1. We are all Connected

2. We are all ConnectedInternational Guide Dog Schools Brief overviews of each schoolRachel Webber 3. 3Table of Contents: Pages 4-18 : IGDF Pages 19-27 : Leader Dogs Pages 28-34 : Seeing Eye Pages 35-41 : Fidelco Pages 42-50 : Southeastern Pages 50- : Freedom Pages 53- : GD Foundation Pages 55- : Guiding Eyes Pages 57- : Cali/Ore Guide dogs Pages 59-68: Mira Pages 69-70: BC & Alberta Pages 51-63 : UK guide dogs Pages 64- : Irish Pages 86- : Japan Pages 88- : Taiwan & Huikuang Pages 90- : Hong Kong Pages 92- : Lara Pages 94-: South African 4. 4International Guide Dog Federation Reading, England U.K http://www.igdf.org.uk 5. IGDF About us The International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) was formed in 1989, following meetings over several years of Guide Dog organizations around the World.Membership provides: First and foremost, membership of the IGDF enables Guide Dog organizations around the world to join a community dedicated to serving people with vision impairment. The IGDF facilitates a sharing of knowledge, experience, highest quality standards, methodologies and help for new or existing schools wanting to improve the quality of their operations. All of this is focused on improving the safe independent mobility of blind and vision impaired people An Accreditation and Assessment process which ensures that operational standards are maintained and improved in relation to the world benchmark high quality standard A biennial seminar to facilitate exchange of information The IGDF office acts as a communication hub, which keeps members informed, manages the website, facilitates links to areas of expertise A biannual International professional journal The ability to get advice about breeding, Guide Dog Instructor or dog training, facility set up and management, access, marketing, fundraising and operational management The sharing of ideas and experiences Possible exchange of puppies, dogs or genetic material The opportunity for personal development 5 of members' staff by being an Assessor or member of the Board or through staff exchange secondments The use of the IGDF logo - a symbol of 6. History of IGDF 1 The idea of the International Federation of Guide Dog Schools for the Blind (IFGDSB) - as it was originally known - stems from conferences held in France (1973) and London (1976). At the conclusion of the third international conference in Vienna in 1983, attendees agreed the formation of a Europeanbased group to consider "the formulation of guidelines and standards for the training of dogs and to teach blind people the use of dogs". The meeting agreed that the Royal Dutch Guide Dog Centre would consolidate the work of a working group consisting of representatives from the UK, Holland, France, Scandinavia and Switzerland and that other guide dog schools could be invited to participate. This led to a meeting at Leamington in September 1986 at which 28 delegates from 15 schools and 10 countries considered the papers prepared by the Vienna working group. Following discussion, the document was rewritten and ratified by delegates. The next task of the Vienna working group was to draft proposals for the establishment of an international organisation. These proposals were considered in October 1987 at a conference attended by guide dog organisations worldwide and were discussed with solicitors on 5th October 1987. In April 1988, another international conference was held, attended by 40 delegates from 16 countries, representing 25 guide dog organisations. At the end of the two day debate, delegates from all schools signed a document 6 prepared by solicitors, forming an unincorporated association known as "The International Provisional Council for Guide Dog Schools for the Blind". They appointed an executive body consisting of members of the original 1983 Vienna 7. History of IGDF 2 The Council then worked with solicitors to draft the Memorandum and Articles of Association establishing the IFGDSB as a registered company in the United Kingdom - legal documents that were ratified on 12th April1989. The new organisation was created to focus upon: access animal breeding, care and veterinary matters funding opportunities staff selection and training student selection and training This decision to found it was taken by these original schools in order to meet the growing demand of guide dog organisations, looking for an international federation that would recognise, and unite, all other similar guide dog service providers around the world. This new organisation was therefore set up: to allow the organisations to communicate with each other to exchange information and experience in the area of breeding, training, handling and assessing the dogs to act as a body which would offer advice to its individual members In 1992, inspection of member schools began. Schools were accredited by an agreed list of assessors within agreed operational guidelines. A newsletter was also initiated. By 1996, the Federation had 45 members and a seminar on dog breeding and genetics was held. By 2000, there were 61 international members, the Assessment Committee became the Accreditation Committee and Products, Training and Research Working Groups were formed. By now, seminars were an important biennial event, bringing members together from across the world. In 2001, attempts were made to increase7 8. 8 9. History of Guide Dogs 1 While there is evidence that man's relationship with wolves stretches back 400,000 years, man's domestication of dogs coincides with the evolution of early breeds of dogs about 150,000 years ago. The first special relationship between a dog and a blind person is lost in the mists of time, but perhaps the earliest recorded example is depicted in a first-century AD mural in the buried ruins of Roman Heculaneum. There are other records from Asia and Europe up to the Middle Ages, of dogs leading blind men. However, the first systematic attempt to train dogs to aid blind people came around 1780 at 'Les Quinze-Vingts' hospital for the blind in Paris. Shortly afterwards, in 1788, Josef Riesinger, a blind sieve-maker from Vienna, trained a Spitz so well that people often questioned whether he was blind. In 1819, Johann Wilhelm Klein, founder of the Institute for the Education of the Blind (Blinden-Erziehungs-Institut) in Vienna, mentioned the concept of the guide dog in his book on educating blind people (Lehrbuch zum Unterricht der Blinden) and described his method for training dogs. A Swiss man, Jakob Birrer, wrote in 1847 about his experiences of being guided over a period of five years by a dog he had specially trained. The modern guide dog story, however, begins during the First World War, with thousands of soldiers returning from the Front blinded, often by poison gas. A German doctor, Dr Gerhard Stalling, got the idea of training dogs en masse to help those affected. While walking with a patient one day through the hospital grounds, he was called away urgently and left his dog with the patient as company. When he returned, he saw signs, from the way the dog was behaving, that it was looking after9 10. History of Guide Dogs 2 Dr Stalling started to explore ways of training dogs to become reliable guides and in August 1916 opened the world's first guide dog school for the blind in Oldenburg. The school grew and many new branches opened in Bonn, Breslau, Dresden, Essen, Freiburg, Hamburg, Magdeburg, Mnster and Hannover, training up to 600 dogs a year. These schools provided dogs not only to ex-servicemen, but also to blind people in Britain, France, Spain, Italy, the United States, Canada and the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, due to a reduction in dog quality, the venture had to shut down in 1926, but by that time another large guide dog training centre had opened in Potsdam, near Berlin, which was proving to be highly successful. This school's work broke new ground in the training of guide dogs and it was capable of accommodating around 100 dogs at a time and providing up to 12 fully-trained guide dogs a month. Around this time, a wealthy American woman, Dorothy Harrison Eustis, was already training dogs for the army, police and customs service in Switzerland. It was to be Dorothy Eustis's energy and expertise that would properly launch the guide dog movement internationally. Having heard about the Potsdam centre, Eustis was curious to study the school's methods and spent several months there. She came away so impressed that she wrote an article about it for the Saturday Evening Post in America in October 1927. A blind American man, Morris Frank, heard about the article and bought a copy of the newspaper. He later said that the five cents the newspaper cost him "bought an article that was worth more than a million dollars to me. It changed my life". He wrote to Eustis, telling her that he would very much like to help introduce guide dogs to the United States.10 11. History of Guide Dogs 3 Taking up the challenge, Dorothy Eustis trained a dog, Buddy, and brought Frank over to Switzerland to learn how to work with the dog. Frank went back to the United States with what many believe to be America's first guide dog. Eustis later established the Seeing Eye School in Morristown, New Jersey, in 1929, but before this went back to Switzerland to do further work there. Meanwhile, an Italian Guide Dog organisation, Sculola Nazionale Cani Guida per Ciechi was also established in 1928. The success of the United States experience encouraged Eustis to set up guide a dog school at Vevey in Switzerland in 1928. She called this school, like the one a year later in New Jersey, 'L'Oeil qui Voit', or The Seeing Eye (the name comes from the Old Testament of the Bible - 'the hearing ear and the seeing eye', Proverbs, XX, 12). The schools in Vevey, New Jersey and Italy were the first guide dog schools of the modern era that have survived the test of time. In 1930, two British women, Muriel Crooke and Rosamund Bond, heard about The Seeing Eye and contacted Dorothy Eustis, who sent over one of her trainers. In 1931, the first four British guide dogs completed their training and three years later The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association was founded in the UK. Since then, guide dog schools have opened all round the world, and more open their doors every decade. Thousands of people have had their lives transformed by guide dogs, thanks to the organisations that provide them. The commitment of the people who work for these organisations, and the people who financially support them, is as deep today as it ever was, and the heirs of Dorothy Eustis's legacy continue to work for the increased mobility, dignity and independence of blind and partially-sighted people the world over. The movement goes on.11 12. 12 13. History of Guide Dogs 4 79 Excavations in Pompeii reveal a wall-painting of a blind man apparently being led by his dog. 1200 A Chinese scroll, now in the Metropolitan Museum in New York shows a blind man being led by a dog. 1260 An Irish reference, attributed to Bartholomew, of a dog guiding a blind man. 1500-1700 Similar references appear more frequently throughout the 16th Century in woodcuts, engravings and paintings throughout the world. 1715 The "Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green" is a ballad about a knight who lost his sight in a battle and subsequently became a beggar. His friends gave him a dog on a lead and, also, a bell. 1727 Gainsborough (1727-1788) painted "Blind Man on the Bridge" which depicts a dog leading its master. 1755 William Bigg (1755-1828) depicts "The Blind Sailor" crossing a narrow bridge with the help of his dog. 1790 Thomas Bewick (1753-1828) produced some engravings for his book "A General History of Quadrupeds". One engraving showed a blind man being lead across a bridge by a dog. 1813 An engraving was published in the magazine "Das Auge" (The Eye) by George Joseph Beer, a leading Viennese eye specialist. Beer wanted to highlight the man in the foreground wearing glasses, but in the background there is a blind man working13 14. History of Guide Dogs 5 1819 The earliest surviving description of a systematic method of training guide dogs was published by Dr. Johann Wilhelm Klein in Vienna. Klein became the Director of the Institute for the Education of the Blind in Vienna. His book describes a method of training the dogs with a stick attached to the collar and held in the left hand. The stick had a crossbar, which may have given information about the sideways movement of the dog, as well as the forward movement. Klein no longer had the dog on a leash and the blind man no longer used a walking stick. Unfortunately the idea of using a primitive type of harness was not built upon and remained unused for almost 100 years. 1847 Jacob Birrer (blind Swiss man) published a book highlighting the use of training dogs as guides. Once again the strategy was back to leads and walking sticks. His ideas were not developed any further. 1864 In Trollope's novel, "Can You Forgive Her", Lady Glenorca tells the Duke of St. Bungay that she will lead him as "the little dogs lead blind men". 1878 British Parliament exempts licence fees for "shepherds' dogs and "those kept by the blind as guides". 1899 A drawing from "The Graphic" shows how dogs trained by the German Red Cross Ambulance Dogs Association were used to help the wounded on the battlefield. The Director, Dr. Gerhard Stalling, used these same dogs in early attempts to guide blinded veterans. This is the start of using larger breeds of dogs, mostly Collies, as guides. 1914-18 World War 1 re-sparked interest in guide dog due to so many young men being blinded following exposure to mustard gas or as the result of shell shock. The German Red Cross Ambulance Dogs Association established a training centre in Oldenberg. The first guide dog was issued in 1916 to a blinded veteran, Paul Feyen. Within a year there were 100 guide dogs issued and 539 guide dogs had been issued by 1919. In 1922, the first14 15. History of Guide Dogs 7 1923 Blinded Veterans were now dealt with by the German Shepherd Dog Association, which opened a training school in 1923 in Potsdam. This group formalised the training methods that are common to most guide dog schools today, i.e. selecting good dogs, careful matching, following-up in the home environment. By the 1930's there were around 4,000 qualified guide dogs in Germany. 1925 The original school in Oldenberg was formally taken over by the German Association for the Blind. 1927 George and Dorothy Eustis, who were selectively breeding German Shepherd dogs in their Fortunate Fields kennels in Switzerland, visited the Potsdam School. Highly impressed, Dorothy Eustis wrote to an American newspaper with her account of the visit. This was published in November 1927. Many letters flooded back from the United States, and one, in particular, from Morris Frank, stimulated Dorothy Eustis and Jack Humphrey, the head trainer at her Fortunate Fields kennels, to work with Potsdam trainers to prepare a dog for Morris. 1928 Morris Frank arrived in Switzerland in April and trained with Guide Dog "Buddy". Morris and "Buddy" returned to New York in June. They faced sceptical journalists, but won them over by crossing a wide, busy street without injury, and this incident received wide press coverage.15 16. History of Guide Dogs 7 1929 Mrs. Eustis established the Seeing Eye School in Morristown, New Jersey. Realising that the major problem would be training suitable Instructors, she returned to Switzerland. There she established a training school near her Fortunate Fields kennels. It was here that she also started training her own guide dogs. 1931 Mrs. Eustis trained and supplied ten dogs to Italy, eleven to France, and three to Switzerland. Mrs. Eustis also qualified four Guide Dog Instructors that year. Two went to the Seeing Eye School in New York one to Italy and one, Captain Laikhoff, went to the UK. There, he established a centre in Cheshire where the first four British guide dogs completed their training. Quarantine regulations hindered trained guide dogs being sent to Britain and a search commenced for other suitable breeds to train. These were predominantly Labradors. 1932 Mrs. Eustis loaned Georges Gabriel (from Switzerland) to run the second guide dog class in Britain. 1933 Mrs. Eustis, again, loaned Georges Gabriel to run the third guide dog class in Britain.1934 Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (GDBA) was established.1940 Leamington Spa opened as the first UK guide dog Training Centre.16 17. 17 18. 18 19. Leader dogs For the Blind19Leader Dogs for the Blind Rochester Hills, Michigan U.S.A www.leaderdogs.org 20. Leader Dogs for the Blind About us Founded by three Detroit-area Lions Clubs members in 1939, Leader Dogs for the Blind provides guide dogs to people who are blind and visually impaired to enhance their mobility, independence and quality of life. Each year, over 270 clients attend our 26-day residential training program to be paired with a guide dog.In addition to our guide dog program, we offer programs that enhance a persons independence and quality of life in other ways, including:Orientation and mobility trainingGPS trainingSeminars for Orientation and Mobility professionals.This is a life-changing event that opens the door to independence, safety and self-worth for many of our clients.20 21. Breeds Used: Labrador Retriever 80%, Golden Retriever 15%, German Shepherd Dog 5%, and Labrador/Golden cross21 22. Puppy Raising: local, distance, inmate prison program A puppy raiser is responsible for raising a Future Leader Dog for a period of approximately one year according to Leader Dog guidelines. The raiser will provide the puppy with a safe environment, love and nurturing, socializationPuppy raisers are guided by:Leader Dog Puppy Raiser ManualIn for Training (IFT) StandardsMonthly meetings with the continued support and guidance from area volunteer puppy counselors.22 23. Har u23 24. 24 25. 25 26. 26 27. 27 28. Seeing Eye 28Morristown, New Jersey U.S.A www.seeingeye.org 29. Seeing Eye About us The Seeing Eye, Inc. is the oldest guide dog school in the world. Twelve times a year, as many as 24 students at a time visit the Morristown, N.J. campus to discover the exhilarating experience of traveling with a Seeing Eye dog. Since 1929, The Seeing Eye has partnered with people who are blind who seek to enhance their independence, dignity, and self-confidence through the use of Seeing Eye dogs.Our students people who are blind or visually impaired come from all over the United States and Canada to spend up to a month training with a new Seeing Eye dog. They range in age from 16 to senior citizens, their home environments may be rural or urban, and they may be homemakers, volunteers, or judges. But they all have this in common: They are motivated by a sense of independence and armed with the knowledge that Seeing Eye dogs will provide an extra edge to attain success, however they may choose to define it.29 30. In 1927, a young man named Morris Frank read an article about dogs being trained as guides for blinded veterans of World War I.Morris Frank and BuddyFrustrated by his own lack of mobility as a blind person, he was inspired to write its author for help. Dorothy Harrison Eustis was an American training German shepherd dogs in Switzerland, and when she received Morris Franks letter, she agreed to help him. He promised he would return to the United States and spread the word about these wonderful dogs. In 1928, having completed instruction in Switzerland, he arrived in New York City, proving the ability of his dog Buddy before throngs of news reporters. His one-word telegram to Mrs. Eustis told the entire story Success. The Seeing Eye was born, with the30 31. Puppy Raising and 4-H Program In 1942 the school partnered with 4-H to organize and maintain puppy-raising clubs. Although many of our clubs still have a strong 4-H connection, there are also many clubs independent of 4-H. Clubs meet regularly to plan outings, provide socialization and share tips on teaching good puppy behavior.When Seeing Eye puppies reach the age of 7 or 8 weeks, they are delivered to the homes of volunteer foster families who nurture and care for their charges until they are about 16 to 18 months old. Families in New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and parts of Maryland and New York, give the dogs abundant affection, teach them basic obedience, and expose them to a variety of social situations they will later encounter as working dogs. Many of these volunteer families have children, while a number of retired adults also volunteer their time for our puppies.31 32. 32 33. 33 34. 34 35. Fidelco 35Bloomfield, Connecticut U.S.A www.fidelco.org 36. Fidelco About us Charlie and Robbie Kaman's intiuitive knowledge of how German Shepherd dogs could help people who are legally blind live more normal lives was the genesis of the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation.Beginning in 1960, the work done by this innovative couple and ever-growing group of dedicated and tireless staff, volunteers and supporters has reached out and touched thousands of clients' and family members' lives. Today, Fidelco is an internationally-recognized leader in the guide dog industry. And the legacy of dedication and quality given to the organization by the Kamans will guide Fidelco forEach Fidelco Guide Dog takes two years, 15,000 hands-on hours and $45,000 to produce. They are given to clients at no cost. Fidelco provides 24/7 client support for the entire working life of its guide dogs typically 10 years. Fidelco relies solely on the generosity and financial support of individuals, foundations, corporations and civic organizations to help Share the Vision. Fidelco has trained and placed over 1,350 German Shepherd Guide Dogs throughout North America in 41 states and five Canadian provinces. Fidelco pioneered InCommunity Placement in the United States a process that allows all guide dog users to be trained in the communities where they live and work. Fidelco also has placed hundreds of its German Shepherd Dogs with law enforcement agencies, first responders, search and rescue, and missing child recovery36 37. A breed within a breed The Fidelco German Shepherd was created from Bavarian stock. It is an outstanding and exclusive product of selective breeding from strong working lines and has evolved to be truly a breed within a breed. Our dogs possess the characteristics of the ideal working guide; intelligence, temperament, stamina and stability. They are responsible for our clients safety at all times. This formidable task requires us to have an uncompromising focus on the quality of the breed, which is a hallmark of theVolunteer Puppy Raisers In terms of pure selflessness, it is our volunteer puppy raisers that rise to the top. They take our pups at about eight weeks of age, love and care for them, participate in weekly socialization and training activities at the Fidelco training center and then, when the pups are approximately 14 to 16 months old, return them to us for formal guide dog training. Thousands of families and individuals have participated in the Fidelco volunteer puppy raising program over the years. They expose the pup to a wide variety of experiences in the home, on the street and in the world at large; the very things that the dogs will be required to deal with as a guide for someone with a visual disability. The payback is immeasurable. The freedom and independence that the pup brings to its human partner is37 38. 38 39. 39 40. 40 41. 41 42. Southeastern Guide Dogs 42Palmetto, Florida U.S.A www.guidedogs.org 43. Southeastern About us Established in 1982, Southeastern Guide Dogs currently has more than +400 active guide dog teams across the country and continues to create more than 70 new guide dog teams annually Located on 35 manicured acres in Palmetto, Florida, Southeastern Guide Dogs is accredited by the International Guide Dog Federation in Reading, England and is a member of the Council of U.S. Dog Guide Schools. Southeastern Guide Dogs is one of only 10 fully certified guide dogs school in the country and the only one located in the southeastern US. Southeastern Guide Dogs' mission is to create and nurture a partnership between a visuallyPaws for Independence - pairs individuals with visual impairments with professionally trained guide dogs during a 26-day residential training class based at our campus in Palmetto, Florida. Training begins on the mile-and-a-half-"Freedom Walk", a virtual outdoor classroom that presents the guide dog teams with a variety of navigational challenges (e. g. a railroad crossing, bridges, etc). As students progress, the training expands to outside locations, including shopping centers and urban areas with high pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Paws for Patriots- provides guide dogs to veterans with visual impairments; service dogs to veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; and facility therapy dogs to military hospitals such as the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Quantico, Andrews Air Force Base, and Camp LeJeune. Gifted Canines- provides law enforcement agencies, hospitals, assistedliving facilities, nursing homes and individuals with special needs with dogs who excel in narcotic or arson detection, 43 search and rescue, therapy and other specialized careers. Our school places dogs in the Gifted Canines program only if they do not meet the specific criteria 44. Fast Facts Our school operates its own breeding colony, with approximately 50 breeder dogs. Three Breeds: Labradors, golden retrievers and goldadors (Labrador/golden retriever mix) Number of puppies currently being raised by volunteers: approximately 300Number of puppies born on campus each year: approximately 250Number of dogs currently in training: approximately 80Number of miles a Southeastern Guide Dog trainer walks in a year approximately 2,300 Most common names sponsors choose for puppies Maggie, Buddy, Rose/Rosie Number of dogs currently deployed: more than 1,000, including over 410 active guide dogs, more than 100 Gifted Canines, approximately 250 puppies in puppy raiser homes, and more than 200 dogs and puppies in the schools kennels44 45. Our Puppy Raisers: Where the Transformation Begins Training an exceptional guide dog begins before a puppy is even born. Our intentional breeding program means our puppies come from parents who are known for their intelligence, loving personality, and trainability. Newborn puppies are tickled and stretched as part of our early socialization program. Before theyre weaned, young puppies are exposed to sights, sounds, textures, and plenty of puppy-hugging volunteers. House training starts early to make the next step in their training that much more enjoyable for everyone.Puppy raisers are volunteer families who agree to welcome a future guide dog into their home. These homes are where our young puppies training and socialization takes an important turn; it is here that they become comfortable with home life, learn basic obedience, and begin to experience the world. Puppy raisers take our puppies everywhereto work, out to eat, on trips, and even grocery shopping. This 45 real-world training imitates the experiences that our dogs need to successfully guide a 46. 46 47. 47 48. 48 49. 49 50. 50 51. Seeing Eye51 52. 52 53. Seeing Eye53 54. 54 55. Seeing Eye55 56. 56 57. Seeing Eye57 58. 58 59. The Mira Foundation Inc 59Saint Madeleine, Quebec Canada http://www.mira.ca/en/ 60. Mira About us On 21 octobre 1981, ric St-Pierre proudly presented two blind individuals with the first two guide dogs trained in Quebec. In so doing, he began a charitable endeavour completely dedicated to helping the handicapped. His first order of business was to ensure that both users and partners would be willing participants as he sought to establish both a viable range of services and funding to provide dogs free of charge. In 1991, MIRA creates a guide-dog program for blind youngsters. Since that time, MIRA has been the only school in the world to provide guide dogs to blind individuals under 15, having given more than 85 guide dogs to young teenagers in Quebec, Ontario, the Maritime Provinces, France and Mexico. In the beginning, MIRA trained mostly with Labradors and Bernese Mountain dogs. In 1991, ric St-Pierre developed a breedthe Labernese (a cross between the Labrador and the Bernese Mountain dog)that was to become the firstIn 1992, MIRA continues in an innovative vein and explores how a service dog could be trained to help children with multiple disabilities and individuals with physical handicaps. MIRA has since expanded its programs by providing service dogs to such individuals. In 2003, MIRA has put in place a research program to help children afflicted with pervasive development disorders (PDD) such as autism. To date, 92 dogs have been assigned to this program. In 2006, MIRA became 60 member of the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF). 61. MIRA owns a 49,140 square meters lot on which five buildings standa housing facility to accommodate 10 guests at a time during a month in the guide dogs program; another housing facility to accommodate 10 guests at a time during a 21-day period in the service dogs program; a canine maternity ward for gravid females with a production capacity of 500 puppies per year; a veterinary clinic equipped with high-tech technology instruments, an examination room, an operating room and an X-Ray room, a kennel able to board 100 dogs in training. The buildings and grounds are also used for training dogs. Since its founding in 1981, MIRA has given away over 2,000 guide and service dogs. The cost of a guide or service dog is $ 30,000 and each dog is given free of charge. MIRA does not receive any government funds, its financing dependsAt MIRA, we subscribe to a principle of physical equality. Namely, we believe that anything that is accessible to the public at large should be accessible to handicapped individuals. Our work consists in helping individuals with one or many disabilities to adapt to life with these disabilities. We concentrate our efforts on improving the functional abilities of individuals, in particular in regard to mobility and orientation, 61 so that they can get around freely in their living environment. 62. Guide dog for the blind youth Since 1990, with guide dogs being made available to blind youngsters, a great step forward has been taken in the area of orientation, mobility, integration, organization of guide dog services and social inclusion. It is important to emphasize the major contribution that a guide dog makes to a youngsters social development. As one of the parents bluntly stated, Its easier to hook up when you have a guide dog. Guide dogs help the kids to interact socially and avoid isolation. Finally, the dogs contribution to the youngsters emotional life appears to be important, but this remains to be demonstrated conclusively. The youth class, like the adult program, lasts 30 days. The youngsters are housed on site. Average class size is six.During the four weeks of their stay, the youngsters get to know their animal and learn to interact with it. Gradually, they assimilate the skills needed to work with a dog and orient themselves in a regulated outdoor environment, such as the downtown area of a densely populated city with significant automobile traffic When the class is over, with their guide dogs in tow, the kids return to their daily activitiesfamily activities, orientation and mobility work, and school. The youngsters are the sole users of their guide dogs; they have worked very hard to earn this right. Immediately following the class, the training staff monitor and provide guidance 62 to the kids as they put what theyve learned in class into practice. Subsequently, follow-up can be according to a regular schedule or 63. 63 64. 64 65. 65 66. 66 67. 67 68. 68 69. 69 70. 70 71. The Guide Dog for the Blind Association 71Reading, England U.K www.guidedogs.org.uk 72. UK Guide Dogs About us We will not rest until people who are blind or partially sighted can enjoy the same freedom of movement as everyone else.The ability to get around is vital in order to live a full life yet 180,000 people who are blind or partially sighted rarely leave home alone. Guide Dogs is committed to changing this. We breed and train guide dogs which provide life changing mobility and there are currently 4,700 working guide dog partnerships in the UK. Guide dog owners only have to pay a nominal 50p for their dog to ensure no-one is prevented from having one due to a lack of funds. The full lifetime cost of a guide dog from birth to retirement is around 50,000. The guide dog service receives no government funding.The Guide Dogs story started in 1931 with two amazing British pioneers, Muriel Crooke and Rosamund Bond. These remarkable women organised the training of the first four British guide dogs from a humble lock up garage in Wallasey, Merseyside. Weve come a very long way since those early days. Today Guide Dogs is the world's largest breeder and trainer of working dogs. And thanks to our dedicated staff and volunteers and your vital donations weve helped over 72 29,000 people to achieve lifechanging independence. 73. What we do We provide mobility and freedom to blind and partially sighted people. We also campaign for the rights of people with visual impairment, educate the public about eye care and fund eye disease research. IndependenceWe have been expertly breeding and training guide dogs for more than 75 years, providing many thousands to blind and partially-sighted people of all ages and from all walks of life. We also deliver confidence-building rehabilitation services to adults, young people and children - including long cane mobility training and communication and daily living skills. ResearchGuide Dogs carries out research that provides sound scientific evidence on which to base our services, campaigns, policies and operational procedures (the way we do things). We fund ophthalmic research projects, and carry out canine research in-house. Equal Rights CampaigningVisual impairment is a fact of life for thousands of people, and with an ageing population many more will be affected by sight loss in the future. We campaign alongside visually-impaired people for rights that most sighted people take for granted. These include access to services and transport, freedom of mobility, and provision of better rehabilitation services. Working closely with guide dog owners,73 74. 74 75. 75 76. 76 77. 77 78. 78 79. 79 80. 80 81. 81 82. 82 83. 83 84. Seeing Eye84 85. 85 86. Japan Guide Dog Association 86Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Japan http://www.moudouken.net/english/ 87. 87 88. Seeing Eye 88 89. 89 90. Seeing Eye90 91. 91 92. Seeing Eye92 93. 93 94. Seeing Eye94 95. 95 96. We are all Connected