Guiding Eyes for the Blind

Guiding Eyes for the Blind

On Tuesday, October 7^th, students attended a presentation by Guiding Eyes for the Blind representative Vikki Iwanicki. The Guiding Eyes for the Blind Canine Development Center is a non-profit organization that is “dedicated to enriching the lives of blind and visually impaired [people],” free of charge. This organization, located in Yorktown Heights, is the leading guiding school in the world. Established in 1954,Guiding Eyes has had 6,000 dog/person teams graduate from its program. 

Ms Iwanicki began her presentation by introducing two breeding dogs, a black lab and a yellow lab. The role of these particular dogs is to have puppies. Ms Iwanicki’s dogs were very obedient and sat quietly the whole time.

Ms Iwanicki showed a video about a blind man, Gary, and the dog that changed his life, Vasco. Vasco allowed Gary unprecedented freedom – he was able to walk safely and comfortably through the streets of NYC. During the presentation we learned that the guide dogs are crucial for disabled individuals to make new relationships, whether they are in a work or social environment.

However, the opportunity for a blind person to have a guiding dog is not easy to provide. It takes $45,000, and two years of preparation to breed, raise, and train a dog before they can go to a new owner. Since Guiding Eyes receives no government funding, they rely heavily on hundreds of volunteers who work in many different areas, such as raising the puppies, working at the training school kennel, and assisting with student services, driving, administrative work, and videography. “The most popular choice of work is at the kennel,” Ms Iwanicki informed the students.

                If you would like the rewarding experience of knowing that you are providing someone with a precious gift, please visit www.volunteer.guidingeyes.org, or call 1-866-432-5227.