January 25? That’s in ten days! Per my earlier conversations with the school, I was expecting at least twice as much lead time…not that I’m complaining…I’m ecstatic!
I practice my routes, often more than once per day. I don’t want to lose concentration and become disoriented, or do anything to thwart my chances of acceptance.
Not everyone knows what I’m working toward. I’ve tried not to advertise it, lest things don’t work out as planned. A few days in advance of my appointment, I post on Facebook, telling my FB friends that I have a very important, potentially life-changing interview coming up on Saturday at noon. I ask for their support.
Saturday finally arrives. It’s a beautiful January day: sunny, with a predicted high of 55 degrees, and only a slight breeze.
The doorbell rings. It’s Bill. My heart begins to pound. I swallow, take a deep breath and invite him in.
We opt to interview in the kitchen, so Bill can access his paperwork more easily from the table. I introduce him to my husband and son, both of whom are at home when he arrives. He welcomes input from them, since they will be involved with my dog, if I am accepted to the school.
I’m amazed. I’ve been sitting, talking with this guy for all of five minutes, but I feel as if I’ve known him for five years. This is not the uptight, stress-inducing, “Give the most right answer” kind of home visit interview I was expecting.
We talk about dogs for a while. I tell him about Lulu, and how her age played a part in me taking so long to apply for a dog. He asks about my preferences in a dog: gender, color, temperament and size, as well as my reasons for each. We discuss family and lifestyle.
It’s time for our walk.
Bill advises me he’ll need to video a short segment or two of our walk. He’s already scoped out my routes, and instructs me to walk to the corner and turn left.
I had a feeling this would be the route he chose, because it contains lighted intersections, which I’m sure he needs to observe me crossing. Crap! I hope my nerves don’t cause me to freeze up at the really busy intersection on the way to Starbucks! Although my street-crossing confidence has greatly increased, I still feel intimidated by that crossing…under these circumstances.
I cross at a small lighted intersection (where there is rarely traffic) near the half-way point on my Starbucks route. A few yards farther, Bill asks me to stop and turn around to reverse the route.
Because there is traffic queueing up for the light, I grab Bill’s arm to expedite my way back to the intersection, per his request. He wants to watch me cross with a traffic surge, that was nonexistent when I crossed just two minutes earlier.
Rather than using my cane on the remainder of our return, we use Juno, a training technique for individuals interested in getting a guide dog. The trainer pulls a guide dog harness, simulating the dog’s movements, pace and behaviors. This allows the applicant who is blind or visually impaired to get a feel for what it’s like to partner with a dog as a guide, by introducing basic, guide dog specific gestures, commands and footwork. It affords the trainer an opportunity to observe an applicant’s learning style and their ability to incorporate some of the basic commands, gestures and footwork.
We approach my house.
“The Board has to approve your application packet, and my report for you to be accepted to the program. I’m not on the Board and don’t know what they’ll say, but, I plan to recommend you for training. I think you’d be an excellent candidate. Megan from Admissions should contact you in 2-3 weeks with their decision.”
Copyright (C) 2014 Donna Anderson. All rights reserved.
