“As soon as I met Blair and heard
about the program, I wanted to volunteer as a puppy raiser. I knew that someday, my vision would be bad enough for me to want a guide dog, so I wanted to give back in return. Chuck was not crazy about the idea at first, and hoped I would forget about it. But, I never did. I applied, and in 1993, Dylan, a black Lab, became the first of eight puppies we would raise.” Debbie’s moment of reckoning came
while they were raising their eighth pup, a 90-pound German Shepherd Dog named Kayo. “We sponsored the puppy and
named him after Chuck’s father,” said Debbie. “Kayo was a big powerful 10- month-old pup and was hard for me to handle. One day, while we were at a puppy meeting, he saw something that caught his interest and pulled me right off the curb to get to it. I hurt my back, but luckily, did not fall down. That was the moment I knew I was done with puppy raising and ready to get my own service dog.” She was matched with Maggie, a
yellow Labrador Retriever, in October 1999. “Everyone loved Maggie. By the way, Kayo never made it as a guide dog, so we ended up keeping him as our pet,” added Debbie. In the meantime, the outdoor adven-
tures continued, thanks to Chuck. Since that first hiking excursion at Ginnie Springs near High Springs, Florida, Debbie completed the Pinellas Trail, a 38.2 mile hike, in six hours. They’ve also taken friends and fellow hikers on night walks. No flashlights were allowed and everyone followed Debbie, who relied on her guide dog along the trails. Chuck had a timeshare in Aspen,
Colorado and had always wanted to take Debbie skiing. Problem was, Debbie hated skiing of any kind – downhill or cross country. And, don’t forget her thoughts about ever wanting to be around snow again. “But, she loved to shop,” laughed
Chuck. “And, if you love shopping, Aspen is the place.” Debbie agreed to the trip, lured by the promise of shopping. Before they left on their trip to
Aspen, Chuck again surprised Debbie with a special gift. This time it was a pair of skis and three ski lessons with Darry on the indoor ski deck at Bill Jackson’s.
www.TheNewBarker.com
The store owes its success and continued growth over the last 60-plus years to Bill Jackson’s philosophy that “we teach what we sell.” While Darry had never taught
anyone who was blind to ski, he had, coincidentally, just returned from a seminar on the subject. “When I met Debbie for our first lesson, I told her ‘you help me teach you.’ She was a wonderful student back then, and has remained so with every new activity,” said Darry. Prior to the 1960s, people in the
general public who were visually impaired were simply told they couldn’t do anything athletic. The history of Adaptive Skiing, which uses specialized equipment and/or training to enable peo- ple with disabilities to experience skiing, is rooted in accidental injury and war. Disabled Sports USA was formed in 1967 by Vietnam Veterans (originally formed as National Amputee Skiers Association). Still, for a long time, disability skiing
was restricted to amputees. That is until 1969, when blind skier Jean Eymore began a program in Aspen, Colorado for blind skiers. The first international competition, the World Disabled Alpine Championships, was held in France in 1974. Today, Adaptive Skiing programs are
available at many ski resorts around the world for children and adults with a wide range of disabilities. The instructors in the Adaptive Skiing programs are at the top of their game in skiing. “They get their enjoyment teaching others to ski,” said Chuck, who learned to become a ski guide in the program. He wears a special orange jacket on the slopes. Skiing behind Debbie, he guides her using verbal instructions: “Turn left, turn right, mogul up ahead.” Of course, that also means he must pay close attention to where he’s going. It’s a huge responsibility. “One time, while skiing, Chuck
suddenly went silent. I stopped, turned around and asked for him. He had taken a bit of a spill,” said Debbie. “Face first in the snow.” “Chuck does a wonderful job as a
guide,” said Darry. “He learned to guide while Debbie learned to ski. They have a great partnership.” By the end of that first ski trip in
Aspen, Debbie said she felt so liberated. “And, I never did do any shopping,” she added.
Continued on following pageg
Top to bottom: Maggie, Debbie’s first service dog, on a ski trip to Lake Tahoe. Darry Jackson giving Debbie a few refresher tips on the indoor ski deck. Debbie and guide dog Winnie, in a kayak. Opposite page: Winnie with the boots that started it all.
THE NEW BARKER 29
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