Tracy Wang is a visually impaired person who lives a quality and active life. She is a devoted volunteer, actively participated as a peer support mentor for Guide Dog Australia. She is also a volunteer for Vision Australia where she serves as a volunteer interpreter for those in need. She is also the facilitator in one of the Telelink groups. She is dedicated to sharing her experiences and knowledge to help people with vision impairment living a more independent, exciting, and fulfilling life.
Transcript Available
Charmaine: Our guest today is Tracy. She will share with us the process of adopting a guide dog, the benefits she has gained, and things to be mindful of. Welcome Tracy, and thank you for accepting the interview with Speak My Language.
Tracy: Thank you, Charmaine. I'm delighted to have been invited.
Charmaine: First, please introduce yourself and your guide dog.
Tracy: Sure. My name is Tracy Wang, and I am visually impaired. Today, I'm happy to introduce my guide dog. He is 7 years old, a mix of Labrador and Golden Retriever, with a light brown colour and big eyes. His name is Ah-Wong.
Charmaine: Shall we call him “Ah-Wong " in this interview?
Tracy: Sure.
Charmaine: Can you tell us why you initially wanted to adopt a guide dog?
Tracy: That's a good question. I had some hesitation at the beginning. I had never owned a dog before, and some people suggested that using a cane might be more convenient. Adopting a guide dog involves many responsibilities. They need to eat, drink, relieve themselves, and require companionship and exercise. I had to carefully consider all these factors. But I also believe that life is an experience, and I wanted to try it out. So, I decided to adopt a guide dog.
Charmaine: Tracy, we're curious about the process of adopting a guide dog. Can you explain the procedures involved?
Tracy: First, you need to contact the relevant organisations. I submitted an application, and once they received it, their staff came to my home for an assessment. The assessment required a certificate from an ophthalmologist to confirm the level of my visual impairment. They also assessed whether I needed a guide dog and if my daily activities required one. Additionally, they considered my physical health and whether I could take care of a guide dog. They also evaluated my living environment based on these factors. Luckily, I passed the assessment. They then helped me find a guide dog based on my preferences and requirements. After waiting for 7 months, I received a call informing me that they had found "Ah-Wong." I still remember the first time I met him, biting the leash as he came out to greet me. It brought me so much joy.
Charmaine: It sounds really heart-warming! Could you please tell us how your daily life has changed after adopting Ah-Wong? How does he assist you in your daily activities?
Tracy: With Ah-Wong, every morning he waits for me to wake up and comes into my room. Then he goes to have his breakfast and relieve himself, reducing the hassle when we go outside. He's well-behaved and entertains himself after breakfast. Once I finish my breakfast, we go out together. During outings, he helps me find places. For example, when I need to take a bus, I tell him, “Ah-Wong, take me to the bus stop.” He leads me out, turns right for 50 meters, and takes me to the bench at the bus stop. He knows that after doing all this, I will give him something to eat. His tasks include finding the bus stop, guiding me to swipe the card, and helping me navigate stairs, uneven terrain, or crossing the road. He stops and waits for my command. He's very smart. We often go to the supermarket, and he helps me find items like bread, milk, and yogurt. He even knows which brand of food I prefer and takes me to the right section. However, if they move the items, he might still take me to the old location. Sometimes he is mischievous and takes me to places where they sell roasted chicken, and then he looks at me and wants me to buy it for him to eat. He is very smart, equivalent to the intelligence of a 5 or 6-year-old child. That's how he follows me every day, helping me and bringing significant changes to my life.
Charmaine: Ah-Wong is not only well-behaved but also intelligent. He has helps you a lot. Since you have Ah Wong, have you made more connections in the community? For example, going out more and enjoying life?
Tracy: Definitely. Before I had Ah-Wong, I was afraid to go out. Many visually impaired people feel the same way, hesitant to go out with a cane. I used to stay at home and didn't feel comfortable going out. I was reluctant to go for a coffee on my own. But after having Ah-Wong, we often take the bus to different places to have coffee, go for walks, volunteer together, making ceramics, visit friends, and more.
Charmaine: It seems like Ah-Wong has always been beside you, and you must have developed a deep bond.
Tracy: Yes, he is my working partner. We are like a team, exploring new places together. We are both very happy. Wherever I go, he follows. Every day, there are different interesting things happening. When he does something wrong, he lowers his head to apologise. He knows when I am happy or unhappy. When I'm not happy, he quietly sits by my side. He is my good friend.
Charmaine: It feels like he is not only your good friend but also your child. He is very caring and has truly helped you, bringing you a lot of happiness. I know that adopting a guide dog is not an easy task. There are many considerations and rules to follow. Could you share with us what to pay attention to when adopting a guide dog?
Tracy: Yes, many people might hear what I said earlier and think that having a guide dog brings so much happiness, so they want to adopt one too. However, raising a guide dog involves many things because they are different from regular pets. There are certain rules to follow, such as feeding. Ah-Wong’s mealtime must be punctual at 4 PM every day, so that he can relieve himself before we go out the next morning, reducing inconvenience during outings. His food needs to be clean, not randomly fed, and only I can feed him, not even family members. It also takes a lot of time to spend with him. We have to take them out for exercise every weekend and not leave them alone for more than 4 hours. Sometimes when we go out, we need someone to come to the house to look after him. We also need to prepare equipment and toys for him, considering many things, similar to raising a child.
Charmaine: Tracy, if listeners are interested in adopting a guide dog, where can they find relevant information?
Tracy: Currently, in Australia, there are two organisations where you can adopt guide dogs. One is Guide Dog Australia, and the other is Seeing Eye Dogs, which is part of Vision Australia. Interested friends can search for these two organisations on Google to find detailed contact information.
Charmaine: Thank you, Tracy. We will include this information on our website, and interested listeners can browse it there.
Today, we thank Tracy for sharing with us her process of adopting the guide dog Ah-Wong and the benefits she has gained. We can tell that she is very happy. I have also learned a lot from this interview: guide dogs are not only assistance tools for visually impaired people, helping them gain confidence and safety, and enabling them to go where they want and do what they want; they are also loyal friends and work partners, as Tracy mentioned. Tracy, do you have any other messages to share with the listeners?
Tracy: As a visually impaired person, I used to feel unlucky, but now I feel very fortunate because I have Ah-Wong by my side. We face difficulties together and share happiness. In Australia, there are many organisations and resources, as well as advanced high-tech products that can help us return to a normal life and live more fully. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to Ah-Wong, my work partner, friend, and helper, for the assistance and companionship he has provided me. I also wish everyone can find their own Ah-Wong in life.
Charmaine: Thank you Tracy for accepting the interview, and thank you to the listeners for tuning in to the program.
