Controversial opinion.
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@vol4life8657 @MariahL @Kingslayer All I know is that traveling with a cane is an incredibly exhausting mental process because you have to think of everything and miss nothing.
@NicksWorld @MariahL @Kingslayer And that is the difference between a cane and a dog. It's not that the dog automagically knows your routes but eventually it will learn them as you do, and then the mental work is balanced.
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@NicksWorld @Kingslayer I'm not judging those who want to use a cane, a dog isn't for everyone, but you can't say that all the problems would go away if everybody just used a cane because that statement isn't true. I've been denied because of my cane before. I've had uber drivers see me and drive away. It's not as much of an issue but it does still exist.
@MariahL @NicksWorld @Kingslayer I agree. Being blind is stigmatized, unfortunately. Some of that is justified, most of it isn't. Whatever you like to use, though, and I even include sighted guides, you'll have to deal with that to some extent.
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@MariahL @NicksWorld @Kingslayer I agree. Being blind is stigmatized, unfortunately. Some of that is justified, most of it isn't. Whatever you like to use, though, and I even include sighted guides, you'll have to deal with that to some extent.
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@MariahL @NicksWorld @Kingslayer I agree. Being blind is stigmatized, unfortunately. Some of that is justified, most of it isn't. Whatever you like to use, though, and I even include sighted guides, you'll have to deal with that to some extent.
@techsinger @MariahL @Kingslayer What part of the stigma is justified?
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@NicksWorld @Kingslayer I've seen both sides and I'll take dog over cane any day, all the responsibilities included.
@MariahL @NicksWorld @Kingslayer and the costs, keep the costs in mind, too. Canes are far cheaper.
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@vol4life8657 @NicksWorld @Kingslayer It really does. That moment of I'd trust this animal with my life is so profound.
@MariahL @vol4life8657 @NicksWorld Honestly that's the kind of stuff that really made me want to get a guide dog. I'm just a very anxious person and not good with confrontation so my main fear was all the assholes. But man, the idea of being able to get around faster and with more confidence and having an extra set of senses on the lookout while navigating and just the companionship of traveling with a dog all sound like the dream!
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@NicksWorld @Kingslayer I don't. Not with that price point and what's been going on with them. Their Europe customer base had to be refunded after being promised units when they came out. Not a good look for them.
@MariahL @NicksWorld @Kingslayer It has firmly entered the "I'll believe it when I see it" class.
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@MariahL @vol4life8657 @NicksWorld Honestly that's the kind of stuff that really made me want to get a guide dog. I'm just a very anxious person and not good with confrontation so my main fear was all the assholes. But man, the idea of being able to get around faster and with more confidence and having an extra set of senses on the lookout while navigating and just the companionship of traveling with a dog all sound like the dream!
@Kingslayer @MariahL @vol4life8657 That's until you're paying huge cash for vet bills and food.
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@MariahL @NicksWorld @Kingslayer and the costs, keep the costs in mind, too. Canes are far cheaper.
@techsinger @MariahL @NicksWorld @Kingslayer But everything has a cost, whether time or currency. Nothing is ever free, and for each day you only have 86800 seconds.
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@NicksWorld @MariahL @Kingslayer And that is the difference between a cane and a dog. It's not that the dog automagically knows your routes but eventually it will learn them as you do, and then the mental work is balanced.
@vol4life8657 @NicksWorld @Kingslayer that's a good way of putting it. One of the biggest things for me was how my dog just flew through crowded areas. My moment of pure trust happened in a mall of all places. My dog and I were walking through a huge crowd. It was spring break, I was visiting a friend, there were plenty of obsticles and people and the way he handled himself that day was so amazing. He found his way through congested areas, he took me around things without a hitch, he was such a good boy. That moment of holy shit I trust him 100 percent shook me.
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@Kingslayer @MariahL @vol4life8657 That's until you're paying huge cash for vet bills and food.
@NicksWorld @MariahL @vol4life8657 Yeah true, but as someone who was already planning to have a pet dog anyway I see that as not that big of an issue because I'd have to do that with a pet dog anyway.
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@Kingslayer @MariahL @vol4life8657 That's until you're paying huge cash for vet bills and food.
@NicksWorld @Kingslayer @vol4life8657 The glide costs, too. 1500 for the base unit and $40 a month for a subscription.
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@vol4life8657 @NicksWorld @Kingslayer that's a good way of putting it. One of the biggest things for me was how my dog just flew through crowded areas. My moment of pure trust happened in a mall of all places. My dog and I were walking through a huge crowd. It was spring break, I was visiting a friend, there were plenty of obsticles and people and the way he handled himself that day was so amazing. He found his way through congested areas, he took me around things without a hitch, he was such a good boy. That moment of holy shit I trust him 100 percent shook me.
@MariahL @vol4life8657 @Kingslayer Traveling in itself is a costly activity. If I travel, especially now where I live, I use ride sharing which costs money. It's simply too dangerous to travel when there's no real curve cuts and the streets are weird.
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@NicksWorld @MariahL @Kingslayer And that is the difference between a cane and a dog. It's not that the dog automagically knows your routes but eventually it will learn them as you do, and then the mental work is balanced.
@vol4life8657 @NicksWorld @MariahL @Kingslayer With respect, I disagree. The mental work is just shifted. "Is my dog healthy? Is the dog happy? Have I played with the dog today? Have I taken out for a walk? Have I taken it outside for its natural needs?...". Travelling may or may not be easier, but the whole experience is either just as much or more work with the dog, I'm tempted to think.
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@vol4life8657 @NicksWorld @MariahL @Kingslayer With respect, I disagree. The mental work is just shifted. "Is my dog healthy? Is the dog happy? Have I played with the dog today? Have I taken out for a walk? Have I taken it outside for its natural needs?...". Travelling may or may not be easier, but the whole experience is either just as much or more work with the dog, I'm tempted to think.
@techsinger @vol4life8657 @NicksWorld @Kingslayer Think of it this way, though. Some people enjoy that sort of structure and companionship. The cane is a stick. It doesn't show you love and affection it just sits there.
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@techsinger @vol4life8657 @NicksWorld @Kingslayer Think of it this way, though. Some people enjoy that sort of structure and companionship. The cane is a stick. It doesn't show you love and affection it just sits there.
@MariahL @techsinger @vol4life8657 @Kingslayer I don't know if its just me but I feel emotionally connected to my cane like, if it brakes and I'm in public, I genuinely panick.
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@MariahL @techsinger @vol4life8657 @Kingslayer I don't know if its just me but I feel emotionally connected to my cane like, if it brakes and I'm in public, I genuinely panick.
@NicksWorld @techsinger @vol4life8657 @Kingslayer I mean it's your mobility aid, same as someone's wheelchair or someone's dog. If something happens of course you'd panic. that's normal.
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@techsinger @MariahL @Kingslayer What part of the stigma is justified?
@NicksWorld @MariahL @Kingslayer People find us inconvenient since we often make more work for them. They find us depressing because of their own view that blindness is worse than death, at least those of them who hold that view. We need accessible formats rather than just being able to throw a paper out there and have done with it. Our dogs and canes sometimes hit things... You get the idea.
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@NicksWorld @MariahL @Kingslayer People find us inconvenient since we often make more work for them. They find us depressing because of their own view that blindness is worse than death, at least those of them who hold that view. We need accessible formats rather than just being able to throw a paper out there and have done with it. Our dogs and canes sometimes hit things... You get the idea.
@techsinger @MariahL @Kingslayer Yes but I still don't see how its justified.
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@NicksWorld @techsinger @vol4life8657 @Kingslayer I mean it's your mobility aid, same as someone's wheelchair or someone's dog. If something happens of course you'd panic. that's normal.
@NicksWorld @techsinger @vol4life8657 @Kingslayer I find it freeing to be able to move through spaces that a cane would hinder me in. Crowds are a big one. The way my dog handled crowds and various obsticles was insanely liberating. When I was training with him we walked through Central Park in New York, that was an experience I'll never forget. Talk about crowds and obsticles and just things to test us.
