Ben had always wanted a guide dog. Ben tells us his experiences of applying for a guide dog and how it has increased his confidence and independence and helped him make the move to his new life as a residential student at college.
Applying for a guide dog
I'd always wanted to get a guide dog. I had seen the great independence and confidence they gave people. Applying for a guide dog was on my list of things to do when I became 16.
When I was 14 it felt like I was never going to get one. My sixteenth birthday seemed ages away. Then, through a friend I heard that the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (GDBA) were running a pilot scheme for young people. As soon as I heard about it, I applied. When I was accepted, I was overjoyed. I couldn't believe that it was actually going to happen.
To be honest, when my initial excitement died down, I started to feel a little bit nervous. It felt really scary to be making such a big step. I knew that it would change my life and it showed that I was growing up. Everyone was really happy for me, but I'm not sure if they were excited as I was.
Mobility Assessment
The first step in my application was my mobility assessment. Basically, they wanted to make sure that I could get around well without a dog. After this I had what they call a "guide dog assessment". Again, they wanted to see how well I walked with a dog, if I could follow what the dog was telling me correctly, and how fast I walked with a dog.
Residential Assessment
A month or two later, I got a phone call saying they wanted me to go on a residential assessment. This was to give me a brief look into what it was like to own and look after a guide dog. It would give me a chance to decide if owning a guide dog was right for me and if I felt I could be responsible for a dog. This made me feel both excited and nervous at the same time because I knew it was one of the final stages before I got a dog.
The assessment took place in March 2011 and at the end they told me that they thought that I would be suitable for a guide dog. When they told me this I could not believe it. I was so excited. GDBA told me that I would be put on the waiting list and it would be probably more than six months before they found a match. This was not what I wanted as I ideally wanted to be matched and trained with a dog before I went to college in September. So I waited in hope that this would happen.
Meeting Len!
I got the call in June 2011. It was the week after I had finished all my GCSE exams and left school. When I picked up the phone and was told that I had been matched with a dog. I couldn't believe it. It was the best I had felt in a long time. I went and told everyone my good news. The dog I had been matched with was a black Labrador cross retriever called Len. He was brought out to meet me a few days after. When I met him I remember feeling instantly that he was going to be the right dog for me.
Training
I started my training with him at the beginning of July 2011. I was really nervous at the beginning of my training and wasn't quite sure what to expect, despite being told multiple times that I would be fine. I trained away from home for about a week and then came home to start learning the routes that I wanted to do. At the beginning of my training I was really nervous and not at all confident. But by the end, I started to feel more and more confident and put more trust into the dog than I thought I could ever do.
I qualified with Len on 26 July 2011. I remember that day very clearly - it will be a day I won't forget.
GPS Navigation
I got a talking GPS navigator shortly after getting Len. I got into using the GPS and the guide dog together while I was testing out the GPS. It definitely means I can go places without much advanced planning. I find that using technology alongside a dog really helps. The GPS tells me what direction to go in, and the dog tells me how to get there safely. A very useful mix, I think.
Starting college
I now attend the Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) in Hereford, which means I live away from home. Len has been a great support to me living here. Not just helping me cope with getting around, also helping me with the emotional aspect. I can just sit there and talk to him, telling him all my problems. He just listens quietly and wags his tail, which always makes me feel a lot better.
Further information
You can find out further information on guide dog ownership from the Guide Dogs for the Blind website.
You can also read about Jennifers experiences of having a guide dog at university in our starting univresity,
'Student life and guide dog ownership' pages.
This article was first published in Insight magazine.