Candidate Handbook – Five Steps to Licensing - Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind

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Candidate Handbook – Five Steps to Licensing

California Guide Dog Instructor candidates are required to take and pass a written, practical and oral examination for licensure

Step #1: Make a videotape and submit it to the Board

The videotape content is the Practical Exam: The video must be a minimum of twenty minutes in length to a maximum of thirty minutes in length for rater panel viewing. If the video runs longer than thirty minutes, the exam facilitator will stop the video. Last, the video is intended to be a visual performance of the applicant (apprentice) interacting with a person who is visually impaired and currently receiving guide dog instruction with a new dog (client). This must take place in a community setting which is a route that incorporates at least two street crossings. Corrections for errors are expected and preferred over a “perfect” performance. The purpose of the recording is to witness the apprentice’s ability to train and problem-solve with a guide dog team.

Note: In many cases the first part of the second week of class presents an ideal setting; however there is no requirement regarding when the taping is done.

The 2011 Occupational Analysis Update for Guide Dog Instructors (Occupational Analysis/Examination Outline), which can be found on the Board’s Web site, (http://www.guidedogboard.ca.gov/about/occ_analysis.pdf) states that Client Services, representing 50% of the job, is interaction with the guide dog team:

“This area assesses the candidate’s ability to instruct the client in the proper care, handling, and responsibilities involved with a guide dog, as well as document, evaluate and support the progress of the guide dog team throughout their working lifetime.”

The following four tasks are linked to this part of the Occupational Analysis/Examination Outline and must be demonstrated on the videotape:

Instruct client in executing and maintaining a guide dog’s obedience responses through theory and practical experience to ensure consistent responses. (T22)
Instruct client in executing and maintaining a guide dog’s guide-work responses through theory and practice to ensure safety of the guide dog team. (T23)
Instruct client in use of techniques to maintain calm and non-disruptive behavior in a guide dog through theory and practice to ensure success of the guide dog team. (T24)
Instruct client in safe use of guide dog by applying orientation and mobility skills to ensure safety of the guide dog team. (T25)

How to Make the Exam Videotape:

The route must be recorded with a video digital camcorder, wireless microphone and a mini digital video cassette tape. Anyone may observe the taping session, and there is no rule as to who must operate the camera. It is best to use a tripod or a stabilizing gyro to ensure that the image is stable so that the subjects’ actions can be viewed clearly. The camera should be set to record time and date, as this indicates unedited raw footage.

The microphone will attach to the camera; the apprentice will wear the other microphone. Test the sound before you begin. The camera operator should wear earphones to make sure the audio is clear at all times. Carry extra batteries. The microphone should be able to record voices up to a block or two away. A typical sequence includes the apprentice at the end of the block and/or across the street who then walks toward or away from the camera while instructing the client.

Begin taping with the apprentice introducing him/herself and the client, and announcing the date out loud. The apprentice must not indicate place of employment nor wear clothing that’s personalized with the school’s logo (although it’s understood that harnesses may identify a school). Include their full figures, head to toe in the shot.

Don’t record over anything or edit the tape in any way. The camera may be turned on and off to move from one location to another. An activity may be repeated as long as the “first take” remains on the tape. The sequence of events should be on the tape as they were performed. Only one tape may be submitted for the Practical/Oral Exam as the “Exam Videotape.” The applicant will sign a security agreement (which can be accessed online at http://www.guidedogboard.ca.gov/forms_pubs/security_agrmnt.pdf), that the taping was conducted according to the rules. When the taping is complete, remove the cassette from the camera, label it with the name of the applicant and date, and send it next-day-mail via UPS, FedEx or a similar service, along with the signed security agreement to the Board:

California State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind
Attn: Antonette Sorrick, Executive Officer
1625 Market Blvd., S-202 Sacramento, CA 95834
Phone: (916) 574-7825
Fax: (916) 574-7829
guidedogboard@dca.ca.gov
www.guidedogboard.ca.gov

A duplicate recording will be made and transferred to disc. One copy will be returned to the applicant who will be notified as to whether or not their videotape has been accepted. If there are problems with the audio or if the image is not clear, the tape will not be accepted.

Step #2: Send in application

Once a video is accepted the applicant is eligible to apply for a California Guide Dog Instructor’s License. They will need to get fingerprinted using the Live Scan form which can be downloaded from the Board Web site at http://www.guidedogboard.ca.gov/forms_pubs/livescan_app.pdf. The application form is available at http://www.guidedogboard.ca.gov/forms_pubs/instructor_lic_app.pdf. In addition the Board needs a letter from the applicant’s school stating that the applicant has met all the requirements of the Business and Professions Code, Statute 7209 which states:

7209. A person to be eligible for examination as an instructor must (1) have a knowledge of the special problems of the blind and how to teach them, (2) be able to demonstrate by actual blindfold test under traffic conditions his ability to train guide dogs with whom a blind person would be safe, (3) be suited temperamentally and otherwise to instruct blind persons in the use of guide dogs, and (4) have had at least three years' actual experience, comprising such number of hours as the board may require, as an instructor, and have handled twenty-two (22) man [person]-dog units; or its equivalent, as determined by the board, as an apprentice under a licensed instructor or under an instructor in a school satisfactory to the board.

The application, letter, Live Scan results, and a check for $250 made out to the California State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind should be received by the Executive Officer of the Board no later than 10 days before the Written Exam is taken. The application must include a list of the names of the 22 guide dog teams the apprentice has worked with. Mail said list to:

Step #3: The Written Examination

When the application requirements are met and approved the candidate is eligible to take the Written Exam. The Exam will take place at the following location:

Office of Professional Examination Services
2420 Del Paso Road, Suite 265
Sacramento, CA 95834
Phone: (916) 575-7240

Plan on arriving 15 minutes early and wait in the office lobby. The candidate must bring a valid driver’s license for identification purposes and their copy of the Exam videotaped. He/she must not wear clothing that indicates their place of employment. Candidates will be given two hours for the Exam which is evaluated on a pass/fail basis. Notification of the outcome (pass/fail, not the percentage score) will be given by the end of the day either in person or by cell phone. If a candidate fails the Written Exam, he/she may take it again in six months and pending a successful outcome, they will be eligible for the next scheduled Practical/Oral Exam. The Exam videotape and licensing application as well as the $250 fee is valid for 18 months from the first Written Exam, however a fee of $50 is charged each time a subsequent Written Exam is needed.

Studying for the Written Exam

The Written Exam is based on the Guide Dog Instructor Examination Outline 2011 (Exam Outline). The percentages noted in each section of the Exam Outline indicate the number of test questions that will be asked from that selection of task and knowledge topics. Each test administered will have a total of 100 multiple-choice questions with four options each, with question selection based on the Exam Outline task and knowledge percentages. Please refer to the Exam Outline as a study guide for the Written Examination. Below are three examples of test questions:

Which of the following conditions is often associated with a lick sore granuloma?
1. Boredom
2. Dirty coat
3. Poor diet
4. Over bathing
Which of the following characteristics in a guide dog would be considered valuable for a small, frail, elderly person?
1. Animated
2. Small size
3. Needs daily work
4. Verbally responsive
Which of the following eye diseases is often characterized by tunnel vision and night blindness?
1. Retinoblastoma
2. Retinitis pigmentosa
3. Macular degeneration
4. Retinopathy of prematurity

Step #4: The Oral Exam

A candidate must pass the Written Exam to be eligible for the Practical/Oral Exam which is scheduled for the following day at the same location. The Oral Exam is a candidate’s verbal explanation of the knowledge they have demonstrated in the videotaped practical portion of the exam. Each candidate should prepare a discussion of the related knowledge statements listed below. The video is used to illustrate and enhance the description of the knowledge statements as it relates to the specific tasks that were demonstrated. Raters may not ask any unrelated questions regarding the video or non-listed knowledge topics; however they may ask a candidate to expand on a point even though it’s not demonstrated in the video. Also, a rater may ask the candidate if he/she has any safety concerns related to their video.

Plan on arriving 15 minutes early and wait in the office lobby. The candidate must bring a valid driver’s license for identification purposes and their copy of the Examination video. They must not wear clothing that indicates their place of employment. Candidates will be given the list of knowledge points (see below) 15 minutes before hand to review and organize their thoughts. These knowledge points may be referenced at any time during the Exam, however, personal notes may not be brought into the exam room.

The purpose of the video is to give the raters, three senior licensed guide dog instructors, something to see so they can evaluate the candidate’s ability to train and problem solve with a team. The following is a list of the related knowledge statements from the Exam Outline: Knowledge of:

Techniques used to maintain and enhance orientation skills while using a guide dog. (K57)
Orientation and mobility skills related to guide dog travel and cane travel. (K62)
Techniques used to work with and control a guide dog. (K67)
Methods of instructing clients on harness techniques used in guide work. (K72)
Techniques used for instructing a client in the observation and interpretation of a dog’s behavior. (K73)
Methods of instructing clients on techniques used in reworking guide work errors. (K74)
Methods of instructing clients on techniques used in avoiding and ignoring distractions during guide work training. (K75)
Methods of instructing clients on techniques used in controlling inappropriate behavior in a guide dog. (K77)

The Executive Officer of the Board will bring a copy of each candidate’s video and will be in charge of operating all equipment. The candidate can ask the technician to stop or start the tape at any time, or rewind or fast forward if for instance they want to clarify or demonstrate a point they are making.

Each candidate will be notified within 48 hours as to whether or not they passed or failed the Exam. Upon successful completion of the Oral/Practical Exam and within 60 days, successful candidates will receive an ID card and license certificate.

Step #5: Annual license renewal

The date an examination is successfully completed is a licensee’s anniversary date. Each year, licensees receive notification that their $100 license renewal fee is due. Along with their check and license renewal form, they must provide proof of completion of Continuing Education as state law requires: eight hours in the areas of 1) blindness and mobility; 2) health issues related to blindness; 3) instructing blind person; 4) care and training of dogs.

We look forward to adding your name to the list of guide dog instructors who have been licensed in California since 1948.