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Second Sense - Beyond Vision Loss

Archive: September 2023

Interior of a ride share car from the back seat. Shows a smart phone in a holder showing directions,

Using Ride Share Apps with Vision Loss: Tips from a Daily Traveler

September 29, 2023 | Leave a Comment

by Kathy Austin

  As a guide dog handler, I try my best not to use ride sharing services to get a ride. The anxiety of trying to find the vehicle, then wondering if the driver will refuse to take me because of my dog, just isn’t worth the stress. Then, there’s the problem of a language barrier […] Read More »

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Weller, a beautiful black lab puppy, looks up at the camera

Special bonds: Guide Dog Handlers and Their Puppy Raisers

September 13, 2019 | 8 Comments

by Kathy Austin, CVA

  Puppy Raisers A lot of love, hard work and dedication go into the first year of life for a guide dog puppy. Who does this kind of work? Families of all sizes, single men and women, kids in 4H and FFA, grandparents and college students, just to name a few. They have all done […] Read More »

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Andrea with Fiona in San Francisco during guide dog training

The Importance of Trust

April 15, 2019 | 2 Comments

by Andrea O'Donnell

  Meeting My Girl I will never forget the day I met my first guide dog, a beautiful black Labrador retriever named Fiona. It was around 1:00 in the afternoon, and I was patiently waiting in my room at Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) in San Raphael, California. I could hear the sounds of […] Read More »

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Man walking down the sidewalk with a cane.

White Cane vs. Guide Dog: Why or Why Not?

September 15, 2016 | 12 Comments

by Kathy Austin, CVA

  You’re walking down the sidewalk and encounter two people with vision loss. One person is strutting along tapping his cane side to side in front of him. The other person is walking with a yellow Labrador retriever holding onto a harness handle. You ask yourself, “Why do some people travel with a white cane […] Read More »

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Please Don’t Open the Door for Me!

August 14, 2014 | 4 Comments

by Kathy Austin, Community Engagement Specialist at Second Sense

“Opening the Door” can be a euphemism for discovery and learning. Today, I’d like to “open the door” and provide a little education on opening a door for someone with vision loss. I know lots of people out there have kind souls and a genuine desire to help someone in need.  As a person with […] Read More »

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