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- Program Overview
The hallmarks of the Guide Dog Foundation program are the small classes and individualized instruction that each student receives. A meticulous matching program ensures that each visually impaired person is paired with the guide dog that best suits that person’s personality, lifestyle, and physical needs.
A 25-day in-residence training program at the Smithtown campus teaches the blind person the skills and commands needed to foster a successful working team with a guide dog. Upon graduation, the blind person and guide dog team returns home to start their new life together. At this point, they have begun to master all of the techniques they need to be successful—from finding the checkout counter, to maneuvering through a crowded train station, to passing through a revolving door. The team can travel confidently and independently on suburban routes or city streets, during the day or at night, alone or in rush hour.
Together, the working team is a partnership for independence.
To make the students’ stay as comfortable as possible, the Student Resident Hall was renovated and expanded in 2002. The Residence Hall now features single rooms with private baths and individual climate control; all rooms have private telephone lines and wireless and ethernet Internet hook-up. A new Student Union features a spacious dining room, snack area/lounge, smoker’s room, living room, recreation room, fitness center, computer lab (with adaptive technology for student use), and outdoor patio.
Click here for a 60-second audio presentation about the Guide Dog Foundation’s services.
Click here for an overview of the application process
Click here to request an application packet.
Click here to view the Student Application online.
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