Latest news with #guideDog
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Sight impaired at risk of losing guide dogs after dog attacks
Roaming dog attacks in Auckland could mean sight impaired people living in the southern suburbs could miss out on a guide dog after a savage attack on a handler and his guide dog. Blind low vision New Zealand said there's been several incidents, including a roaming dog attack last year that saw one of its clients having to go hospital and the guide dog having to be relocated out of Auckland. It's now relucant to place guide dogs in South Auckland. Pete Hoskin, head of Guide dogs for Blind Low Vision spoke to Lisa Owen.
News.com.au
22-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
‘Do better': Blind Aussie refused Uber ride
In a clip posted to social media, Balinese-born Australian Kadek Artayana showed the 'frustrating' reality that blind and disabled people face in Australia. The two-minute footage shows Mr Artayana waiting for an Uber X with his guide dog, Livinia. As a red Toyota Camry pulls up, the driver can be seen rolling down his window, immediately saying 'Dogs are not allowed.' 'She's a guide dog. It's a service dog,' Mr Artayana responds. 'It's not allowed,' the Uber driver responds. 'It's a guide dog. It's the law mate,' Mr Artayana says. A neighbour chimes in, telling the driver, 'I think you have to take him.' 'You can do the pet,' the driver says, presumably referring to the 'Uber Pet' option which allows riders to book a pet-friendly driver. The option usually costs upwards of $10 more than an Uber X and is not required for assistance animals, as laid out in Uber's policies. 'This is not a pet, this is a guide dog,' says Mr Artayana while he offers to provide his service animal ID card. 'I say no,' the driver bluntly replies. 'Well, the government says yes,' Mr Artayana says. Towards the end of the clip, the Uber driver states he's 'not going to take (the ride)' as he rolls up his windows. 'I will be reporting you, my friend,' a fed-up Mr Artayana says. The heartbreaking incident signals just another week for Mr Artayana as he recalls the increasing refusals of service dogs. 'Another week, another refusal. People like this don't belong in our community when we're trying to make it welcoming and inclusive. This is what blind people have to deal with every single day when we're just trying to live our lives and go to work like everybody else,' he wrote in the caption of the clip. The 34-year-old remedial massage therapist, Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete, advocate and public speaker lost the sight in both of his eyes in two separate incidents when he was aged 10 and 20. He is now completely blind. He has been living in Australia since he was 10 years old and lives alone with his guide dog and 'best friend' Livinia, in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda. In a heartfelt post to social media, Mr Artayana said that Livinia gave him back the freedom he thought was lost forever when he lost his sight. 'Together, we've done so much — fundraising, advocating for the blind community, travelling, getting lost in the wilderness, and even standing by my side at my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitions.' Mr Artayana, told 'We live in Australia. This should not be happening.' 'It's very frustrating when you want to be independent and you encounter these barriers.' Speaking of Livinia, he said, 'She's my eyes, she takes me to training, work, everywhere. I need her.' Mr Artayana wants people to know that the blind community is not looking for special treatment – just to be treated equally. 'Why should I pay double [for the Uber] to have an equal opportunity? We're just like everyday people,' he says. 'Livinia is clean, she's intelligent and incredibly well-trained.' 'Uber drivers are supposedly trained but they pretend they don't know what's going on,' he said. He revealed that a worrying amount of ride-share drivers have started claiming they are allergic to dogs, so as to refuse Mr Artayana service. However, Uber's Service Animal policy states, 'A driver cannot lawfully deny service to riders with service animals because of allergies, religious objections, or a generalised fear of animals.' Mr Artayana says that, like him, people come to Australia hoping to be 'welcomed and included.' He believes that with such a significant number of ride-share drivers being immigrants – who have shared his struggles – it is hard to understand why they would choose not to be inclusive. 'Uber expects it from the community but doesn't do it back. They should understand what it means to be included,' he says. He believes the government and public services such as ride-share apps have let blind communities down. 'There should be infringements. It's the law.' In Uber's Assistance Animal Policy, they reveal that a 'Driver-partner may be subject to a fine of up to $8,000, $1,650 and $3,000 for failing to accept a rider with an assistance animal.' In 2021, the company launched its Service Assistance Program in Australia which allows riders with a service animal to register to provide them with 'enhanced support, driver education, and proactive review of cancellations.' On their website they state that none of the program features will impact wait times or reliability of the service, however, Mr Artayana says he experiences wait times of up to 30 minutes. In response to Mr Artayana's clip, an Uber spokesperson told that they provide training for drivers upon signing up and ongoing education to reinforce these responsibilities. 'If a driver refuses service, they must pass a knowledge check with 100% success to regain access to the platform. A second refusal results in permanent loss of access to the Uber driver app. 'Uber's stance is firm on assistance animals; driver partners on the platform must comply with relevant laws on the transportation of riders with disabilities, including providing service to those with assistance animals,' they said. However, Mr Artayana says he has made dozens of reports and it 'does nothing.' He even revealed that he had to turn the comments off on his clip because of the amount of hate he was getting from ride-share drivers. 'They were telling me it's 'their car, their rules' and that 'I don't look blind',' he said. Mr Artayana reveals he doesn't want blind people to be put off the idea of having a service animal because of these encounters. 'I don't want people to do nothing in life because of this stress,' he says. 'They need to be better, I'm not leaving it alone.'
Fox News
16-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Blind mother of 5 graduates from college with honors alongside her guide dog
When a Tennessee mother of five received her college degree on May 9, she couldn't see her family cheering in the audience – because she is completely blind. Even so, as Amanda Juetten, 47, crossed the stage to accept her degree – magna cum laude – from Tennessee Tech University, she was more certain than ever about her path forward. "I'm totally blind," Juetten told Fox News Digital in an interview. "So I've got my guide dog by my side." "The two guys I was sitting by told me to follow them — we were a team. I'm concentrating on shaking all the hands and getting across the stage. I was thinking, 'This isn't the end. It's really the beginning of what's next.'" Juetten, who recently became a grandmother, began her college journey nearly 30 years ago, but had to postpone her studies when she had a baby right out of high school — and immediately went to work to provide for her new family. She eventually returned to higher education, but in 2020, after years of progressive vision loss from a condition called retinitis pigmentosa, she found herself in the dark — literally. "I was left totally blind with no skills for blindness," Juetten said. "Over the years, I had been taught a lot of skills for using my remaining vision, but not what to do with no vision at all.'" Determined to regain her independence, she enrolled in an eight-month program at the Colorado Center for the Blind. "I thought, 'I know blind parents make their kids' lunches. I know blind parents go to PTA meetings. I can do this. I just need to be around a bunch of other blind people,'" she recalled. "I want to help give people the skills to find their voice." "Blind people are not sitting in their basements waiting for the end. They're out there living their lives, and I wanted to do that, too." With her new skills and adaptive techniques — and a renewed sense of confidence — Juetten enrolled at Tennessee Tech in the fall of 2022, pursuing a professional studies degree with a concentration in organizational leadership. "It's been great," Juetten said. "The instructors were asking, 'What are your needs? How can I make this accessible to you?' They have been fantastic for doing that. I never got pushback. I didn't get people saying, 'Why are you taking these classes?'" Now, the newly graduated Juetten is advocating for more acceptance and understanding of the blind. "The blind need a voice," Juetten said. "I have a voice and I love to use it. I want to help give people the skills to find their voice. We need more teachers and more people in the field who believe in the full capacity of the blind." Next, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in blindness rehabilitation and possibly even a doctorate. "I want to begin offering services in assistive technology, Braille and the things I've learned and am doing well," Juetten said. "I want to teach blind people as a vendor of vocational rehabilitation." Juetten has traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby for blindness-related initiatives and to San Francisco to protest rideshare drivers who deny service to passengers with wheelchairs or service animals. She also serves on the board of the National Federation of the Blind of Tennessee and is a past president of the Tennessee Association of Guide Dog Users. Her guide dog, Colonel, is always by her side. Juetten has the below message for anyone facing blindness. "You still have the same hopes and dreams," she said. "All of those things that you wanted to do before you were blind, you still want to do those things. So let's find a way to do that."
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Blind personal trainer says guide dog is 'life-enhancing'
A personal trainer who lost nearly all his vision at 41 years old says receiving a guide dog has been "life-enhancing".Mark Long, 43, from Gloucestershire, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa aged 12, but his conditions worsened in has now adapted to sight loss and launched his own gym at home, in Stonehouse, so he can work alongside his guide dog, Mary."For me to be able to have that little bit of independence again is encouraging me to be a better person," he said. Mr Long said he started experiencing issues such as blurry vision and the sun seeming "really bright" aged 40, and months later on optician told him his condition was becoming "very aggressive very quickly".He said: "Initially [the diagnosis] was just horrific. "I didn't know what to do. I was trying to keep everything together for my family and making sure they were positive."The personal trainer said he had "never given up on anything" and his family knew he would " put up the best kind of fight". "But ultimately, I can't win against it," he explained."It's only going to deteriorate. It's been a lot of soul searching, a lot of reflection, and trying to work out new ways of dealing with it. "But it's a part of me, I've got to accept it. It's definitely not the end, it's the start of something new." After building his new gym, Mr Long told the BBC he wanted to inspire other people to making positive changes in their lives."I didn't have anyone I could go to, I didn't have anybody where it was 'I think they're really inspiring'," he said."People have done loads cooler stuff than me and are really achieving with worst situations."There are really bad days, but you can reflect on that and move forward."Mr Long was partnered with Mary through the charity Guide Dogs. He said she was "involved with every aspect" of his life."She gave me purpose again. I'd lost confidence, but she helped me regain my independence," he added."I can go out and about, and not hold back, because I've got Mary by my side."
