To introduce myself: My name is Sarah Duyck, I am an orientation and mobility (O&M) and field service representative, DeafBlind, at Leader Dogs for the Blind. However, that is an extremely new title for me. Today’s my first day! I am a guide dog mobility instructor (GDMI) and have been a member of the DeafBlind and Adaptive Services Team at Leader for 11 years, I became a certified orientation and mobility specialist (COMS) in 2022.
I was a puppy raiser for Leader with my family throughout high school and my undergraduate degree is in American Sign Language for interpreters. As a lifelong dog-obsessed person, Leader Dog, and more specifically our DeafBlind program is the perfect conjunction of interests for me.
I’m hijacking this blog because I managed to weasel my way into joining Barry to learn his way of making the (O&M) donuts. In my new role, I will provide field support in both a COMS and GDMI capacity, and with only two years as a COMS under my belt, I knew I was in dire need of mentorship. Barry has asked me to write a blog post about my time this week – so I’ll follow his daily entry format below. Enjoy! I surely did.
Day 1
Travel day! I was driven to the airport from Leader Dog’s campus by Jane, one of our incredible Leader Dog volunteer drivers. Having volunteer drivers is a huge help – and Jane got me safely to the Detroit Metro Airport with not a single snafu.
Once I arrived, I went straight to my gate (naturally, to make sure it actually existed), but soon after I was paged to the desk. Gulp. But! Crisis averted – in fact, they offered me a direct flight to Phoenix rather than my layover in Salt Lake City! Wild! I texted Barry and gloated — let him know I was on my way and would be beating him to the airport by a few hours after all.
When I got to Phoenix, Arizona I found myself in a conundrum. I needed to collect my checked bag, but I wanted to stay in the airport to have some food and get some work done. Luckily, the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is an absolutely massive setup and there was food literally everywhere. I was soon posted up with a chicken sandwich.
Day 2
Barry and I headed out to meet Kathy! Kathy is a long-time guide dog handler, working on brushing up her travel with the white cane before applying for her next guide dog. At her house, we got to meet her retired guide dog and get to know Kathy in person for the first time. Another first – the giant, fruit-filled pomegranate trees gracing her front yard! Kathy explained to us the amount of work that goes into harvesting and preserving her pomegranates – which is on par with the amount of work it takes just to open a single pomegranate (for me).
The rest of the day was spent traversing Kathy’s town figuring out together some reliable routes to local businesses she frequents. For me, this included learning what the term “wash” meant in an Arizonian context. And it has nothing whatsoever to do with cleaning.
On our drive home that night Barry and I went past the Saguaro National Park! Which I am (somewhat abashedly) now able to say is my first national park experience. It was absolutely stunning!
Day 3
Barry and I began the day scoping out more destinations that Kathy had given us as goals. Parking lots are truly the bane of any O&M specialist’s existence, and the parking lots in Kathy’s hometown are no exception. Barry and I scratched our heads at some, triumphed over some and came up with a game plan. Unfortunately, Kathy was feeling under the weather today, but that gave me time to call the on-campus team with some GPS questions.
I’m also out here to visit a Leader Dog guide dog handler, and they reached out last night with some questions on the Victor Reader Trek. Barry sent me straight to Tommy, another COMS at Leader Dog. Having good resources to turn to when you are on the road solo is everything, and Tommy had all the answers to my GPS questions.
Fun fact about Tucson, Arizona – it is built in a grid pattern (we love a grid pattern city plan); most of the “avenues” run North-South and the “streets” run East-West. But! What to do with diagonal streets? Lo and behold the “stravenue” was born. Barry and I remain on the hunt for a “stravenue” sign.
Day 4
Day 4Another beautiful day in the desert! And another beautiful day doing some O&M training. This time Benson didn’t fight back so hard, and we whipped up a great route with Kathy, which she knocked out of the park. And then we all went to reward ourselves with some excellent Mexican food – my burrito ironically had the same name as our client, the “Kathy” burrito.
Barry and I then took off to this geographical area’s “Kroger” of another name. In this case, “Fry’s”. Barry and I, luckily, both appreciate the options that a grocery store offers rather than having restaurant dinner every night — although I could get used to a daily giant burrito!
Day 5
Barry and I divided and conquered, and I worked with our guide dog graduate in the Tucson area. Although I have worked with the Victor Reader Trek on and off throughout my career as a GDMI, I gained a new appreciation for it on this visit. This system allows the user to set up landmarks, explore the area and make routes among many countless other things that I once knew well, but like most technology does, slides from the mind far too easily. Luckily my client was a pro. We set up tons of new landmarks throughout Tucson and worked on a few behaviors she wanted to spiff up in her dog. This was also the warmest day so far – I was really soaking in this weather before my return to the great white north. Working with this client today was particularly special because I knew their Leader Dog while the dog was still in training. Seeing them again years after graduation was a nice treat.
Day 6
Day 6We have officially wrapped up our time out in the Wild West. Today I am reminded of the kindness of strangers as we received small acts of kindness throughout our lesson. From friendly beeps and waves from passing vehicles to people stepping up to aid Kathy as she practiced her route to Safeway, it’s nice knowing that when we leave, our clients have a community around them. Barry and I wore our matching “Taking the Lead” podcast shirts today and managed to find a fitting place to take a photograph, the Casa Grande National Monument, on our drive into Phoenix. On our way, we passed through seemingly limitless rows of cotton, mostly harvested, and Barry revealed that he is in fact a font of knowledge on all things cotton plants. Fun fact: they keep the harvested cotton in giant squares on the side of the road while they wait for pick up. Shower thought: just how soft would those giant, compressed cubes be if I ran and jumped into them?
Day 7
Struck again by the magnificence of Phoenix airport. Barry shared with me about a previous trip that took him out to the Scottsdale area in which the airport itself provided a rich O&M lesson environment – with tons of pre-security features like a train, escalators, many restaurants and the crowds of humanity that come with it, I am officially fully jealous and want something like this available for travel practice in Michigan.
Doug will be our volunteer driver home – I’ve asked my fiancé who will be coming to collect me on campus to please bring the fluffiest winter coat of mine that he can find. It was in the 40s when I flew out of Detroit a week ago – I haven’t dared look at the forecast when we land but I’m certain the temperatures have plunged. I’ll just have to hold onto our week in Arizona as a warm, memory, rich with saguaros, professional collaboration and burritos. The dream.