When a person loses vision, one of the biggest losses is the ability to get around independently. Orientation and mobility specialists work with people to teach them the skills needed to regain independence in this area.

In order to be able to explore the environment a person is traveling in, we recommend a long cane and teach people how to use one. However, most people who think about getting around without vision probably picture a person walking with a dog guide. This article will discuss traveling with a dog guide and a cane.

Let’s clarify some information about dog guides:

. Only about 10 percent of people who need a tool for travel (long cane or dog guide) use a dog guide.

. Dog guides do not know how to get to where they are going by themselves. Owners must know how to get to where they are going, and be able to direct the dog guide using simple commands.

. Long canes and dog guides are equal tools for mobility purposes. Which one is best for any given individual is a personal choice.

. Dog guides will not protect you against muggers. They are not aggressive animals.

I have already described long canes and dog guides as tools, and that’s just what I mean. Independent travel without vision involves a complex program of learning to do everything you do with vision, but using the remaining senses for gathering that information. A long cane or a dog guide is one of the many tools used to gather this information.

In either case, you need training in the tool, and you also need to have all the other skills in place to travel safely, independently, efficiently and with grace.

Orientation and mobility specialists teach people to use the long cane – because it is the primary tool used to begin focusing on all the other things. A long cane usually comes up past a person’s breastbone, and is used in a sweeping motion in front to gather information before the feet get there – to the curb or cracks in the sidewalk, for example.

Those who then choose to use a dog guide must apply to a specialized school and, in most cases, go to the school for a 26-day training program.

This requires that a person has gone through a mobility program and learned to use a long cane.

Other questions that will be asked are: Are you a reasonably good traveler? Do you have the physical stamina to travel with a dog guide? Do you have places that you go to regularly, or you just looking for a companion? Are you a responsible adult who is able to take care of your own needs independently?

Why would a person choose one tool over the other? For many reasons. Here are just a few:

. In most cases, you can walk faster with a dog guide, as much as 3 to 4 miles per hour.

. Dog guides take a lot of work. They require all the regular chores that a pet dog needs, plus a lot more. If you don’t want to spend all that time “working” the dog guide, you would choose the cane.

. When you get home at the end of the day, you can put your cane in the corner and forget about it. Not so with a dog guide.

. If you are allergic to dogs or simply don’t like them, you would choose a long cane.

When I talk to people about dog guides vs. long canes, I take them through a whole list of pros and cons to help them decide on their own if they want to pursue dog guide training. For those who decide on a dog guide, there are many resources for more information, including a consumer group in Maine called Pine Tree Guide Dog Users.

In the end, it is a personal decision, and should not be influenced by our own biases.

For more information on this topic or other questions about our services, call the Iris Network, formerly Maine Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, at (800) 715-0097. Next month: What is Braille?

Ruth Mlotek is director of Rehabilitation Services, South, for The Iris Network. The Maine Audio Information and Reading Service, Maine AIRS, is a program of the Community Services Department of the network. Maine AIRS broadcasts local stories, obituaries and ads from the Bangor Daily News and other Maine daily and weekly newspapers from studios in Brewer. If you know of an individual who is blind or visually impaired who would benefit from these broadcasts, call 989-0058. Les Myers is director of Maine AIRS.