Ready, Set, FORWARD!
Guide Dogs for the Blind is excited to unleash several new online learning opportunities for transition age youth who are blind or visually impaired, their parents and/or other family members, and professionals in the field of blindness and visual impairment.
We are committed to assisting youth who are blind or visually impaired, as well as the supportive network of people in their lives, be as well informed and prepared as possible to make the decision regarding cane or canine when the time is right.
Workshops include:
- The Canine Connection - Is Your Child Ready? Open to parents and family members of youth who are blind or visually impaired.
- The Canine Connection - Is Your Student Ready? Open to professionals in the field of blindness and visual impairment.
- The Ruff Life Academy - Harness Your Pawtential. A five-day workshop series open to teens who are blind or visually impaired age 14-17, and young adults who are blind or visually impaired age 18-24.
- Wags & Wisdom - A Panel Discussion with Current Guide Dog Users. Open to all.
Please learn more about these upcoming virtual Ready, Set, FORWARD! workshops below, and plan to join us. We can't wait to meet you!
Has your child expressed an interest in using a guide dog for their mobility, or are you wanting to educate yourself so that you can better help guide your child as their independence increases? Then you don’t want to miss this informative workshop where we will talk about what it means to be ready for a guide dog, the important role independent living skills (ILS) play in guide dog readiness, some practical tools you can use to help prepare them if this is the path they choose, and the critical role your child’s orientation and mobility (O&M) skills play in guide dog readiness. You will hear about GDB’s K9 Buddy program for families with younger children who are blind or visually impaired, and we will also have a special guest who will share some insight about your child’s Independent Education Plan (IEP) and goals around their O&M skills training in regard to guide dog travel.
Open to parents and family members of youth who are blind or visually impaired
Date: Monday April 5, 2021
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 pm PST
Location: Zoom
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Please join GDB’s orientation and mobility team as they share with you how to assess your student’s readiness for guide dog travel. They will also share some tips and best practices that you can use in your O&M lessons around sensory and environmental awareness, human guide, and experiencing freedom of movement all to help better prepare your student for living and working with a guide dog.
Open to professionals in the field of blindness and visual impairment
Date: Thursday April 8, 2021
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 pm PST
Location: Zoom
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Are you blind or visually impaired, between the ages of 14 & 24, and interested in exploring the option of using a guide dog for mobility? Come and be a part of our Ruff Life Academy! During this five-day workshop, we will explore how to interact and communicate with dogs, and how they communicate with us. We will do a little myth busting about guide dogs, like: can they really tell us when it is time to cross the street? We will discuss how to determine if you are ready to welcome a guide dog into your life and how one might fit into your everyday routine. We'll also cover why O&M and ILS skills are so important to be successful with a guide dog; review of a variety of training options for when you are ready; go over what training with a guide dog is like and what the transition home with your new partner could look like!
Workshop #1: Open to youth who are blind or visually impaired, ages 14-17
Date(s): April 12 – 16, 2021
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 pm PST each day
Location: Zoom
Room for 12 participants
Application Deadline: Friday, March 12, 2021
Applications Closed: THE RUFF LIFE ACADEMY WORKSHOP 1, AGES 14-17
Workshop #2: Open to young adults who are blind or visually impaired, ages 18-24
Date(s): April 19 – 23, 2021
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 pm PST each day
Location: Zoom
Room for 12 participants
Application Deadline: Friday, March 12, 2021
Applications Closed: APPLY NOW: THE RUFF LIFE ACADEMY WORKSHOP 2, AGES 18-24
We are excited to bring together a group of GDB alumni who all received their very first guide dog at a young age. Come and hear from them about their experiences, successes, challenges, and words of wisdom for anyone who is considering the guide dog lifestyle while in high school or college. Parents and family members, O&M and TVI professionals - are all welcome!
Open to youth who are blind or visually impaired; parents and family members of youth who are blind or visually impaired; and professionals in the field of blindness
Date: Monday April 26, 2021
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 pm PST
Location: Zoom
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, March 31, 2021