or going to one of the residential classes, what are some of the things that might help a person decide which is right?
JD: Sure. We usually recommend -- for a first-time guide dog user, we usually recommend they do the residential program. And that’s mainly because when you come to the residential program, you get to leave regular life behind, and you just get to focus on working with -- meeting your new dog, learning the techniques and commands you’re going to use with the new dog, all of your meals are provided and taken care of, you really just get to focus on working with the dog. So it’s ideal.
However, we know that there are many reasons people might not be able to come into the residential program, whether they’re a caregiver at home, or work doesn’t allow them that much time off, so the home-training program is also a great option because you – all of your training is done in your home area. So it’s an area that the individual knows very well, and right from the beginning, the dog is learning how to work in that area.
CF: Okay. And so I understand that you guys put a particular emphasis on being able to work with people that might have other disabilities besides blindness or visual impairment?
JD: Yeah. We have a special needs program, and it’s been one of Guiding Eyes’ signature programs for over 20 years now. And that program is designed to work with individuals who are visually impaired but also have a secondary disability. So in the past, we have worked with people who are visually impaired, who have cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, we work with the deaf-blind population. We also train dogs to brace for balance if someone has severe balance issues.
CF: Got it.
JD: And we also work with people who may have cognitive disabilities.
CF: So how might training be different for somebody that has an intellectual disability and like, a different learning pace? How do you navigate that?
JD: The first step in that is obviously choosing the rite dog for that person. So for someone who may have cognitive delays, they will probably need a dog who’s going to be very patient --
CF: Yup.
JD: -- who’s going to wait for them to figure out what it is that they need to do, and then from there, give the dog the command what to do. So we’re looking for a patient dog, a dog that’s very settled. And for the training within the special needs program, it’s always a one-to-one or a one-to-two ratio, which means that it’s one instructor per one student or one instructor per two students. So we tailor the training program to what the individual needs. So if they need to progress at a slower rate, then we move at a slower rate and we really just focus on the basic foundation of what they need to learn and the pace that they get to learn at is really dictated by that.
CF: Excellent. And can you tell me a little bit about how communication and commands work when somebody’s deaf-blind? I know not every deaf-blind person is the same, but what are some strategies that people use?
JD: Well, you’re right. Every deaf person is a little bit different. Some are verbal, some are not. So if someone is verbal and wants to use their voice, they would give commands with hand signals and voice together. If someone is nonverbal, the dog is strictly trained to respond to the hand signals. So some of the strategies we use – because one of the things that comes into play if someone is nonverbal is how does the dog know that they’ve done a good job? Like, how do you praise them? How do you tell them, hey. That was a good boy.
CF: Uh-huh.
JD: So we have come up with a system of tapping --
CF: Yup.
JD: -- where the dog learns that certain taps mean, no. Don’t do that. And other taps mean, oh. Good job. You’re doing a great thing.
CF: Where do they tap?
JD: Usually, the dogs are typically on the left side --
CF: Yeah.
JD: -- so the person would tap on their right side.
CF: Oh. Tap the person, not tap the dog. Okay.
JD: Yeah. Like, the person would tap their own leg.
CF: Right.
JD: I think –
CF: So it’s like a rhythm.
JD: Yes. Exactly.
CF: Got it. Cool. So I have one more question for you.
JD: Sure.
CF: We’ve had a lot of conversations lately about how people are integrating new technology into their lives, particularly with travel and transit and independence. You know, there’s GPS obviously, for many years now. But now, there are these visual interpreter apps too.
JD: Sure.
CF: And you mentioned getting away from your regular life and not having any distractions. How do you support, during the training process, someone’s desire to incorporate those technologies for travel and independent living in a way that is not distracting to their training?
JD: Well, we’re certainly open to – we do have experience working with people – most of our experience is probably with the GPS –
CF: Yeah.
JD: -- and different forms of the GPS. But certainly, apps, you’re right, have become huge. And I know that – I think AIRA’s here too –
CF: Yup.
JD: -- which, I think – and Google and –
CF: And Be my Eyes is here.
JD: Yeah. Yeah. So there’s – I mean, all of those technologies can certainly be used with a guide dog.
CF: Yup.
JD: And they can be used well. The most -- probably, the key, or the most important thing to remember when you’re using the technology with the dog is that you still want to make sure that you’re interacting with the dog.
CF: Yup.
JD: Dogs are social. They like to have attention. So it’s important, even if you’re listening to a GPS, that at some point, you do take a moment to acknowledge what the dog is doing. If they’re doing a good job, it’s important to tell them, hey. You did a good job. Good boy, good girl.
CF: Have you observed that sometimes, when people are interacting with technology, it’s sucking their attention away to an extent?
JD: Sure. I mean, I think we notice that between people to people too.
CF: Yeah. That’s true.
JD: So it can happen. But I think when most people are – and certainly, that’s bound – I mean, that’s really everyday life. There’s no way you’re probably ever going to totally prevent that from happening realistically. But it’s important if the person does remember –
CF: Mindfulness.
JD: Yes. Yes.
CF: Yup.
JD: To be aware that the dog does need you.
CF: And you want to trust your dog.
JD: Yes. Absolutely. And you want to trust that the dog is doing a good job. Yeah.
CF: All right, Jessy. Thank you so much. It’s been a pleasure. Enjoy the rest of your convention. It’s only day two.
JD: Thank you.
CF: You’ve got plenty of energy.
JD: Thank you.
CF: Conserve it.
JD: I will do my best. Thank you so much.
CF: All right. Thank you.
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Joe Steinkamp is no stranger to the world of technology, having been a user of video magnification and blindness related electronic devices since 1979. Joe has worked in radio, retail management and Vocational Rehabilitation for blind and low vision individuals in Texas. He has been writing about the A.T. Industry for 15 years and podcasting about it for almost a decade.
