{"id":22831,"date":"2013-04-29T01:34:25","date_gmt":"2013-04-29T06:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=22831"},"modified":"2013-04-29T01:38:08","modified_gmt":"2013-04-29T06:38:08","slug":"dog-alliance-teams-with-school-for-deaf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/04\/29\/dog-alliance-teams-with-school-for-deaf\/","title":{"rendered":"Dog Alliance teams with school for deaf"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/span>Dog Alliance teams with school for deaf<\/strong><\/p>\n

April 26, 2013<\/p>\n

AUSTIN \u2013 For the past four months, students attending the Texas School for the Deaf have been learning job skills from some unlikely instructors \u2013 a group of specially trained therapy dogs from Cedar Park.<\/p>\n

The unique vocational training program, funded by the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), is being coordinated and taught in association with the nonprofit Austin Dog Alliance.<\/p>\n

According to the non-profit Dallas Hearing Foundation, 42 percent of deaf adults aged 18-44 are unemployed. The Austin Dog Alliance, which recently moved to Cedar Park, hopes to improve the odds for its students by teaching those skills that can help them pursue careers in animal-related fields.<\/p>\n

\u201cDogs are the best instructors,\u201d says Carolyn Honish, Austin Dog Alliance program coordinator and a certified instructor for the deaf. \u201cThrough the use of therapy dogs, students are learning how to read a dog\u2019s body language, handle dogs safely and humanely and care for dogs in a kennel or shelter setting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 15-week class, the only vocational course of its kind in the U.S., allows each student to work one on one with both therapy dogs and untrained dogs, learning canine care, dog handling, basic obedience training and basic grooming skills. In the final three weeks, the students will put their skills to work at the Austin Humane Society, caring for shelter dogs, maintaining and cleaning kennels and teaching the dogs basic obedience commands.<\/p>\n

Upon completing the course, students will earn their dog-handling certifications, giving them options for employment in dog-care related facilities such as shelters, kennels or vet offices, and DARS covers the vocational adjustment training costs for each student. The program\u2019s goal is to offer students the option to continue their education as a vet tech assistant or a dog groomer, and TSD is already planning to offer the course again.<\/p>\n

“We are extremely thankful to the Austin Dog Alliance and DARS for partnering with TSD to provide a customized dog handling class for our students interested in careers related to animal care,\u201d says Dr. Susan Greene, Career and Transition Department supervisor with the Texas School for the Deaf. \u201cSince the course is presented in American Sign Language, students are able to easily and fully engage in the classroom and hands-on instruction.”<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of students at TSD who want to work with animals,\u201d says Preston King, Transition Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for DARS. \u201cBut kids without experience don\u2019t get interviews. Getting experience and a real certification will give them a boost in the job market.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are probably the only organization in the nation offering this type of learning,\u201d says Honish. \u201cAnd the students are absolutely loving the course. We hope that, as more people become aware that this training is available, we can improve the career opportunities for more young adults.\u201d<\/p>\n

About Austin Dog Alliance<\/p>\n

Located in Cedar Park, Texas, Austin Dog Alliance, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit, provides group social-skill development programs for children with autism spectrum disorder that incorporate the use of canine-assisted therapy and Applied Behavior Analysis techniques. The Austin Dog Alliance also provides handler-dog teams to local hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, as well as schools and libraries through its Bow Wow Reading Dog program.<\/p>\n

Austin Dog Alliance was created to provide an accepting and supportive environment where dogs and humans can improve health and wellbeing. The Alliance offers a variety of after-school and summer camp programs at its seven-acre wooded facility, as well as human-dog training classes for beginners and advanced dog owners. The organization depends on donations to sustain and grow its community outreach programs such as autism enrichment, dog therapy services, rescue and youth programs. For more information, visit http:\/\/austindogalliance.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SOURCE:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.hillcountrynews.com\/community\/article_c4aa1342-ae8f-11e2-92f4-0019bb2963f4.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dog Alliance teams with school for deaf April 26, 2013 AUSTIN \u2013 For the past four months, students attending the Texas School for the Deaf have been learning job skills from some unlikely instructors \u2013 a group of specially trained…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[4621,21,4045,18351,18348,4046,10432,946,35,34,6713,4952,18347,18350,18349,11096,17,5498,604,884,80],"class_list":["post-22831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-article","tag-austin","tag-austin-dog-alliance","tag-austin-humane-society","tag-bow-wow-reading-dog","tag-carolyn-honish","tag-cedar-park","tag-certification","tag-community","tag-dars","tag-dogs","tag-dr-susan-greene","tag-hearing-dog","tag-kennels","tag-preston-king","tag-shelters","tag-texas","tag-texas-department-of-assistive-and-rehabilitative-services","tag-texas-school-for-the-deaf","tag-training","tag-tsd"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-5Wf","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":29611,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2015\/01\/05\/should-i-become-a-deaf-interpreter-workshop-12415-austin\/","url_meta":{"origin":22831,"position":0},"title":"Should I Become a Deaf Interpreter? Workshop 1\/24\/15 – Austin","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"January 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services Office for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Presents: \u201cShould I Become a Deaf Interpreter?\u201d Presented by Ann Horn DATE: January 24, 2015 TIME: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm WHERE: Texas School for the Deaf MPR-CTE Building 1102 South Congress Austin, Texas TO REGISTER:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"deaf interpreter workshop flyer austin","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/deaf-interpreter-workshop-flyer-austin.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17311,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/01\/19\/dhh-advocacy-awareness-night-north-austincedar-parkround-rock\/","url_meta":{"origin":22831,"position":1},"title":"D\/HH Advocacy Awareness Night \u2013 North Austin\/Cedar Park\/Round Rock","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"January 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Deaf\/Hard of Hearing Advocacy Awareness Night North Austin\/Cedar Park\/Round Rock Listen up! Here are questions for you all. 1) Has your request for an accommodation (i.e., interpreter) to ensure effective communication been denied by your family doctor or local hospital? 2) For a municipal court, have interpreters or other accommodation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25552,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/12\/07\/dars-dhhs-effective-communication-training-1713-austin\/","url_meta":{"origin":22831,"position":2},"title":"DARS-DHHS Effective Communication Training 1\/7\/14 – Austin","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"December 7, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"DARS-DHHS Training 1\/7\/14\u00a0- Austin (Not 2013) Serving People with Hearing Loss Sponsored by DARS Office for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHS) Effective Communication The type of auxiliary aid or service necessary to ensure effective communication varies with the complexity of the communication involved and the needs of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"FY 2014 Austin Eff Comm","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/FY-2014-Austin-Eff-Comm.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11514,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/08\/30\/ada-roundtable-event-austin\/","url_meta":{"origin":22831,"position":3},"title":"ADA Roundtable Event – Austin","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"August 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"ADA Roundtable Event (8\/31\/10) Innovative Assistive Technology Solutions for Persons who are Hard of Hearing Join us Tuesday, August 31 from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Winters Building, 701 W. 51st Street, Public Hearing Room (first floor) for this ADA Round Table Event. 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