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Leader Dogs for the Blind empowers people who are blind or visually impaired with the tools for safe and independent daily travel. Our goal is to educate, advocate, and share real life experiences of those with blindness. Come learn, laugh, and grow with us.
Taking The Lead Podcast_070726_Summer Short 2
Leslie: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Taking the Lead podcast, where we empower people to be unstoppable. I'm Leslie Hoskins with my co-hosts, Alyssa Otis and Timothy Kunio. How are we doing today?
Timothy: Doing fantastic. Summer's moving along. It's almost gone.
Alyssa: I know. Doing really good. I feel
Leslie: busy. Been right by. Yes, certainly b- you know, and we say this all the time on the podcast.
When it slows down, when it slows down, and lucky for us- I don't know if it ever does ... it doesn't.
Alyssa: No.
Leslie: We'd be bored. You and I don't do well being bored.
Alyssa: No.
Leslie: Timothy, you don't do well being bored either.
Timothy: No, I'm never bored. I'm getting ready to get on a cruise ship here- Exactly ... soon, on Alaska, so.
Alyssa: Oh, that's
Have you ever been?
Timothy: Oh, th- this'll be my third trip.
Alyssa: Yeah. Alaska's incredible. I've only gone once, but I would go back.
Leslie: Yeah. I, uh, just got back from California not too long ago, and it was amazing. Mm-hmm. Napa and San Francisco. We drove down Highway 1 and saw all the, the cliffs, and farmland, and Big Sur, and all- Oh
of [00:01:00] it, and so amazing.
Alyssa: A nice little vacation between conferences.
Leslie: Oh, my gosh, yes. It was ... Yes, this trip was for fun.
Alyssa: Yes. This was not- I was gonna say, just so everybody knows, she's not always traveling
Leslie: for work. Yes, not a work trip. Um, but Alaska's definitely on the hit list. I would love to go see Alaska.
Alyssa: You really should.
Leslie: Uh, you,
Alyssa: you've gone to Alaska? I've, I've gone. Yeah. Yeah, we got to, we went whale watching, and we got to see them breaching out of the water. And I mean, this was back in, poof, '01, so we had, like, an old school video camera with like a- Oh my gosh ... VHS tape in it, and we have that somewhere in our basement with a whale jumping, so.
Leslie: Oh, that would be
Timothy: so cool. What was cool was when the cruise, one of the cruise ships we've been on, we got up close to the, the giant glaciers, and you can hear it caving.
Alyssa: Yeah.
Timothy: Oh, I don't know. And it sounds like lightning and thunder as you go boom, and you can hear it hitting the water. Just to, just to feel that and to hear it is, is, it was amazing.
Alyssa: It is amazing.
Leslie: That gives me chills, like, thinking about that. I feel like that would be so scary.
Alyssa: No, it's during the day. It's not a Titanic situation. Alyssa. No.
Timothy: You do see little icebergs in the water, though, while
Alyssa: you're
Timothy: going by.
Alyssa: You do. The amount of people [00:02:00] that stand on the front of the boat with their arms out like Titanic is wild in Alaska.
That would
Leslie: be the first thing I would wanna do.
Timothy: That- Oh, I got to see you do it
Alyssa: now. I was gonna say. I got to see you do it. That surprises me zero, 0%. Yeah, no,
Leslie: my husband would absolutely, uh, love that. Be embarrassed. But he would do it.
Alyssa: He would do it with you. Yeah,
Leslie: he's a good sport. Oh. He's fun.
Alyssa: Yeah, traveling to Alaska's great.
Traveling to Napa's great. I would say traveling to Leader Dog campus is great. Oh. Mm-hmm. How's that for a segue? I love that
Leslie: segue. That's fantastic.
Alyssa: Um, today we wanna talk a little bit about what class actually looks like. So we know people are oftentimes applying for either O&M training or guide dog training, and they are getting ready to come to campus, and they have no idea what to expect.
You know, we've got resources on our website to tell you what you can expect and give you sample schedules, but we wanted to give you the behind the scenes a little bit.
Leslie: Yes, and absolutely, the website, check that out. That's a great resource. We've recently updated it, and it ha- included a [00:03:00] ton more information- Yeah
which I lo- of, like, things to think about bringing, and li- Alyssa said, the schedule, and things like that. But, uh, we wanna dive into it just a little bit more 'cause we do get a lot of questions I can totally understand that nervousness and anxiety of- Mm-hmm ... I'm coming to a place I've never been before. I might be flying for the very first time ever, and somebody's just gonna, you say, pick me up at the airport?
Right. And get me to where I need to be? Like, these are wild things. Right?
Alyssa: Sounds like a fever dream.
Leslie: Yes. And so the fact that our clients trust us and get on that plane and take that leap of faith, and we do in fact pick them up at the airport and bring them to our campus, I wanna just run through that a little bit more in detail.
So, um, recently we talked about kind of the life cycle of a Leader Dog, and Alyssa mentioned as they're doing the matching process, we then would call a client and say, "Hey, you know, we think we have this dog available for you. Are you available to come during these class times?" Um, while the O&M side, we're not necessarily matching with a guide dog, but similar [00:04:00] process in the sense that somebody's approved for the O&M program, and we're gonna give them a call and say, "Hey, these are the upcoming weeks that we have available for training.
Do any of these work for you?" Hopefully they'll select a week. What then happens is our wonderful client services coordinators will connect them with our travel agency, Alltour. Alltour will then reach out to them to schedule those flights. So typically we're always trying to get a nonstop direct flight.
Um, all of the payment and everything is covered. Again, I know this is wild. People don't believe us. But at no time anywhere are we asking for credit card information. Alltour will book that flight w- working with the client, right? Mm-hmm. So they're discussing times and, and things like that. And then, um, they'll get their, their boarding passes and everything, and then we schedule volunteers on our end.
So we have wonderful, wonderful volunteers who are drivers, and they will schedule their time to go pick up clients from the airport and bring them to our residence. Timothy, confirm or deny- Yeah. ... that that is how that process works. [00:05:00]
Timothy: I can confirm that.
Leslie: Okay.
Timothy: The only thing I had to pay, though, was my luggage, so even- I know
that got paid.
Leslie: Yeah. Thank you for including that because that is an important piece, that if you are packing a, a bag to- To be checked ... to be checked, you do have to pay that fee. For whatever reason we can't navigate and figure out, uh, that, but- How to
Alyssa: pre-do that.
Leslie: Yes. It's, it's one of those things that we can't include when Altour does it.
But also notable, we do have laundry facilities available on campus. Yes. Yeah. So especially if you're coming just for orientation and mobility, that one-week program, typically you can pack a carry-on, and then we do have the laundry facilities that already have the soap. You don't have to pay for them.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And, you know, we can show you how to work those, too.
Alyssa: Yeah, and our resident assistants also have, you know, extra shampoos and extra... They have a blow-dryer. Mm-hmm. I think they have two. Um, you know, so you can go and, and get anything that you need from them. If you say, "Oh, I really wanna pack a carry-on, but I need my shampoo and it's more than three ounces," th- I'm sure they can help you out.
Leslie: Absolutely. And that process is the same for guide [00:06:00] dog clients, too. Yeah. So if they're getting on that plane, if they're checking a bag, they do have to pay for that fee. But otherwise, hopping on the plane, our wonderful volunteers hopefully are going to pick them up at the airport. Sometimes if we don't have a volunteer, we do use MetroCar, so kind of like a personal taxi or Uber.
Uh, um, we have upskilled those MetroCar drivers to work with our clients. We also send our clients a luggage tag, so it's easy for us to help identify those bags. We ask clients to have their cane out, so they're easily identifiable if they do have a cane. Um, and it is honestly a well-oiled machine. Mm-hmm.
But I know there's a lot of travel anxiety as is, let alone going to a place that you've never been before and don't necessarily know who you're meeting. We share contact information. I was just
Alyssa: gonna say, we give contact info so you can contact and talk to the person picking you up. A lot of the times clients will do that just to make sure they feel comfortable.
Um-
Leslie: We're also watching the flights. Oh, yeah. So our wonderful resident assistants and those drivers, those volunteer drivers, are watching flights. So if your flight's delayed, we know that, and we're already looking at the [00:07:00] delayed time, and we're rescheduling, and we're figuring it out on our end. So there is a lot of behind the scenes that is happening to make sure this is a seamless process, and it's very, very, uh, cool to see our team come together and always rally and make it work.
So we're delighted when we go pick our clients up from the airport, and we bring them back to our residence in Rochester Hills, where they'll be greeted by one of our wonderful resident assistants. Um, and there they'll get to know the, the facility a little bit more.
Alyssa: Yeah, they'll get a, a tour of that facility.
I'm sure, Timothy, you got shown around by, uh, whether it be a volunteer or one of our team members. But how it stands right now in a residence, we've got about 30 bedrooms. We have a workout facility. I can't, of course, do a podcast without mentioning the dining room- Mm-hmm ... and the incredible kitchen staff.
Um, coffee station, 24 hours somebody is there. So if somebody needs assistance at any point, there's help there. We have gathering spaces. We have a pavilion. We have a practice course outside. So it is a really nice, very hotel-like setting. Um, [00:08:00] great opportunities to gather with other people in class or have your own solo time.
But you'll get shown around the entire building. They'll go over everything from where the braille is, where the raised, uh print is, where large print is, how to use the Alexas in the rooms. Um, you know, so kind of go over everything that you need
Timothy: Yep, you got your own room and own, your own thermostat. So if it's-
a little cold outside, which sometimes it is in Michigan, you can crank that heat up.
Alyssa: That is true. It's funny as an instructor, 'cause you work with multiple clients, and so you do have to go into different clients' rooms, and you get to, uh, open the door, and you go, "Ooh, you must be from a warm climate." Um, so I bet your room was nice and toasty for your instructor there, Timothy.
Timothy: Yeah, and then when I was there for Glacier, it was set at 65, 'cause I'm from the South. We love our air conditioning. There
Alyssa: you go.
Leslie: That's too funny. Yeah.
Alyssa: Good thing to note.
Leslie: It is, um, very comfortable to stay on campus. Alyssa and I have both spent many a nights there when d- uh, being instructors and staying, and it's very, very [00:09:00] comfortable.
Um, and clients are staying for one week if they're there for our Orientation and Mobility program, and two to three weeks, mostly three weeks, for our Guide Dog program. Uh, during those weeks, again, as Alyssa mentioned, the resident assistants are gonna be there 24 hours a day. So for things like should you drop a pill and you need help navigating or finding it, or you really can't figure out the TVs, somebody is there to help navigate it.
Um, and so we are always, always available, but we do really strive on the front end to let you know where everything is and make sure that you're comfortable navigating that building independently. But typically, uh, for O&M class anyways, on Monday morning, that first Monday... So let me back up for a second.
Clients typically arrive on a Sunday afternoon, and then they will meet their instructors Monday morning, either before breakfast, at breakfast, or just after breakfast. Sometime in there, the O&M instructor's gonna come and say hi, introduce themselves, and say, "I'm so excited to work with you this week. I'm gonna meet you at 8:30 in our piano lounge."
Breakfast every day is at [00:10:00] 7:30. For O&M, the first lesson of the day starts at 8:30. So at 8:30 on Monday morning, we're all gonna meet as a collective group, all the O&M clients, all the O&M instructors. We're gonna go around, say our names, where we're from. Usually they do, like, a fun fact of what's your favorite ice cream-
or, you know, they think of something kinda fun to get the conversation going. Um, and then we kinda go through some things to anticipate. Like, typically on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, the, uh, cleaning team is gonna come through and do some light housekeeping, maybe change out your towels or do a quick wipe down of the counter, things like that.
Um, we also go through the schedule and what to anticipate, if you should need anything, where the emergency pull cords are. So a lot of information that you got on Sunday, we're gonna repeat again on Monday, 'cause as you can imagine, after a day of travel, it can be a lot to take in. And so we will repeat this at any point in time, and you can always ask questions.
But we wanna make sure everybody is very, very comfortable, um, while staying on campus. So that's the Monday kinda first opening discussion with the O&M [00:11:00] team, and then we'll also start breaking off into our individual groups. It's gonna be one-on-one instruction, so an O&M specialist with a client. We'll go find a room.
We're gonna talk about your goals. What's your travel environment like? What do you wanna do this week? Have you had any instruction prior? Um, do you know how to use your cane? Do you like the cane tip that you're using? What kind of cane are- Are you using? We're just gonna get to know each other a little bit more, and then we're gonna start very, very slow in our training process, depending on where that client is skill-wise and how much experience they have.
Uh, we might start with just folding and unfolding a cane, if they're using a folding cane. Changing cane tips, all of those slight things. Um, and then we'll continue to build on it throughout the afternoon and then the next day. But Alyssa, I'll pause, and Timothy, jump in at any point in time. Share any differences, uh, with guide dog and/or personal experiences.
Alyssa: Yeah.
Timothy: Well, there's differences, of course, between the cane and the dog, of course. What impressed me was when I first met you, Leslie, you got me the right proper cane. The, my cane I had was too tall, so I-
Leslie: Yeah ...
Timothy: by about [00:12:00] two inches. So we, you gave me a free cane, and we, we started off small, and we worked our way out, and I got that confidence that, that I can do what I needed to do with a cane And when I first came to Leader Dog, I wasn't even thinking about getting a dog until I saw- Mm-hmm
what those dogs were doing. So that's kinda cool, 'ca- if you are there just for O&M, you can see what these dogs do, and then you can make that decision. And he- maybe the cane, uh, cane is all I want, and maybe, hey, maybe I'll add a dog to it too, and you can have both of them. So, uh- Mm ... it's up to, to, there's no, there's no, uh, uh, pushing from Leader Dog, "Hey, come back and get a dog."
Mm-hmm. There's no pressure whatsoever. It's your decision.
Alyssa: Yeah, that's a really good point, Timothy, is while you are on campus, whether you're here for O&M or for our guide dog program, oftentimes those are running at the exact same time. Not all the times, but most. And, uh, so if you're here for O&M, you get an opportunity to see guide dog class, and vice versa.
So that's really cool. But yes, guide dog class, slightly different than O&M, but they really do follow a lot of [00:13:00] the same schedules- Mm-hmm ... because we are on campus at the same time, so our meals are all together. Um, so just like with O&M, on that Monday morning, you're going to wake up, you're gonna have your breakfast at 7:30.
Um, for those that have been here for a dog before, or those that have heard my, my spiel- Mm-hmm ... you know that you do not get a dog on day one, unfortunately, um, or day two. So, um, the first two days are very similar to O&M in the fact that we don't have relief times. We don't have dog food times. Um, you are having your breakfast 7:30 to 8:30, and then at 8:30 we are going out and training.
And then we come back for our lunchtime. I call it human lunch when we have dogs- ... 'cause it just makes it easier. So come back for human lunch around noon, and then leave again at 1:00 for another training opportunity before, again, then returning for your evening and for dinner. So the first two days are really similar.
You know, we're focusing more at that point on what skills somebody's going to need once they get that dog. So we're [00:14:00] working on the harness. We're practicing putting the harness on a fake dog. We have life-size stuffed dogs there, so we practice putting on all of the equipment.
Timothy: Like stuffed animals.
Alyssa: Not- Stuffed animals.
Oh my goodness. Not, not
Leslie: taxidermy. You
Alyssa: know what? That is-
Leslie: I just wanna make that clear.
Alyssa: Yeah. Thank you for making that clear, 'cause I have actually been asked that before. Yeah. Um, they are stuffed dogs. Little plug to Melissa and Doug, uh, the company makes great- Yes ... great stuffed dogs. Um, so- Stuffies ... yes. So we put harnesses on fake plush dogs.
Fake dogs. Stuffed dogs.
Leslie: Mm-hmm.
Alyssa: Um, and practice all of that. We even practice picking up fake poop. Um, we are practicing feeding the dogs if somebody's never had a guide or a dog at all before. So those first few days are, are very similar. But then just like Leslie said, we start with small ideas, and we kind of build and grow on that throughout, again, if you're there for a guide dog class, about three weeks.
Mm-hmm. So we start pretty small and, and we build. And I'm sure, Timothy, those first two days are probably brutal- ... waiting for that dog.
Timothy: That Juno walks funny.
Alyssa: Yeah, Juno and the instructor's holding that [00:15:00] harness handle. We always say, "You can give me a Skittle or a cookie at the curb too."
Timothy: Next time I will.
Alyssa: You should.
Leslie: I had a client do that one time. I was doing a Juno walk with them, and they had a Reese's that they gave me at the end. Yeah. I will never forget that. It honestly made my day.
Alyssa: Yeah, and it made you wanna do it again, did it not? It made
Leslie: me wanna do it again, yeah. Positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement really
Alyssa: does work.
Leslie: It's so funny. Yeah. And then, so same thing, the week continues, right? So it's only one week, again, for orientation mobility, working on those GAIN scales, and we're working at the client's pace. So each week is completely individualized and looks so different for every client. The main gist that we want you to get from this, uh, conversation though is kind of that breakfast 7:30, lunch at noon, dinner at 5:30.
Evenings are typically to yourself. A lot of people need that downtime to call home, check in. Sometimes people need to catch up on a little bit of work. H- And a lot of times people just need to rest. Yeah. It is exhausting. It's a lot of walking. It's a lot of mental thinking and- Mm-hmm ... and emotional side of things.
So there's a lot to be said to just taking some time. Right. Putting your feet up, [00:16:00] relaxing in the evenings.
Timothy: It is stressful.
Leslie: Mm-hmm.
Timothy: Especially for the first two weeks, once... 'Cause you're trying to get, uh, attached to a dog and feeling a new dog. By the third week, you're starting to get it, but those, those first two weeks, it can be a little rough, and-
Alyssa: For
Timothy: sure
and if you... I had a good trainer with Meredith, and she kept me In the zone, w- so to speak.
Alyssa: Yeah.
Timothy: And, uh, she was a great, great, uh, GDMI instructor for me, and we, we became a success.
Alyssa: We always say that week two is oftentimes that toughest week, 'cause week one you've got all that anticipation, and you get this new dog, and yeah, it might be hard, but you are just so excited to have this new dog, and you're attached to your instructor.
You're working really closely with your instructor, even if they're not attached physically to your leash. Um, but then week two comes, and we wanna let you problem solve a little more because we know we only have three weeks. You know, we wanna make sure that you're gonna be successful going home. So we never give you anything you can't handle.
That's why we slowly start and build on all of our skills throughout the time, but that week two is an opportunity for you to start practicing on your own. And, [00:17:00] and for a lot of people, that can definitely be more difficult. But then you get to that week three, like Timothy said, and that's the week that we are really focusing on each individual person and what they're gonna need when they go home.
So for people that are going home from guide dog class, we are doing everything from practicing more independent travel. We're also working in specific environments related to you. So I've had a client before that was a professional bowler, and so we were like, "That sounds like a fun activity to do in the afternoon."
So we took our class to the bowling alley because that's a really good opportunity. You've got loud noises. You've got people walking around. You've got food going everywhere. You've got carpet. Um, you know, the dog sees you go up to bowl, and they can't go with you. And so all of those things, that's a great real-life learning opportunity.
So of course with O&M, they spread that in throughout that whole week because you're working on those independent skills that you're gonna go home and work with. And for guide dog, we are spreading it out amongst those three weeks, but that third and final week we are really focusing on that, and then [00:18:00] also talking about what to do when you go home.
Leslie: Mm-hmm.
Alyssa: So there's a lot going on all three weeks.
Leslie: It's a busy time. The other thing I wanna point out and talk about, and then we always joke kind of about... Well, we're not joking when we talk about the kitchen. I mean, it is fantastic. Truly. Yeah. Truly fantastic food. But that can be a real stressor, right?
Le- leaving home. Absolutely. Different diets, uh, especially if you're, you know, gluten-free, or you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions, or things like that. It can be really concerning when you're leaving your house and no longer in control of your meal plan. So one thing I really wanna make clear is that our, our kitchen team does a fantastic job of accommodating all different dietary needs- Mm-hmm
and allergies. Um, we ask that on the front end, of course, in the application process, and then should our kitchen have any questions or wanna clarify things, the actual kitchen manager or supervisor will give you a call ahead of time and ask specific questions. So if you're gluten-free or low calorie or cholesterol or all of those things- Mm-hmm
um, we're gonna call, and we're gonna ask questions about it so that we can make sure we have meals that are appropriate for you that you're also going to [00:19:00] enjoy. Because- And it's a stressful time, right? You're working really hard. And so we wanna make sure that our clients during their meals can have that relaxation time.
Mm-hmm. The meals should be a relaxing time. Our kitchen staff does a wonderful job of serving the meals just like when you're at a restaurant. You walk in, you sit down in the same seat every time for consistency so you don't have to maneuver and find a free chair. You know where you're sitting. Your dog can pattern to that chair.
Um, and then your meal is served to you, and when you're done, you just get up and leave. And I know that it sometimes feels hard to get up and walk away. To just get up and walk
Alyssa: away with food on the table or your plates, yeah.
Leslie: Yeah, but our kitchen team is so fantastic. Yeah. And they do such a wonderful job, and that is what they want to be doing.
They want to be there to make your time and your meals enjoyable so that you can focus on that instruction, whether it be with a cane or a guide dog. So just know that that is happening there. And should you have any questions or not like something on the menu, you can always talk to a kitchen member.
Alyssa: Yeah, they put the whole menu out a wh- week in advance.
Leslie: But if I were gonna recommend something, Scotcheroo's Mile High Taco Pie. Mile High [00:20:00]
Alyssa: Taco Pie.
Leslie: Southwest chicken salad.
Alyssa: Their barbecue chicken pizza's really good.
Leslie: I've actually never found anything I didn't like. Yeah.
Timothy: Their
Alyssa: breakfast sandwich on Thursday morning.
Timothy: Oh, the breakfast sandwich. Oh.
Alyssa: See, he even knows the morning. 'Cause he's like, "Thursday morning breakfast sandwich."
Leslie: And they don't even, they'll never- They
Alyssa: never repeat a
Leslie: meal ... they repeat a meal. Even eggs. Yeah. You'll have your eggs somehow different-
Alyssa: I know ...
Leslie: every, for three weeks.
Alyssa: Made with love.
Leslie: It's crazy.
Alyssa: Yeah. Our kitchen staff is incredible.
Timothy: And there's always somebody there 24/7 in the RA office. If there's something happens at 2:00 in the morning- Mm-hmm ... you need somebody, they're a phone call away or just walking out your door. There's somebody always there, so don't worry about that either, either.
Alyssa: Absolutely. And there's- We really try and make it as comfortable- Yes ... and as relaxing as possible. We understand that people are away from home, and that can definitely be, be a stressor, because life at home doesn't stop just 'cause you're not there. Um, so any stress that we can take off of you, whether it be by how our, you know, residence is set up, or what your instructors, the RAs, or the kitchen staff can do for you, you know, that is, that is our goal.
We want [00:21:00] you to be there to be able to focus on whether it be that O&M training or the guide dog training.
Leslie: And it's important that we're always looking to improve. Like you're talking about. Always. We t- always take feedback. You know, one of the things that have recently changed, which I find so funny, is that we have free snacks and drinks- Yeah
and everything available. It used to be vending machines, and I found that so funny that we were like, "Everything's free. You don't have to pay for anything." And then we're like, "Actually, unless you wanna-" It's $2.99
Alyssa: for M&Ms.
Leslie: Unless you want some M&Ms. Yeah. Yeah. But they've recently changed that, and it's all fully accessible, and braille, and large print.
Yep. And, uh, it's just y- that was from feedback from clients. Yep. So change does happen, and we're continuously working.
Timothy: Another thing I liked was if you... Hey, we did it. Uh, one Sunday we decided to go to a movie theater to watch a movie. You can do that. You can't take your dog with you.
Alyssa: That's
Timothy: right. But you can go somewhere and go off campus if you wanted to do something like that.
You're not locked down at Leader Dog for the entire three weeks.
Alyssa: Thank you. Exactly. That's a good point. And we now also have a bus that runs right outside of Leader Dog. We even have a stop [00:22:00] on our property, basically. Mm-hmm. Um, so some people can take the, the city bus if they want, but there's also a lot to walk to.
There's a Burger King you can smell right across the street. And if we look out our
Leslie: office window- That charbroiled ... just the right way, we can see it.
Alyssa: Yeah.
Leslie: Yeah, so you're not locked on campus. Everybody coming is adults, right? Uh, the only time that is different is with our camp, which we won't get into that schedule.
Yeah. 'Cause that's a whole nother episode. That's a whole
Alyssa: other beast.
Leslie: Um, but yes, you may leave at any point in time. You can't take your dog during those first three weeks, right? Yep. Just because we're still in that learning phase. Um, but there are many times, yeah, clients get to know each other and wanna go out after dinner.
Yep. Especially in the winter, the January, uh, February, where all the lights are happening downtown Rochester. Ooh, yeah. People wanna go check those out. Mm-hmm. I will mention, too, one other thing we haven't talked about is sometimes we will do a night lesson. Yep. So that is also on the agenda. Typically, uh, uh, you know, on a Wednesday for O&M.
Yeah. And I don't know-
Alyssa: Usually it's the second Thursday of class for guide dog, but it differs.
Leslie: And for O&M, it's really dependent on if that client's gonna benefit from that night lesson, if they even are interested in doing it. [00:23:00] There's other ways that we can simulate that, too, um, because again, some people are, you're exhausted.
Alyssa: Yeah.
Leslie: It's a lot of, it's a lot of walking, which is why we talk about stamina leading up to coming to class. Um, even if you think you've got really good stamina, we always encourage, get out, be walking, walking on a treadmill, uh, whatever you can do to help prepare for that. Train your shoes or test out your shoes Yeah.
Test.
Alyssa: Do not bring new shoes,
Leslie: please. Do not bring new shoes. Bring a couple pair of shoes. Yeah. But also know that we can accommodate. Yes. Specifically for that O&M program too, if you can only do one route in the morning and one in the afternoon, those are accommodations that we can make. So these are good questions to call and ask if you're thinking- Mm-hmm
I don't know if I have the stamina, or maybe I have balance concerns. Highly recommend giving us a call. We can talk through your specific situation. Um, but a lot of times we can certainly make accommodations, and our team is super great at individualizing
Alyssa: it.
Timothy: Mm-hmm. Also, bring your patience because you know what?
You're not gonna come there perfect. Yeah. And you're gonna have stumbles, you're gonna have ... But you're gonna have victories. So always remember, next day's gonna be better. [00:24:00] So you're gonna- Yeah ... me, me and Glacier had stumbles, spills, whatever. We kept on growing on that. So there's always gonna be something happen.
Don't get discouraged. We're Leader Dogs, they'll get it fixed.
Alyssa: And that's ... We always say it's not as easy as sticking a stamp on the dog's forehead and putting him in the mail and sending him off to you. If it was, that'd be great, but there's a lot you gotta learn. So that's why you stay with us for three weeks.
But I hope you guys hearing this today might calm some people's concerns, or just tell people more about what happens during class. Maybe somebody listening to this has had a delivery or had O&M in their home area. Mm-hmm. Also great opportunities, but hey, guess what we have on campus? So just a fantastic time.
I wanna thank everybody so much for listening to the Taking the Lead podcast. Again, I'm Alyssa Otis with hosts Timothy Cugno and Leslie Hoskins. Please join us next time as we continue to dive into the world of blindness.
Leslie: And if you'd like to learn more about applying to Leader Dog, you can head to leaderdog.org or call us at 888-777-5332.
Don't forget, you can reach [00:25:00] us at takingthelead@leaderdog.org with any questions or ideas. If you liked today's podcast, make sure to hit subscribe and check us out wherever podcasts stream.