11 hours ago
Student's outcry for awareness of assistance dogs heard
Overwhelming response from the public poured in on social media platforms, following an incident on August 9 when a 21-year-old visually disabled student, Genevieve Crouser, accompanied by her guide dog, Brinkley, was initially denied access to Clicks in her hometown, Parys.
Genevieve's Facebook post after the incident, comes in the wake of an alarming international survey exposing the widespread exclusion, discrimination and humiliation faced by people with assistance dogs, globally.
The South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind (GDA) supported Genevieve's outcry calling for greater understanding and legislation to protect the rights of assistance dog owners.
Dhevan Pillay, Head of Pharmacy and Store Operations at Clicks South Africa, confirmed that Clicks is aware of the matter and sincerely apologises to Genevieve and her grandmother, who accompanied her and Brinkley, for their experience. Pillay gave the assurance that guide dogs are always welcome in their stores, and that they regret that this was not Genevieve's experience on this occasion. 'We have contacted them directly to apologise and have taken immediate steps to address the matter with the store staff involved,' Pillay said.
'For many years, Clicks has worked closely with the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) and, for the past two years, has proudly supported Casual Day as a retail partner. We are also engaging with the South African Guide Dog Association, and will roll out nationwide staff training to ensure full compliance, Pillay said, concluding that their staff are on hand to assist customers with disabilities, and look forward to welcoming Genevieve and Brinkley back in their stores.
In an update on August 12, Genevieve also thanked everyone who supported her, reacting to the post that has gained a lot of attention over the past couple of days.
'It was insane. I did not expect for it to go this far,' Genevieve said, adding that the post did help to create awareness for people with all sorts of disabilities to make the battle for access a little bit easier.
Pieter van Niekerk, GDA's Public Relations officer told Gazette the organisation offers public education through awareness campaigns that specifically clarify the roles of assistance dogs, and dispel common misconceptions by means of their GDA Assistance Dog Access Programme.
GDA in a statement said clients often face difficulties when using public spaces such as transport, restaurants, medical facilities, and government buildings — despite existing laws intended to safeguard their right of access.
Taking this into account it is no surprise that the Paws for Access report, compiled by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF), showed that four out of 10 assistance dog owners sometimes stay home or avoid public places due to hostility. 'Although South African owners did not take part in the survey, the findings also reflect the local reality,' Van Niekerk said.
The report highlights that restaurants and coffee shops (56%), hotels (28%), medical facilities (28%), and grocery stores (19%) are among the most common places where access is refused.
Genevieve agrees saying that she has mostly encountered access problems at shopping centres, grocery stores and restaurants, often because of ignorance and people's fear of dogs.
Of particular concern is that nearly a third of owners experience discrimination when visiting medical facilities, often due to uninformed security personnel.
Public transport is also criticised, with nearly two-thirds of guide dog owners reporting refusals in taxis and e-hailing services.
According to Genevieve she got Brinkley two years ago to enable her to move around more independently. Although problems getting access to public spaces with Brinkley is nothing new to her, Genevieve in an interview said they usually get stopped by security personnel, but the problem is mostly solved when a manager is called and the situation explained. Although this was not the case on Saturday, she was, however, later on allowed in the store with Brinkley.
When they move around Brinkley always wears his leather harness, and she has his ID on her, as is required when making use of an assistance dog.
An assistance dog is a dog that has been trained to assist the owner who has a disability, whether it is physical, visual or developmental.
Assistance dogs are legally allowed in all public places except an ICU. Local and international legislation protects the rights of working dogs and their owners.
GDA only makes use of Labrador or Golden Retrievers to train as assistance dogs because of their temperament. 'No dog showing any sign of aggression during training, will be placed' Van Niekerk said, confirming that GDA only makes use of dogs that have been bred by the organisation itself.
The incident happened during International Assistance Dog Week that was celebrated globally August 3 – 9. 'To impress upon South Africans the importance of access issues, GDA has dedicated the month of August as International Assistance Dog Month. GDA is one of the oldest training facilities for assistance dogs in SA that has been in existence for 72 years. The organisation has international authority, and can be contacted on (011) 705 3512, or send an email to [email protected].
