When I started the Guide Horse experiment I knew that there was a huge shortage of guide animals, some with waiting lists of many years.  Today there are over one million blind people in the United States and less than 15,000 guide animal users. 

When I began my experimental program in 1999 I was not aware of the politics within the various blind organization, and I soon became the target of threats, intimidation and harassment by a small group of blind “thugs” who insisted that they supervise me, “or else”.

This group told me that they have the power to come-in and interfere with and supervise any guide school that they desire, even though Federal law is very clear that no organization may control guide animal schools or individuals who train their own guides. 

So, you might ask “How do they get this power”?  Over the past four years I have witnessed these self-appointed vigilantes smearing guide schools that fail to concede to their demands, using egregious tactics such as harassing guide animal recipients, making threatening phone calls, and publishing incendiary lies about them.

Here I note that they are preparing an assault over another school, Ivy Creek Guide Dog School in South Carolina: 

http://www.nfbnet.org/pipermail/nagdu/2005-February/009711.html

The previous administration of the NAGDU board spoke with Ivy Creek.  I know because I worked with this board on legal advocacy issues.  This "supervision" mentioned in Ivy Creek's answer lasted a few months--at most. That wouldn't even cover a standard apprenticeship.

It appears that South Carolina's Ivy Creek may be slated for destruction, just as they did when they forced another school, "Canine Vision" to close their doors.

http://www.nfbnet.org/pipermail/nagdu/2005-February/009634.html

"We made offers of assistance to help them clean up their Website, and give them input in to their training program, but in the end nothing changed."  "It sounds like we need to keep fingers on this outfit”

By the way, South Carolina has laws against invasion of privacy, and it appears to be illegal to intrude upon someone's seclusion or solitude, to publicly disclose embarrassing private facts about someone; or to generate publicity that places the someone in a "false light" in the public eye:

http://members.aol.com/alicebeard/law/samples/privacy.htm

In my opinion, this group is not different from other organized crime groups who “shake down” protection money from innocent businesses.   They step far-beyond the bounds of common decency and interfere with the legitimate activities of any charity that will not recognize their self-appointed regulatory “power”. 

In my case, I was personally threatened, and my graduate Dan Shaw has reported death threats, which the FBI is investigating.  One of my graduates was forced to return her Guide Horse after a member of this group located her home address and published that they were planning to invade her privacy. 

Here, they openly brag about shutting down a charity that would not concede to their demands:

http://www.nfb-nagdu.org/harnessup/fall00-a.html

It took us another year before we shut them down, because for many months we assumed all was well in Villa Rica. We will not allow a new school so much leeway without close monitoring.

In my book “Helping Hooves”, I recall the horrors that occurred because I would not allow interference by a group that has no authority, training nor expertise to exercise any control over my experiment.  In my case, this group performed numerous harassing activities (which made my graduates live in-fear), lied to my donors, and published horrendous Libels about me and my Guide Horse experiment, apparently designed to falsely enrage their listeners into taking action against me.  www.ghf.cc

I should also note that this is a tiny group.  They represent less than one percent of the blind population in the U. S. A., and larger organizations such as the American Council for the Blind wholeheartedly support the laws that grant both individuals (owner-trained guide animals) and schools the freedom to operate without custodial interference. Most of the members of this group are not trained as orientation and mobility specialists, they have not served as guide animals trainers, and in my opinion, they possess none of the skills required to supervise any blind guide organization.

As for my Guide Horse experiment, it’s been three years since I was targeted for destruction, and I’m still here.  I don’t know anything about Canine Vision or Ivy Creek Guide Dog Schools, but I respect their right to serve their communities without interference.  I’m praying that Federal and local law enforcement will intercede and put a stop to the harassment before someone gets hurt.