Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Why I don't have a guide dog, even though they're free (youtube.com)
submitted by thisisjoshtseng
Wolfocorn20 6 points 1y ago
That is a pritty intresting video.
It's like you said not every blind person has the right lifestyle for a guide dog or want or needs one.
I'm up for my second guide dog caz for me the good outways the bad.
Pritty funny tho that you mentioned the waiting time being weeks to months caz where i live the waiting time after getting a go is 1.5 to 2 years with a slight chance of it not working out. Some of my friends had to wait for up to 4 years and one even dropped out of the program caz she was on the waiting list for 6 years.
It's like you said not every blind person has the right lifestyle for a guide dog or want or needs one.
I'm up for my second guide dog caz for me the good outways the bad.
Pritty funny tho that you mentioned the waiting time being weeks to months caz where i live the waiting time after getting a go is 1.5 to 2 years with a slight chance of it not working out. Some of my friends had to wait for up to 4 years and one even dropped out of the program caz she was on the waiting list for 6 years.
thisisjoshtseng [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video!
And ok I’ve known of people here in Singapore waiting 1 to 2 years before our infrastructure got better to support people who want guide dogs, but wow 6 years is ridiculously long. That’s such a shame, because guide dogs really are a great option to have. Hopefully wherever you are, the future availability of guide dogs gets better.
And ok I’ve known of people here in Singapore waiting 1 to 2 years before our infrastructure got better to support people who want guide dogs, but wow 6 years is ridiculously long. That’s such a shame, because guide dogs really are a great option to have. Hopefully wherever you are, the future availability of guide dogs gets better.
retrolental_morose 2 points 1y ago
is there more than 'I just like being at home?'
thisisjoshtseng [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Yes of course. I mention in the video that even though a lot of my current lifestyle has me basically sitting at home, if my career takes me overseas, travelling with a guide dog can be rather cumbersome. I also highlight the cost, because while the initial dog is free, I just can't afford the financial commitment needed to feed and care for the dog.
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It's also not entirely all about the downsides of having a guide dog. The video is meant to be for a broad audience and so I do cover the genuinely beneficial reasons why someone else might want a guide dog.
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It's also not entirely all about the downsides of having a guide dog. The video is meant to be for a broad audience and so I do cover the genuinely beneficial reasons why someone else might want a guide dog.
retrolental_morose 2 points 1y ago
I had one for nearly a decade, but found the positives didn't really balance out the downsides at the time so didn't reapply.
thisisjoshtseng [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Totally understandable. I think I might have a somewhat opposite experience in the fact that I’m strongly considering one for my older years, maybe when I’m retired. At the end of the day that’s why we have so many choices, because not every option available to us will work for everyone all the time.
kescba -2 points 1y ago
You should consider being more positive and see benefits rather then downsides.. One day, you might get children, then you will also experience difficulties, but thats life... ;)
In Singapore, is it then not possible to seek for money to stuff like "Food for a guide dog"? :)
And is there any organisations for blind and visually impared in Singapore?,
In Singapore, is it then not possible to seek for money to stuff like "Food for a guide dog"? :)
And is there any organisations for blind and visually impared in Singapore?,
thisisjoshtseng [OP] 5 points 1y ago
Thanks for your comment! Appreciate the discussion about this topic.
1. I’m not sure if you watched the whole video, it is rather long. But I actually spent about one third of the video towards the end explaining some of the best reasons why people would want to get a guide dog. I outline the smoother experience, companionship from a service animal, and the fact that it can facilitate social experiences. So yeah I did make a concerted effort to see the upsides and do understand the benefits of having a guide dog. It just wasn’t for me.
2. I don’t plan to have kids. But I’m not really sure how that’s relevant to my reasons for not having a guide dog. A service animal and the responsibility of having children are quite different.
3. Yes I could crowd-source the funds to get a guide dog through online donation portals, but I’m not necessarily financially destitute, and so it’d feel a bit wrong to take money from people to get myself a service animal when it could go to someone else who might need the money more than I do.
4. Yes there are organisations in Singapore that help people with vision impairments, including Guide Dogs Singapore, which I outlined in the video. Guide Dogs Singapore is our only charity for O&M and for getting guide dogs, but keep in mind my country only has about 5+ million people and so we really only need one O&M + guide dog charity. There are other charities that cater to other needs for the vision impaired as well.
1. I’m not sure if you watched the whole video, it is rather long. But I actually spent about one third of the video towards the end explaining some of the best reasons why people would want to get a guide dog. I outline the smoother experience, companionship from a service animal, and the fact that it can facilitate social experiences. So yeah I did make a concerted effort to see the upsides and do understand the benefits of having a guide dog. It just wasn’t for me.
2. I don’t plan to have kids. But I’m not really sure how that’s relevant to my reasons for not having a guide dog. A service animal and the responsibility of having children are quite different.
3. Yes I could crowd-source the funds to get a guide dog through online donation portals, but I’m not necessarily financially destitute, and so it’d feel a bit wrong to take money from people to get myself a service animal when it could go to someone else who might need the money more than I do.
4. Yes there are organisations in Singapore that help people with vision impairments, including Guide Dogs Singapore, which I outlined in the video. Guide Dogs Singapore is our only charity for O&M and for getting guide dogs, but keep in mind my country only has about 5+ million people and so we really only need one O&M + guide dog charity. There are other charities that cater to other needs for the vision impaired as well.
kescba 1 points 1y ago
1. Yes i watched the whole video, but i was ready just to stop it, but i forced myself to play the whole video.. Yes you came around it all, but i didnt get the positive feeling about it..
2. Both childrne and a service dog is something you must choose to have, but also something you must put an efford in having. - You dont know how it is, untill you have been there.
3. it's a kind thought, but if too many says no, then those who really need it wont, but it's was more the food.. The guide dog you should not need to seek money for ;-)
4. Okay, im from Denmark, we are almost 6 million and have 2 guide dog providers, but i would like to hear more about what options visually impared and blind has in Singapore, maby if you havent already made a video about it, i would recommend it ;-)
Thanks for the efford with the video, it's not easy and takes time.
2. Both childrne and a service dog is something you must choose to have, but also something you must put an efford in having. - You dont know how it is, untill you have been there.
3. it's a kind thought, but if too many says no, then those who really need it wont, but it's was more the food.. The guide dog you should not need to seek money for ;-)
4. Okay, im from Denmark, we are almost 6 million and have 2 guide dog providers, but i would like to hear more about what options visually impared and blind has in Singapore, maby if you havent already made a video about it, i would recommend it ;-)
Thanks for the efford with the video, it's not easy and takes time.
thisisjoshtseng [OP] 1 points 1y ago
1) Ok fair enough, I did try my best to emphasise the positives while being realistic but thank you all the same for the feedback. I’ll keep that in mind when I cover future topics.
2) Alright got it on the comparison, but one thing about guide dogs that makes it different as a lifestyle decision is that guide dogs are service animals for utility. Children don’t serve that same kind of utility in my opinion. So ultimately, you get a guide dog because you both want to and because it serves a specific function in your life. Children are just something we have because we want to. Not trying to be critical, just stating it directly, but I think we both agree it’s a personal choice.
Finally about the services from charities and how us vision impaired folk fund our guide dogs, I think this might come down to culture. I think over here in Singapore, our mind-set is much more along the lines of “Support yourself where you can”. Since you’re from Denmark, maybe you folk believe a lot more in funding the expenses of the vision impaired, including for things like guide dogs. I don’t believe either approach is necessarily better or worse, but this might explain why we have different sorts of thinking regarding the topic.
Ultimately, I just didn’t want a guide dog for reasons I explained inn the video, but I know many people in my country who do and are very happy with theirs. I love the fact we have options, and that my country is progressing with the acceptance of blind people and helping us facilitate having it. Even if the system isn’t perfect, and there’s many things to consider.
Also, thanks for recognising the effort it takes to do the videos. There’s very little representation online of people with disabilities from Singapore, and so I believe I can add to that conversation both locally and globally. I’m not perfect, but will do my best to improve with the videos. :)
2) Alright got it on the comparison, but one thing about guide dogs that makes it different as a lifestyle decision is that guide dogs are service animals for utility. Children don’t serve that same kind of utility in my opinion. So ultimately, you get a guide dog because you both want to and because it serves a specific function in your life. Children are just something we have because we want to. Not trying to be critical, just stating it directly, but I think we both agree it’s a personal choice.
Finally about the services from charities and how us vision impaired folk fund our guide dogs, I think this might come down to culture. I think over here in Singapore, our mind-set is much more along the lines of “Support yourself where you can”. Since you’re from Denmark, maybe you folk believe a lot more in funding the expenses of the vision impaired, including for things like guide dogs. I don’t believe either approach is necessarily better or worse, but this might explain why we have different sorts of thinking regarding the topic.
Ultimately, I just didn’t want a guide dog for reasons I explained inn the video, but I know many people in my country who do and are very happy with theirs. I love the fact we have options, and that my country is progressing with the acceptance of blind people and helping us facilitate having it. Even if the system isn’t perfect, and there’s many things to consider.
Also, thanks for recognising the effort it takes to do the videos. There’s very little representation online of people with disabilities from Singapore, and so I believe I can add to that conversation both locally and globally. I’m not perfect, but will do my best to improve with the videos. :)
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