[nagdu] [nfbwatlk] press release concerning proposed guide dog legislationin British Columbia

[Debby Phillips]

Hi all, I'm forwarding this because it has some great information 
and comments, and there is contact info for the Canadian 
Federation at the bottom.  Hope this helps.    Debby

 ---- Original Message ------
From: Mary ellen via nfbwatlk <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nfbwatlk] press release concerning proposed guide dog 
legislationin British Columbia
Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 2015 17:56:04 -0700













Bill 17 Barking Up the Wrong Tree





Bill 17 as currently written would shift the focus from 
protecting access
rights for people using guide dogs to catching impostors at the 
expense of
law-abiding blind individuals, according to the Canadian 
Federation of the
Blind.



"Taxis often won't take us," says Graeme McCreath of Victoria, 
who has
frequently been refused service because he is accompanied by his 
guide dog
Adrienne.  " We wanted the province to clarify and strengthen 
enforcement of
our access rights.  Instead, they're forcing us to jump through 
more
bureaucratic hoops and creating the false presumption that we are
perpetrating fraud until we prove otherwise.



Oriano Belusic, first vice-president of the Canadian Federation 
of the Blind
and a guide dog user for more than 35 years, is waiting to see 
what the
legislature does before deciding whether to replace his dog, 
Hillie, who
recently died.  "I love the speed and ease of movement I have 
always had
with my dogs, but it's not worth it if every shopkeeper, 
restauranteur and
cab driver can demand to see my credentials.  Current law 
presumes I have a
right to go about my business.  Bill 17 will force me to prove, 
over and
over again, that I have rights.  Proponents say certification is 
like a
driver's license, but it's not; the police only ask to see a 
license when a
driver appears to be doing something illegal.  This bill would 
mean that
anybody could demand to see my certification before they even let 
me in the
door."



The Federation estimates there are approximately 80 guide dogs in 
the
province.  "We haven't encountered problems with people 
pretending to be
blind in order to bring phony guide dogs into public places," 
Belusic
states.  "For guide dog users, this proposal is a draconian 
solution to a
nonexistent problem."



Dr.  Paul Gabias, a blind university professor in Kelowna who has 
trained six
guide dogs, knows certification offers no protection for the 
public against
badly behaved dogs.  "Certification only proves that a team 
worked correctly
on the day the certification was issued.  I've seen people from 
fully
accredited schools who have ruined dogs.  I've seen dogs whose 
work has
deteriorated because of trauma.  I've also seen privately trained 
dogs that
have worked beautifully.  The law already requires that dogs be 
kept under
control at all times and permits any business to remove a badly 
behaved
guide dog."



"Why is the province punishing us for the behavior of impostors 
without
disabilities?" asks McCreath.  "Why not make it an offense to 
misrepresent a
pet as a service dog, require community service for violators, 
and leave our
access rights intact?  That's simpler, much cheaper, and far more 
just than
creating a new bureaucracy."



Gabias agrees.  "People determined to commit fraud will find ways 
to fake
certification documents," he says.  "I would much rather tolerate 
a few bad
actors than impinge upon access rights."



"There are some very fine access improvements in Bill 17," says 
Belusic.
"Even so, if the focus isn't changed from catching phonies to 
protecting
blind people, we'll be better off if it does not pass."



Contacts



Oriano Belusic

First Vice President

Canadian Federation of the Blind

(250) 598-7154

Oriano at cfb.ca



Graeme McCreath

(250) 479-2679

andrewmccreath at shaw.ca



Paul Gabias, Ph.D.

(250) 491-7256

pgabias at gabiaswellness.com



About the Canadian Federation of the Blind



The Canadian Federation of the Blind (CFB) is a grassroots 
nonprofit
organization made up of blind people working together and 
supporting one
another to improve the quality of lives of the blind in Canada.  
The CFB's
goal is not only to change and improve the quality of blind 
Canadians'
lives, but also to educate sighted Canadians by changing the 
negative stigma
that society has attached to blindness.

The CFB is unique because it involves blind people teaching other 
blind
people, builds on the individual strengths of each blind person, 
and teaches
that blindness does not have to define an individual.

The organization consists of members from a diverse range of 
cultural and
professional backgrounds, ages and ethnicities, and has a wealth 
of
experience and information about blindness to share with the 
public.

CFB programs are determined by membership vote and directed by an 
elected
executive.  All voting members, including all members of the 
executive, are
blind.







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