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Leader Dogs for the Blind

General Information

Leader Dogs for the Blind
1039 S Rochester Road
Rochester Hills, MI 48307-3115
(248) 651 9011
hstacey@leaderdog.org
http://www.leaderdog.org

Brief Description

The mission of Leader Dogs for the Blind is to empower people who are blind or visually impaired with lifelong skills for safe and independent daily travel.
Since 1939, Leader Dogs for the Blind has been providing guide dogs to people who are blind and visually impaired to enhance their mobility, independence and quality of life. Founded by three Lions Club members, we have proudly trained over 14,500 clients from 39 countries in the use of a Leader Dog.
Other services Leader Dog provides are: guide dog training for people who are both deaf and blind, accelerated O&M training, specialized summer youth program and training in the use of auditory GPS to increase the ability of the user to travel independently in new environments.
All services are provided free of charge to the recipient.

Services Offered

  • Travel/Orientation and Mobility
    • Offers Accelerated O&M Training to people 16 years and older. This seven-day course is individually designed to sharpen the existing skills of the client. Offers expedited instruction in mobility to those interested in obtaining a guide dog or those interested in continuing to travel with a white cane.

  • Dog Guide Training
    • Leader Dog's Guide Dog Training with GPS program is an intense 25-day course that pairs clients 16 years of age and older with a guide dog. During the first two days of the program, clients work closely with their instructors, learning how to execute voice and hand signals, as well as basic commands that the dog has already learned. On day two, clients are matched with a trained dog based on life style, travel pace and physical size and stamina. Over the course of the program, the client and dog eventually become a team as they walk in a variety of environments, such as rural roads, mid-size cities, shopping malls and a large city with public transportation. Throughout the training clients (from the US and Canada) receive a free audible HumanWare Trekker Breeze+ GPS device and instructions on how to use it expand their travel environment.