Reading Comprehension-4a

Helping Horses                 Week 10 Day 4

            Many people with visual impairment use guide dogs to help them get safely from place to place and to alert them to danger. But what can blind people do if they are allergic to dogs or just don’t like them? For some people, the answer is provided by the Guide Horse Foundation.

            Janet and Don Burleson founded the nonprofit organization in 1999. They began trading miniature horses to help guide visually impaired people. Miniature horses look just like regular horses, only much smaller. They are generally less than 34 inches tall.

            Cuddles was the foundations first guide horse in full service. She became 45-year-old Dan Shaw’s helper. Shaw has an eye disease that caused his sight to deteriorate. One night, while filling out an application to get a guide dog, Shaw heard a news story on TV about people trading horses to guide the blind. Shaw loves horses and wanted a guide animal that would live a ling time. He applied, and a year later, Cuddles and Shaw began trading as a team.

            On a trip to New York, Cuddles helped Shaw safely navigate Times Square, a very busy part of the city at night. The next day, Cuddles calmly rode the elevator with Shaw to the crowded top of the Empire State Building, a famous sky scrapper. Cuddles even guided Shaw on the ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty, rode the escalator in a store, and travel on the subway system.

            Shaw says that he feels truly blessed to have Cuddles. He believes that Cuddles changed his life for the better by giving him more independence and self-reliance.

Strategy Practice: Think about how you visualized Cuddles and Dan Shaw on the city streets.

Skill Practice: Read each question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer.