To reiterate, matching is the process of finding the most suitable guide dog available for an individual. Although, unlike the acquisition of most pets, the handler does not get to choose his or her dog. The RNZFB 's GDS' staff meet twice yearly at the guide dog centre to match available dogs to current applicants. Each meeting lasts around 10 days, and approximately 40 teams are matched in order of priority. Precedence over first-time applicants is given to those who have either previously relied on a guide dog for mobility or are currently relying on a dog that requires replacing (replacement applicants). People with special needs including additional non-visual (secondary) disabilities andlor personal circumstances that make using a guide dog more important are also matched preferentially.
The time a person has spent waiting for a dog is also considered. Currently, most replacement applicants receive a new dog at the next scheduled matching meeting, while most new applicants wait between six months to one year. All matches depend on the availability of a suitable dog. However, some dogs have specific needs that are accommodated by matching the person to the dog rather than vice-versa. For example, dogs with fragile footpads or certain skin problems are not matched to people who travel predominantly on hard, loose surfaces or live in hot, humid areas respectively.
Eligibility of applicants
In order to apply for a guide dog, the applicant should be eligible to receive services from the RNZFB by being blind or markedly sight impaired. When residual vision is evident, eligibility is determined if the visual acuity is less than 6124 (20/80) in the better eye after the best possible correction, or the visual field does not subtend 20 degrees at its widest angle.
Although it is not mandatory to have received O&M training before applying, it is considered useful if the applicant has adequate O&M skills for her or his needs. For some people, having poor or no long cane mobility skills may not be detrimental to travelling with a guide dog, although in order to travel safely applicants should be well oriented to their usual destinations (I. Cox, General Manager, RNZFB 's GDS, personal communication, December 1999). For example, a person with limited O&M skills, who only travels to a few destinations, may be matched with a dog requiring a low
3 -Background: Guide Dogs in Society workload6• Where applicable, when the RNZFB 's GDS receives a mobility report from an applicant' s O&M instructor and a medical report, comprising ophthalmologic, diabetic, and audiological status, a guide dog instructor will conduct a personal interview and an assessment. As mentioned in the review of the literature (Chapter 2), the fields of O&M and guide dog O&M training are complementary, and often it is the O&M instructor who influences a person to apply for a guide dog (Milligan, 1 999).
Working with a guide dog can be strenuous, although, as also mentioned in the previous chapter, secondary disabilities such as diabetes, hearing loss and neurological conditions may not preclude eligibility. For those with multiple disabilities, the individuals should have sight impairment as their primary disability. All applicants are considered on an individual basis, and no upper or lower age limit applies. There has been a paradigm shift in guide dog schools philosophy over the years regarding the criteria required for applicants. In New Zealand, the onus is no longer on the applicant to prove why she or he is eligible for a dog, but rather on the RNZFB' s GDS to show why she or he cannot be trained to work with a dog.
Assessment of applicants
The interview between the instructor and the applicant is conducted in the latter' s home, and assessments are carried out in his or her working environment and routes of travel. The instructor may gauge the applicant's abilities by having him or her conduct a test walk (or Juno walk). The Juno walk is useful for assessing the applicant's abilities and to enable the instructor to demonstrate a point (Whitstock et al. , 1997). It is performed by the applicant holding a guide dog harness by the handle while the instructor manipulates the harness to simulate the dog. The instructor may also gauge the applicant's travel abilities and how she or he interacts with a dog by bringing along a dog for these purposes. This 'assessment dog' is usually a dog in training that the instructor believes may be a suitable match for the applicant or will assist with making a matching decision in the future. During the interview, the responsibilities of both the applicant and the RNZFB 's GDS are discussed. Training with a guide dog can be physically and mentally taxing for both new and replacement applicants, and the
6 For the purposes of this research, the intensity of a dog's workload can be defined as the environment
potentially stressful nature of training is emphasised. With the applicant's pennission. family members, whanau (extended family) and close associates also participate in the interview process, as a guide dog will affect the dynamics of the handler' s relationships and role within a community.
Many applicants express a preference for physical and/or behavioural attributes in a
guide
dog. These may be a specific breed, colour, sex, level of affection and excitability. This is fully discussed during the interview, and expectations are reviewed. For example, an applicant who will only accept an exotic breed such as a Boxer is informed that he or she will probably wait longer for such a match compared to the more readily available breeds such as the Labrador or Golden retriever. The applicant is made aware of certain breed specific behaviours; for example, although B oxers are deemed 'good with children' they can become overexcited if matched to a handler with several youngsters. The applicant's personal preferences for a type of dog is respected and adhered to if possible. However, the instructor is not inhibited from considering other suitable matches, and a compromise may be made in order to reach a mutual agreement. Decisions such as matching a Standard poodle, a breed that does not shed hair, to someone who is allergic to dog h air, or a dog that is capable of working at more than one speed for someone who occasionally is slowed down by pushing a pram are necessary if the best match is to be made. Other factors considered during the interview and assessment will be discussed later in this chapter under the heading Matching criteria. The applicant'S ability to care for a dog's health and welfare, and the provision of adequate dog-keeping facilities are ensured and the applicant is placed on the waiting list to be considered for a match at the next meeting.The matching meeting
All the RNZFB' s GDS ' managers, instructors, trainers and trainees participate in the matching meetings, along with delegates from overseas (mainly Australasia) who are present to match dogs to their own applicants. Although having a large number of participants complicates the process and lengthens the meeting, a group forum is considered advantageous. Benefits include an enhanced range of perspectives and experience, staff development, and sharing the responsibility of making matches and dealing with mistakes. In addition, some overseas schools provide trained dogs that go
Preferences
Motivation Height/weight ratio
of person and dog Mobility
Visual status
Workinglli ving environment
Health/age/secondary disabilities
into the pool available for matching. The RNZFB's GDS also benefit financially by training staff from, and selling dogs to, overseas organisations.
During the first week of matching, the behavioural, physical and working history of each available dog is discussed, and the dog is observed working with its trainer and sometimes with different instructors in several locations. Introducing other handlers allows various aspects of the dog to be seen, as the dog will work differently for each handler. Applicants do not attend the meeting. The instructors, who represent the applicants from their region, describe their applicants verbally and by video recording, and information concerning the clients and/or the dogs can be accessed via laptop computer. As the meeting progresses, matches are tentatively proposed, thoroughly debated and provisionally agreed. During the second week, applicants are informed of the outcome of the meeting, and matches are confirmed if the applicant accepts the dog. Plans are made and procedures are put in place to train the handler and dog team to a level where they can graduate to independent mobility.
Matching criteria
Matching may be simply defined, but the practice is complex and involves myriad considerations in relation to the compatibility of the person and the dog. As with the dog, the human elements of the match are categorised quantitatively and/or qualitatively into physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics concerning work and non work related factors. Some of the critical factors considered during matching, which were identified through the researcher's (author of this thesis) ethnographic fieldwork, are shown in Figure 3.3.
Most of an applicant's physical characteristics such as height, weight, gait, balance, strength, level of fitness, stride length, preferred walking speed, visual and audiological status can be identified and measured. Psychological factors are less easy to identify and more difficult to measure, but no less important to consider. Personality traits considered include patience, coping skills, locus of control, emotional status, and neurologic function. Is the applicant energetic, warm or aloof, assertive or compliant? Instructors believe that these and factors such as the handler' s ability to understand, relate to, control and direct a dog (physically and by voice), establish respect and maintain leadership, and motivation are pivotal in the decision making process (Farrugia
3 -Background: Guide Dogs in Society et al., 1998; Misso, 1994; L. Homsby, Operations Project Manager, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, personal communication, September 1999).
An accurate assessment of the required workload is fundamental to the success of the guide dog team (Knol et al., 1988). This includes routes of travel, volume of work, degree of repetition, and intensity and complexity of the environment. For example, a high volume of work over a relatively unstimulating environment will require a dog with stamina but not necessarily high initiative, and vice-versa for a short but mentally challenging journey. A mis-match under these circumstances may overtax the dog with low coping skills, and drive the bored, resourceful, dog to invent ways to enhance its own quality of life rather than that of the handler by taking opportunistic shortcuts or becoming increasingly distracted. To complicate matters further, temperamental and physical traits can overlap. For example, in order to provide stability to someone with poor balance, a dog normally considered too large for that person may be selected, providing the dog is controllable by voice and willing to physically support its handler.