2. canes, guide dogs, & faking disability

by Cassandra Mendez · Published August 11, 2020 · Updated July 29, 2023

hey hi hello, and welcome back!

First things first, we definitely said we were posting monthly on our intro episode, but given the amazing reception, our intense passion, and state of affairs circa 2020, we couldn’t resist switching to bi-weekly (or is it semi-monthly…? it’s every other Tuesday, to clear the air).!

While we did our best to make our intro fun and engaging, we also couldn’t wait to dive into the meat of this podcast: living our lives with a rare disease. For this second episode, we wanted to jump into Blindness 101, so to speak, and also begin to scratch the surface of our corner of the very diverse disability world.

This episode starts out with some housekeeping announcements, but we quickly move into talking about mobility tools like the white cane and the guide dog. Before we do that, though, we wanted to give a bit of disclaimer/background information as to how our vision works and why we benefit from these tools when we have some functional vision. You’ll also notice there’s a running theme of “faking” disability in different ways, starting with the “impostor syndrome” we sometimes feel of not being “disabled enough” to use these tools, followed by people accusing us of faking blindness, and all wrapped up with a typical Case & Cass rant on fake service dogs. We end the episode by playing a little game listing some “Blind Girl Moments” we wrote separately and asked each other if we’ve done these things to give a little look into our lives.

casey and cassandra pose in a hallway, making duck faces and holding up their white canes — Case + Cass showing off their canes, 2016

show notes

housekeeping

We start with thanking everyone for the phenomenal reception for our first episode! We already feel like we have the best listeners ever and are excited you all are enjoying this as much as we are. <3
If you’re reading this, that means you found the show notes that I (Cassandra) lovingly put together, so stick around for some fun reading.
As mentioned earlier, we have moved to semi-monthly!
Casey mentions her “dog voice:” if we reach 100 reviews on Apple Podcasts, Casey will “unlock” her dog voice (which IS worth it), so leave us a review on Apple to hear it!
Cassandra plugs our social media accounts, which can be found here:
- @RareWithFlair on Twitter
- @Rare.With.Flair on Instagram
- Rare with Flair on Facebook
- also we have since gotten a new email just for inquiries, so if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, hit us up at hello@rarewithflair.com

disclaimer

Casey mentions that a large percentage of blind people don’t use any tools at all, which can be found through the National Federation of the Blind’s blindness statistics (scroll to the Mobility section): only 2-8% of blind people use a cane, and roughly 2% use a guide dog, so 90% use nothing at all!
Cassandra mentions people with albinism lack pigment in their eyes, making us sensitive to light, and we also lack depth perception
Casey mentions that many people use a cane to let others know they can’t see well, and some use what’s known as an identity cane which isn’t even meant to be used for tactile feedback, it’s just a teeny cane to let people know they have low vision (Wisconsin Health Services)! #FunFacts

the white cane

short haired blonde casey poses on a street corner in manhattan. she wears a red dress with a large whit collar and stands facing left, holding her cane in one hand and with the other hand on her hip. behind her you can see the city with a yellow taxi and a pedestrian — Casey in NYC, 2018

cassandra with long blonde hair posing with her hands on top of her cane with it outstretched. she wears an elaborate green and white mermaid style prom dress. the dress has sparkly rhinestones, green and white flowers and feathers, and big ruffles at the bottom — Cassandra’s senior (HS) photo, 2014

Cassandra gives her little #FunFact about white cane history (Lions Club publication)
Casey quickly explains how the cane works and references white cane techniques (American Printing House for the Blind) — this document will teach you everything you never knew!
Casey and Cassandra explain what visual acuity means (like 20/20) (American Optometric Association)
Cassandra mentions 90% of blind people at least can perceive light (Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind)
Casey and Cassandra laugh and tell stories about funny and uncomfortable moments when people want to help us, so be sure to check out this Respect Ability post on disability etiquette if you want to know how best to help someone with a disability.
Casey brings up a rant about people accusing us of faking blindness due to us having some functional vision #EducateYourself
Cassandra mentions Uber & Lyft rideshare services (not sponsored)
Casey mentions that Cassandra wears glasses to correct her CORRECTABLE vision issues such as astigmatism & hyperopia (farsightedness). This DOES NOT correct her vision beyond the threshold of legal blindness (20/200) so she is *still* blind (see how albinism affects the eye by VisionAware — it affects our retina and optic nerves which is why surgery won’t help)

casey, with her back to the camera, wears a blue tshirt that says "disability pride NYC.” her short blond hair is visible, and she has her left hand thrown up while her right hand holds her pink cane in a power stance — Casey at Disability Pride NYC, 2018

guide dogs

Casey mentions standard poodle guide dogs (point 3, American Kennel Club) which are real and very smart!
Cassandra explains how she decided to get a guide dog and the eligibility criteria to apply for a guide dog (Guide Dogs for the Blind).
- If you want to learn more about what goes into this process, Guide Dogs for the Blind, the school/organization Cassandra got her guide dog Romana from, created a docu-series called “Pick of the Litter” that is available on Disney+, and very recently on Netflix!
- She mentions orientation & mobility, which is how blind & low vision people learn navigation skills.
- Cassandra & Romana’s Match Day is August 8, 2016, so they’ve been together four years at the time this was released!
Cassandra tells the harrowing tale of how Romana performed two “traffic checks” on her way to work last fall. Check out this Guide Dog Foundation video demonstrating guide dog traffic checks.

short haired, blonde cassandra kneels next to yellow lab romana in harness. cassandra wears a colorful floral dress and romana has a green flower in her collar. cass looks ecstatic and ro is focused — Cassandra & Romana graduating from their training together, 2016

yellow lab romana guiding cassandra through a wooded area. both are walking away from the camera and cassandra holds romana’s harness in her left hand and a mask in her right — Romana guiding Cassandra, 2020

fake service dogs

Casey and Cassandra explain the difference between service dogs, therapy dogs, and emotional support animals (ESAs) (American Kennel Club).
- wanna do the reading yourself? Check out the legal documents we’re referencing!
  - Americans with Disabilities Act, title III on Public Accommodations (U.S. Dept of Justice)
  - Fair Housing Act (U.S. Dept of Housing & Urban Development) (allows ESAs to live in places where dogs are prohibited)
  - Air Carrier Access Act (U.S. Dept of Transportation) (allows ESAs to fly with their owners without being crated)
Cassandra emphasizes the difference between psychiatric service dogs and emotional support animals (Nolo).
To support many claims Cassandra made in this section, see ADA service dog FAQs (U.S. Dept of Justice) for quick reference.
- Cassandra mentions the 2 legally allowed questions that people can ask about service dogs.
- She mentions that there is no “registration” for service dogs.
- Cassandra claims the ADA does not consider allergies as a reason to be denied. This is only not true in very specific circumstances, as people can’t just claim allergies on the basis of denying access to a team.
- Cassandra mentions that you can ask a fake or real service dog to leave if it’s causing a disruption.
Casey and Cassandra rant about why fake service dogs are hurting legitimate service dog teams (Vice).
Casey and Cassandra have real talk about how having a disability is tough and accommodations aren’t “perks:” they’re getting us by! Please don’t tell us we’re lucky for receiving accommodations. <3