On the last Wednesday in April each year, the world celebrates International Guide Dog Day. Many events are held to show appreciation to guide dogs. This is also an opportunity to educate the public about them.
If one encounters a guide dog on duty, it is necessary to obey the following principle: You should not call, feed or pat the dog. Sudden sounds or actions might distract it from the task of guiding its visually impaired handler. Also, a guide dog should always be welcome in any public place, and the handler should be asked if they need further assistance.
There are about 60,000 visually impaired people in Taiwan. According to the International Guide Dog Federation, the ideal ratio of guide dogs to visually impaired people is 1 to 100. Ideally, there should be at least 600 guide dogs in Taiwan.
It is regrettable that there are merely about 40 guide dogs approved by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. This number is far lower than international standards. Taiwanese society certainly needs more guide dogs.
However, it is extremely difficult to train a dog to be a guide. Only about 10 guide dogs are trained and matched with handlers per year in Taiwan. Several reasons have contributed to this, including a lack of funding for professionals and institutions that train them, and the difficulty of finding a foster family for dogs undergoing training.
Taiwan must put more effort into training guide dogs. This requires investment from professional training institutions. The government and the public should strongly support and pay attention to the issue. In so doing, visually impaired people can live in a society that is safer and more convenient.
Most importantly, the government should provide more subsidies for guide dogs, not only to make their living spaces better and more comfortable, but also to create a safer and more professional training environment. Second, policies and laws regarding guide dogs and visually impaired people should be updated to ensure a barrier-free environment. In this way, visually impaired people and their guide dogs can gain more access to public spaces and feel safer and unworried.
Third, it is necessary to disseminate accurate information about guide dogs, and such information should be integrated into school curricula. By so doing, the public would understand how significant guide dogs are to society. Fourth, more subsidies should be provided for foster families so that more guide dogs could be raised and trained. Fifth, the authorities must take action against people who contravene the People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act (身心障礙者權益保障法). For example, if a restaurant refuses to let a visually impaired handler enter with their guide dog, the restaurant owner should be penalized.
Society must gain a deeper understanding of guide dogs, and more people should show their support by joining volunteer programs or donating supplies. Moreover, when a guide dog is about to retire, the agencies involved should arrange for the dog to be adopted by a suitable family.
Taiwanese should work on the issue together. Guide dogs should be supported, appreciated and cherished. It is for the benefit of the visually impaired, as well as to create a truly friendly society.
Su Wei-cheng is a lecturer and a former secretary of the president of the Legislative Yuan.
Translated by Emma Liu
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