July 2021

Fast forward to about July 2021, after I mentioned several encounters to @shelbi_nichole where I had almost got hit by cars because I did not see them coming. She was tired of hearing these encounters, so she said here, let me just give you our local Guide Dog Mobility Instructor’s (GDMI) contact information, so you can at least have a chat. I took that information and sent a text to schedule a call. After that call, I felt like it really could be possible, but there was still a thought in my mind as to what if I got a second denial? As a result of this call, I didn’t apply right away; rather, I started my application. Then I stopped, then I started my application again then I stopped.

Fall 2020

It really started in fall of 2020 when I met over zoom @shelbi_nichole for a college of education meeting. During this meeting, I casually said “oh yeah, I have low vision also.” Her proceeding question was “how do you navigate campus?” I naïvely said, “just with my cane.” I was not expecting her response, which was “why, how, no. Have you thought of getting a guide dog?” I was more expecting the answer of “oh, ok” when answering her question of have I ever thought about getting a guide dog, I responded “it’s not for me.” You see, I applied for a dog early in my vision loss journey, but it didn’t go well, as a result of my additional mobility needs, so I never thought it would be possible. During this meeting, she explained that there was a guide dog school in New York that offered this thing I had never heard of called specialized training for people like me, who have additional disabilities. When this was first mentioned, I thought it could be possible, but I was still extremely on the fence.

What I did not realize during that initial call was that @shelbi_nichole had just graduated with her first guide dog in February 2020, so she understood firsthand how life changing having a guide dog is and how this particular school adapts to each individual student’s needs.