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MY PERSONAL myNotes

SUPERHERO

4 I don’t remember a time when I could see. When I was three I was
diagnosed with a brain tumor that pressed against my optic nerve, and I
gradually lost my sight. At first I walked
with a cane, but canes can be awkward. I
got my first guide dog when I was 11, and
about a year and a half ago, I got Twyla.

5 A lot of people think that when Twyla
sees a green light, she knows that it’s time
to cross the street. But that’s not how it
works. It’s all on my command. So when
we get to a street corner, I have to listen
for cars, then tell her to cross the street. Or
if there’s a bike in the sidewalk, it’s not the
dog’s job to move it. Her job is to figure
out a way around the bike.

6 Is it nerve-racking to walk down a
sidewalk and wonder if I’m going to fall
into a big hole? Not at all. I have to trust
the dog. If you start denying what the dog
is telling you, she’s going to get nervous
and lose all her training. I have to trust her.

7 Twyla and I are a team. She knows my
schedule at school and just takes me to
class. If I need to go someplace she’s not
expecting, I give her directions. The idea is
that if I’ve said, “Right,” and we’re not quite
Sometimes Twyla takes a
to the hallway, she thinks, “OK, I’ll turn nap when I’m in class.
right at the hallway that’s coming up,”
instead of running me into some lockers.

command If you do something on command, you do it because you were told to.
denying Denying something means not believing that it’s true.

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