[nagdu] a story about guide dog users' rights in Tennessee

Sherrill O'Brien sherrill.obrien at verizon.net
Fri Jul 26 17:45:10 UTC 2013


What a great, informative and factual article! Such a refreshing change from
the many sappy and inaccurate ones the public too often reads. And it makes
me proud that an article of this caliber is linked to our NAGDU leaders!

Sherrill


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]On Behalf Of Michael
Hingson
Sent: Friday, July 26, 2013 1:34 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users';
'Cagdu'; 'NFB Talk Mailing List'; gdblounge at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [nagdu] a story about guide dog users' rights in Tennessee


Hi all,



I thought you would like to see this article about a change in the Tennessee
law concerning the rights of guide dog users.  It is progress!





Best,





Michael Hingson





Tennessee updates guide dog law, students hope for increased awareness
<http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/ccp/tennessee-updates-guid
e-dog-law-students-hope-for-increased-awareness>

By Stephanie Talmadge
<http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/Stephanie-Talmadge>

@srtalmadge <https://twitter.com/srtalmadge>

USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent


http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/0713-300-d
og.jpg

Courtesy of Stephanie Talmadge

Luke Putney and guide dog Luke on the Belmont University campus.

"It's like being asked to leave my eyeballs [or my 3-year-old] outside,"
says Luke Putney, an incoming freshman at Belmont University, on being told
he can enter an establishment only if he leaves his guide dog tied to a tree
outside.

On July 1, Tennessee passed a law that granted guide dog users access to
essentially any public establishment - without having to provide
documentation - matching the standard in the Americans with Disabilities
Act.

In the 1950s, there were almost no laws regarding access for blind people,
says Michael Hingson, the vice president of the National Association of
Guide Dog Users <http://www.nagdu.org/>  (NAGDU). As awareness about guide
dogs increased, states began to pass laws regarding their restrictions.

By the time the ADA passed in 1990, almost every state had its own laws -
and it has taken more than 20 years for those laws to catch up to federal
standards.

RELATED: Study: More would donate eyes if they knew they could
<http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2013/07/18/eye-donation-does-not-
meet-demand/2553167/>

Though the updated law isn't a drastic change, Putney and Hingson agree it
is a positive step.

"State laws can't violate federal laws, so it is relevant that Tennessee is
making their law in accordance with the federal law," Hingson says. "The
very fact that states have laws, some of which are more stringent and give
more teeth and power to the rights than federal laws, [is] important."

"It's ridiculous that I have to show some special card to get into any place
in Tennessee, [even though I don't really] have to show [anything] because
federal law says I don't," Hingson says.

Putney has been working with NAGDU's new chapter in Nashville, sending out
news releases to businesses to promote awareness "about guide dogs in
general" and educate business owners about the updated law.

Putney was recently asked to present documentation for his guide dog, Jacob,
while checking out at Whole Foods.

"It's kind of humiliating," Putney says.

Julie McGinnity, a guide dog user and recent grad from Webster University,
says public awareness is the biggest problem when it comes to access with
guide dogs - but once she informs people of the law, they understand.

McGinnity was asked to present a card for her dog, Brie, while visiting the
Statue of Liberty a few years ago.

Putney and McGinnity both say, however, they have had little trouble gaining
access for their dogs on college campuses.

"Belmont's been really awesome with accessibility," says Putney, because
there aren't many roads to cross.

McGinnity, who was a vocal performance major, says Brie even performed with
her on several occasions.

In addition to being guide-dog-friendly, many colleges - such as the
University of Georgia and Texas A&M - have programs where students raise
puppies that will become trained guide or service dogs.

Deana Izzo, a field representative for the Guide Dog Foundation for the
Blind, says programs such as those help to familiarize the community with
guide dogs. Izzo says she spends significant time educating students about
these dogs, so they will grow up aware and eventually teach their kids.

The new Tennessee law still requires dog trainers and raisers to present
identification when entering a public establishment. Puppy raisers and
trainers take the dogs into a wide variety of places to expose them to
different social environments and stressors.

Izzo says her puppy raisers have trouble getting access "all the time.
However, over the last 20 years, that aspect of the job has decreased, due
to education."

Izzo recommends to her puppy raisers and graduates to call ahead when they
visit an establishment for the first time, not to get permission, but as a
courtesy. This can be especially helpful when dealing with environments that
may be unfriendly to dogs - such as foreign restaurants or cab companies -
mainly due to custom or religion.

Cab drivers may think "their customs trump my rights," but that's not the
case, Hingson says.

Hingson says he would like to see state laws go further, making access
denial for people with guide dogs a criminal offense
<http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer?pagename=resources_access_statelaw
> , as some states already have.

"That would be a step in the right direction," McGinnity says.

Stephanie Talmadge is a Summer 2013 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent.
Learn more about her here
<http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/Stephanie-Talmadge> .







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