Forum: Make accessibility the norm for assistance dog users
We thank Mr Ivan Ong for the public support for guide-dog users (Let guide-dog users move with dignity, May 21) and we are deeply encouraged to see growing public support and understanding of guide dogs and assistance dogs. We are also pleased to witness the widening of public access to eventually include mobility assistance dogs and hearing dogs here in Singapore.
While the growing empathy towards guide dogs and assistance dogs in Singapore is encouraging, now is the time to turn awareness into action. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are not pets – they are rigorously trained, essential and trusted as they provide their users with independence, safety and dignity. Despite legislation allowing them in public spaces, misconceptions persist. Under the law, guide dog handlers are permitted to enter public spaces like restaurants and malls, and public transport. Yet, we continue to receive regular reports of denial of entry.
This also includes hospitals. While we recognise that access to sterile areas like operating theatres or intensive care units may not be feasible, and that is common sense, there is no hygiene risk when it comes to non-clinical areas like lobbies, waiting rooms and pharmacies, with guide dogs and assistance dogs groomed to high standards.
While Guide Dogs Singapore and K9Assistance continue to engage in community outreach, we cannot do this alone. Businesses, public agencies and service providers must join in the effort to train staff on how to interact with customers who have guide dogs or assistance dogs, clearly state guide-dog-friendly and assistance-dog-friendly policies at entrances, and call out discriminatory practices when they occur.
When cases involving local advocates for guide dogs and assistance dogs are shared publicly, it calls attention to invisible barriers many face daily. We invite more organisations across sectors to collaborate with us to help improve staff training, and foster a culture where accessibility is the norm, not the exception.
It is about recognising that guide dog and assistance dog users have the same right to move freely, eat where they choose and live with dignity like everyone else.
We deeply appreciate the work of organisations like SG Enable that support the role of guide dogs and assistance dogs in our society. Their support has been instrumental in enabling us to extend the reach and impact of our missions, bringing independence and dignity to persons with disabilities.
Vanessa Loh
General Manager
Guide Dogs Singapore
Cassandra Chiu
Executive Director
K9Assistance
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