Wow, has it really been July since I
last updated this blog? Well, they say that when a behavior drops
off, you need to consider using a higher-value reward to motivate
the desired behavior. I'll have to give my own reinforcement
schedule regarding this blog some thought.
In the meantime, a lot has happened—most of it good. Today,
though, I want to focus on my newest community-outreach effort: the
Service Dog ID Card
Generator.
My motivation for doing this was largely sparked by a recent
Service Dog Meetup here in Reno, where I met some folks who seemed
anxious to promote all things
SARA. This really
rubbed me the wrong way for a variety of reasons.
First of all, based on their own web site, it doesn't appear that
SARA is either a non-profit or run by a reputable organization. I'm
always a little leery of financial dealings with any person or
group that doesn't have a real telephone number, and the post
office box is a signal that it's probably being run out of some
anonymous person's home.
Secondly, they call themselves a "registry." There are lots of
folks who charge reasonable (or unreasonable) amounts of money for
an attractive ID card, but calling yourself a registry without
providing registrar services seems a bit misleading. A registry is
supposed to be a central authority for validating information, and
nothing on the SARA web site indicates how they do that, or whether
they will so much as reproduce your "application" if someone
inquires.
Now, I'm not saying that the SARA folks are actually bad apples;
maybe they're just privacy-conscious saints with hearts of gold. I
have no first-hand knowledge about them either way. I just think
that if a disabled person wants an ID card, they shouldn't have to
pay an anonymous entity like SARA $35 for one, especially if they
think the organization is doing more than furnishing a laminated
card and will somehow stand behind the identification/certification
they're offering.
My response was to create a
web form where people can
print out their own ID cards. At this point, there's no
"registration" of any kind; it's purely a self-help option that
people can use (or not) as they see fit.
I genuinely hope it helps those people who want an ID card, but
aren't handy with layout programs like
Scribus. If you like the cards, let
me know what you like about them, and how they've helped you.
Likewise, if you can think of ways to improve them, I'd love to
hear about that, too.
A belated Merry Chanakwanzaa and a joyful Festivus to all of
you!