#guide dog discrimination

[annwritesthings]

Guide dog discrimination in Athens Georgia

This evening, at the ?Georgia Square Mall in Athens, GA, My husband Michael Barnes and I, along with a couple of friends were taking care of some personal business, when Michael was approached by a security guard by the name of G. Keene. Keen asked whether Michael’s dog was a service dog. “Yes.” Michael said. “Well, your dog needs to wear a vest,” Keene replied. Michael pointed out to Keene that…

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[blindgirlblog]

Article for Swedish Newspaper

Here is the article I wrote about my experiences with guide dog discrimination in Sweden.  It was way too long and even though a friend tried to edit it and translate it, it just lost my point, so it could not get published.  So, I thought I would share it with you instead...

My “Back to the Future” Moment

Being from Los Angeles originally, we tend to use movies as a point of reference for many things.  It can be a bittersweet association at times – as a blind woman, I still enjoy cinema, but it’s a much different experience than it was in my childhood.  I can’t distinguish the latest actors and actresses on the screen, and rely on descriptions from others to understand many of the non-verbal details.   Back in the real world - it’s hard for me to see the faces of my loved ones, my guide dog, street signs, or much of anything else.  Welcome to the world of the blind, population: 800 million globally.

At the start of April, I moved on from Los Angeles and TInseltown to come to Stockholm.  My husband works for an international financial services firm, and got word that he would be temporarily assigned to the Stockholm office for 3 months.  Never wanting my disability to hold us back from any opportunity, we enthusiastically embraced the idea!  I knew it would be a big change from what had become my normal “day-to-day” – volunteer work that varied from empowering people who are blind and visually impaired in order to conquer their fears about getting back into the kitchen and cooking again, to assisting in an elementary classroom full of children from diverse cultures, to conducting presentations and seminars about blindness and the guide dog lifestyle.  And I’ll be honest, leaving behind the comfort of my neighborhood, where I know the streets, stores, public transportation system, and have family and friends for additional support gave me pause.  Try closing your eyes and imagine being dropped off in a country you’ve never been to before, where you don’t speak the language and where you couldn’t read the signs to help you – this is not a movie script, this is my reality!  But I reminded myself that at one point, all those things that are now so comfortable were new and foreign themselves.  With that in mind, and loving the prospect of a new adventure, I was excited about making Stockholm our home. 

This is Sweden, I told myself – by all accounts, a progressive, open-minded, tolerant and forward-thinking country.  Sweden, one of the signatories on to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and a country where the government truly takes care of its citizens.  This will definitely be  a wonderful, new experience!  Plus, the research we did online seemed to indicate that we would have no problem bringing my guide dog along.  As you can guess, my yellow Labrador Zorro is really the only eyes I have, and I certainly couldn’t just leave him at home!

Largely, that research and preparation paid off.  Sure, there’s always the matter of getting used to new surroundings and the like, but things were going quite well.  That is, until I hit my “Back to the Future” moment - the discriminating behavior towards guide dogs for the blind.  I have been a guide dog handler for 10 years.  I have traveled internationally and domestically with both my guide dogs in those years. 

I’d like to explain the strong, special and unique bond between a handler and their guide dog.  My complete trust and safety are in his four, little paws.  Working with a guide dog has enhanced my mobility exponentially – I no longer run into objects in my path.  It is such a freeing experience and makes me feel like I’m gliding smoothly with ease.  Freedom, independence, confidence and safety are just a few of the gifts that my guide dog Zorro gives me every day.  Zorro and I have a special partnership; through this power of partnership we navigate new areas and learn new routes.  For example, after just one visit, Zorro learned where Hemkop and Coop are and how to safely get to the Zinkensdamm station and onto the T-Bana!

Don’t get me wrong; we have been welcomed in Sweden on public transit, shops, movie theaters and grocery stores.  However, we have been very unwelcome at several restaurants and cafes.  The reasons have varied from “no dogs allowed” to concerns over allergies, but either way I was shocked to feel the tone shift from warm and welcoming to uncomfortable dismissal!  I’ve been told to sit outside or to leave a restaurant completely.  How could I have stepped back into a time where it’s acceptable to deny a disabled person access to a location?  This is not a nostalgic experience like a classic movie, it is an awful, humiliating and degrading experience that is woefully out of step with how people should be treated.

Even though under Swedish law, guide dog teams have the right to enter any public establishment, it excludes restaurants and cafes.  The restaurant/cafe owner must give consent.  You can only imagine how humiliating it is to ask for consent like a beggar.  To allow someone the legal right to discriminate against another human being in modern, 21st century Sweden just doesn’t make sense to me.  Apparently, it is not considered discrimination because it is just refusing the guide dog and not the handler.  Clearly, this excuse is flawed – my guide dog is an extension of me and we are a team, thus, it is discrimination towards the blind handler. 

To be turned away or asked to sit outside when no one else is asked to do so makes you feel like a “second class citizen” and less of a person.  History has shown that ”separate but equal” is a failure both as legal doctrine and as a way of dealing with the qualities that make us all unique.  That restaurant owner or manager just took my dignity away.  My choice of where I want to go or what I want to do has been taken away from me, solely due to my need for assistance from a guide dog to make it around in the world.

One reason given is that we cannot sit inside because the Swedish Department of Health and Safety won’t allow it.  This is false.  The Swedish Department of Health and Safety does allow all assistance animals in restaurants and cafes - here is their official agreement, which I carry with me:

Ledarhunden är en tjänstehund. Det betyder att den får vara på platser och i lokaler där andra hundar inte får vistas. En synskadad person som använder ledarhund får, enligt livsmedelsverkets vägledning hygien 5.7.9.3 samt dagligvaruhandels branchriktlinjer 4.9.7, komma in i restauranger och affärer. Statens Livsmedelsverk har en regel som tillåter detta. (SLV FS 2000:24) Ägaren behöver inte vara orolig för att det ska bli problem för personer som har hundallergi. Personen som använder ledarhund och den person som har hundallergi löser eventuella problem tillsammans.

And yet we are still denied access. 

I’ve also been told that an available table is too close to the kitchen.  Well, my guide dog sits under the table and out of the way - most people never even notice him.  As long as we are not in the kitchen, proximity is not a problem.  Proximity may be an issue for pets, but a guide dog is not a pet – it is a service/assistance animal and my assistive technology of choice.  Plus, let’s face it - I don’t want to be in the kitchen!  If I did, I’d cook at home!

Another excuse I’ve heard is that someone might have dog allergies.  Well, I do not dispute that point, but why should their rights be more important than mine or any other guide dog team, or for that matter, any other disabled patron?  This isn’t a battle of “who is more disabled”.  People with dog allergies are all around us, not only in restaurants and cafes.  Again, let me emphasize that guide dog teams are allowed in all other public establishments and on public transit, where open space can be at a premium.  Common sense dictates that they are more likely to come into contact with someone who has a pet with dander or fur on their clothes than be in a restaurant or café with a guide dog team – there are only approximately 300 guide dog teams in all of Sweden.   In many cases, the person with a dog allergy can carry necessary medication with them if they have an allergic reaction.   Unfortunately, myself and other guide dog handers cannot take medication to alleviate blindness. But more importantly, there is also an official agreement put forth by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association, which agrees that neither disability trumps the other, and that in the very rare case where an allergy sufferer and a guide dog team were in the same location, they agree that the parties will work to amicably resolve the situation.

(Insert statement here: http://www.srf.nu/vad-gor-srf-for-mig/ledarhundar/allergiker/)

And yet, we are still being denied access. 

Lastly, I’ve heard that no dogs of any kind are allowed.  I can understand if the restaurant or café does not allow pet dogs.  As I mentioned previously, guide dogs are not pets, they are working dogs and have a very specific job.  Even though I’m from Los Angeles, my guide dog is not my pet or fashion statement.  My guide dog helps me get around this world by stopping at curbs, finding lifts, stopping at stairs, finding entrances/exits, keeping me walking in a straight line, finding an empty chair, guiding me around obstacles in my path, keeping me safe around traffic and so much more.  Asking me to leave my guide at home or outside is an impractical and untenable requirement.  First of all, I may not be near my home and remember, we are a team and Zorro is an extension of me.  That type of demand would be akin to asking the elderly person using a walker or the person in a wheelchair to leave their mobility equipment outside, Would these same people be asked to dine outside because their walker or wheelchair has dirt on its wheels and might get the floor dirty?  

Unfortunately, this whole sequence of events makes me feel like not going out anymore.  What a sad change from only a month ago.  We are all part of this world together, able-bodied or disabled, and the more we understand and have compassion for each other, the better.  Let’s not be shortsighted - excuse the pun - and help one set of people while discriminating against another.

There are many European and North American countries with stronger guide dog laws that include anti-discrimination.  These laws make it illegal to deny service or ask a guide dog team to sit in a different area.  Some of these countries include Australia, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Italy, Malta, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States.

That’s not to say it’s perfect in those countries for guide dog teams; there is always education to be done.  But, the major difference is that the law is on the guide dog handler’s side.  Back home, I carry the laws with me and if this type of discrimination occurs, I can show them the law and politely advise that their denial of service or access is illegal.  It is time for more education about what a guide dog is and what it can do and the years of training these amazing guide dogs go through.  I and other guide dog teams are ready to help and educate!  But that is only one part of the solution.

Ironically, after discussing this issue with many Swedes, they are shocked to hear this – they too call it discrimination.  From their understanding, guide dogs are allowed everywhere, so where is the disconnect?  How can we allow these scenes of discrimination to continue to play out, like the very worst of bad movies?  I plead with the Swedish government to close this loophole in the law.  I and all other guide dog teams are not asking for special treatment.  We are simply asking to be treated with the same respect and dignity any other paying customer receives.  All we are asking is for equality, especially in the eyes of the Swedish government and laws.  Let us end these nightmarish scenes and move on to a happy ending for all involved.

[blindgirlblog]

Gamla Stan

I finally woke my mom up around 11 AM.  I was letting her sleep in as much as possible, but David advised me to wake her, so she can start adjusting to the time difference.  Poor thing, she was wiped out and had no idea how late it was!

We took our time to get ready and headed out to Gamla Stan, the "old city".  Full of narrow cobblestone streets, surrounded by old buildings - she loved it! :)  Unfortunately, my mom got to experience guide dog discrimination first hand! :(  We were hungry, so I told her to pick whichever restaurant she wanted for a late lunch/early dinner.  She found one and as we walked in, right away, I was told that I had to leave Zorro outside.  Both my mom and I explained that he is my guide dog and that I'm blind, Zorro is not a pet.  Again, we were met with the answer of "I'm sorry but no dogs of any kind."  I proceeded to tell them that it is discrimination and they just smiled at us apologetically and would not allow us inside!  I felt miserable :(  My mom couldn't dine at the restaurant of her choice because of her blind daughter that uses a guide dog! :(  Thanks again Sweden for allowing such discrimination to be legal!!

We found another restaurant and this time the reason for not allowing us to dine inside was due to "people with allergies".  Even though again, I tried to explain that if someone has allergies, they do not have more rights than I do as a blind person with a guide dog and they can sit away from us.  Nope, we were asked to sit outside.  Not wanting to ruin the whole day and have to do this who knows how many more times, we ended up sitting outside.  I really hate giving in like this but for my mom, I just wanted to have a nice meal and not continue arguing with every restaurant.  OK, Minister of Integration and Discrimination - how much longer must this go on?!

It was chilly outside and we were the only people sitting outside, but I tried not to focus on that and enjoy the time with my mom :)  We took our time and enjoyed the atmosphere.  After that, we walked around and found the Royal Palace.  It was already closed so we followed the sounds of a band playing.  Sorry David, by the time we got to the square, they had stopped playing the themes to Superman and Star Wars! :)  It was the Royal Swedish Navy Cadet Band performing a free concert, so we found a seat and enjoyed the music, click here for a short video.  After the concert, we sat for awhile just enjoying the night :)

We decided to head home and I realized that I knew how to get here, but not sure on the train to get home!  Even though I asked, no O&M was offered to help me get oriented around Stockholm upon my arrival.  We asked and yup, we were in the wrong area!  As we got to the correct platform, there was a train already waiting so Zorro and I immediately get on.  But, my mom was just a second behind us and the doors closed on her - she was on the platform and Zorro and I were in the train!  Oh no!!  The train takes off and after the 2nd stop, I realize that I'm on the wrong train!  Zorro and I exit and a kind, young woman helped us get on the correct train.  So, Zorro and I make it home, only to find my mom hadn't made it yet.  I kept trying to call her, but the calls wouldn't go through :(  We went outside again and there was my mom waiting in front of our building! :)  I was so proud of her!!  She asked and figured out which train to take and got home safely.  She is extremely shy, so that was a big challenge for her - in a foreign country, doesn't speak the language and had only been on the public transit a couple of times!!  She was practically in tears, not because of her situation, but worried about me, HA!  I told her that it was good for both of us - I had never taken the train by myself and worked throuh getting lost :)

Talk about having an adventure, HA! ;)

[blindgirlblog]

Swedish Discrimination Strikes Again

My mom is coming to visit for a week, yay!  I'm trying to plan where to visit, where to go, etc...It's her first time in Europe and I'd love to make it memorable :)

So, I found a day cruise that takes you around the archipelagos and stops at various islands, cool!  It's called the Thousand Island Cruise.  When I tried to book it, I was told that I could not bring Zorro, my guid dog with me! :(  I explained that he was not a pet and they triple checked but the answer was still no.  Their explanation was that because they serve lunch and dinner and people might have allergies!!  Even though I explained the agreements from the Swedish Department of Health and Safety plus the Asthma and Allergy Association, it proved useless.  I got the standard answer of, "I understand but it's policy, I'm sorry."

That is so patronizing!!  You do not understand what's it's like to be discriminated against because of your disability!!  I was so angry and depressed yesterday :(  Do you have any idea the immense guilt I feel?  Here I am trying to show my mom the best time ever and one of the most beautiful parts of Sweden, but I can't!  She won't be able to experience it because she has a duaghter who is blind that uses a guide dog! :(  I feel miserable!  I know my mom won't mind because she is that kind of parent who truly just wants to spend time with us and doesn't care what we do.

I can hear people trying to tell me to just take another cruise, one that is shorter that doesn't serve food - that's not the point!!   My choice has been taken away from me!  Plus, I will not give this company, Strömma, any of my money?!  Why should I enable them to continue these discriminatory practices?  I know it's legal, but it's not ethical!  Will my boycott make a difference?  I doubt it.  If the Swedish government doesn't care about it's disabled citizens, why should a Swedish tour/cruise company care about one disabled tourist?

[blindgirlblog]

More Guide Dogs and Ikea

Last Saturday, I had made plans to meet up with some of the guide dog handlers that I had met last month for Swedish fika.  David, Zorro and I took the T-Bana and yes, we did get a bit lost.  We exited the station at the other end, but we found our group of friends :)  We were happy to meet another guide dog handler, Elisabeth with her German Shepard, Gosan.  We sat outside and enjoyed the bit of sun peeking through the clouds :)  It was fun seeing them again and meeting new friends!  Elisabeth told me that she's been a guide dog handler since the 1980's and actually felt that access was easier back then than it is now!  I was so surprised to hear this!  She said things got more restrictive and difficult in the 1990's - maybe a shift in the government, not sure.  Usually you'd think that things would have gotten better not worse through the years!  Interesting...

Through the different topics we kept jumping around about - there is no specific School for the Blind in Sweden, all kids are mainstreamed, similarities on stereotypes about people who are blind - I was extremely disheartened to learn how difficult it is to gain accessible media for those pursuing higher education!! Ida told me that she dropped out from pursuing her degree in Social Work because the University was not willing to make the coursework accessible!!  It was so challenging that she was so far behind and the help was practically non-existant! :(  Now, I was so supset!!  I was under the impression that all these devices were handed out pretty easily, but maybe it's more difficult to get specific textbooks, etc in an alternate format.  Here's another story for SVT, let's bring awareness!!

OK, I wasn't able to get more information because we had to wrap up after chatting for a few hours!  But, they were shocked to hear that I relieve Zorro on concrete and pick up after him!  It all started when they were telling me that the trainer comes to their home and leaves the new guide dog with them after the first day!  I was confused because I said how do you clean up after them if you are a new guide dog handler?  They couldn't understand - there is so much "forest" around, that they always relieve their dogs on grass and do not have to pick up after them!  What?!  I think we all thought each other's guide dog relieving protocols were strange, HA! ;)  Zorro has relieved on grass here and there but I still pick it up - got to love how cultural differences even exist with our guides :)

Oh and guide dogs are not trained to go on escalators.  When we had gone to a store with Crystal and Fredrick, we realized that the elevator was out of service.  So, the escalator had been stopped and we walked up the escalator.  Funny that Zorro was a bit confused that it wasn't moving but he still did a bit of a hop when we got to the top, HA! ;)  Time to begin saying goodbye, wow, it's hitting us now, time in Sweden is really wrapping up!  Pictured below: Elisabeth with Gosan, Zorro and I, Crystal with Bella and Ida with Lana

Sunday we decided to check out the largest Ikea in Sweden - it started here, why not?! ;)  So, we took the T-Bana the opposite direction for the first time, kind of cool!  So, we exited and tried to figure out where the bus stop was.  It was pretty confusing, but we eventually found it.  We weren't the only ones confused, once we got to the bus stop, all these people kept checking the maps and going back and forth, trying to figure out which bus island to stand in.  One of the buses we were looking for appeared and we took it 2 stops.  It drops you off right in front of the Ikea.  As we got to the entrance, David noticed a sign about dogs, allergies and guide dogs.  So, he took out his Swedish dictionary to try and decipher it - what we figured was that no dogs are allowed due to allergies except guide dogs - awesome!! :) Yay, Zorro is welcome in Ikea and their restaurant, go Ikea!! Well, I can tell you for a fact, there is nothing majorly different.  Maybe the only thing I could think of, is that the layout here is in concentric circles while back in LA, it's moe spread out.  The restaurant is much larger too.  But overall, it's Ikea, so you're not missing anything! ;)  Plus, we confirmed that at least 90% of our current apartment has been furnished by Ikea!

When we got outside, we ran into Ida and Lana!  So, is Sweden a small country or is it a small world? ;)  We caught our bus and back home we went.  Isn't it funny how the way back always seems so much faster than the way there?!  Zorro was awesome on all the public transit, of course!  After being home for a couple of hours, it starts to seriously rain with thunder and lightening!  Well, I can safely say that "June Gloom" is an international phenomenon! ;)

[blindgirlblog]

The piece will air tonight on SVT2 "Aktuellt" at 21:00 (9 PM).  In the interim, the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired has mentioned it on their website...