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Please circulate the following message as widely as appropriate.<br>
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<br>
July 1, 2020<br>
<br>
The National Federation of the Blind is committed to securing the rights
of all blind individuals, including those at the intersection of
blindness and mental health. As a division of the National Federation of
the Blind, the National Association of Guide Dog Users represents the
interests of those who choose to use a guide dog as one of their tools of
independent mobility. When a blind person is denied training by a guide
dog program due to a previous diagnosis of a mental illness, we feel
obligated to Act!<br>
<br>
The National Association of Guide Dog Users has been contacted by two
individuals screened out from training by Southeastern Guide Dogs due to
their publicly published policy automatically disqualifying individuals
from application due to a list of mental health conditions. One of these
individuals is a licensed attorney who disclosed a previous diagnosis of
bipolar disorder when applying to the state bar, was vetted by the bar,
and deemed fit to practice law in the state. This person was preparing to
retire a 12-year-old owner-trained guide dog and thought Southeastern
Guide Dogs Would be a good fit because their parents live in Bradenton.
The second is an office manager of a very busy three-office ophthalmology
practice. After being denied training by Southeastern Guide Dogs due to a
previous diagnosis of bipolar disorder, this person received a guide dog
from Freedom Guide Dogs and has been working as a successful team for
nearly three years.<br>
<br>
Just as I believe a guide dog may not be the best choice for every blind
person, I also believe that there are mental health conditions that might
preclude someone from being a good guide dog user. However, there are
many factors to be considered when making that decision, a process known
as an individualized assessment. (Please see the excerpt from federal law
concerning this cited below.) This is very different than what
Southeastern Guide Dogs calls automatic disqualification. This will
likely be a topic for a future Braille Monitor article. You can view the
entire list of disqualifying conditions on Southeastern’s official page
<br>
<br>
(http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/309633/Southeastern-Guide-Dogs-Guide-Dog-Application
<br>
<br>
Southeastern Guide Dogs is fully aware of our objection to this policy
and our belief that this policy violates Title III of the Americans with
Disabilities Act. On June 15, I sent an email message to Titus Herman,
Southeastern Guide Dogs’ chief executive officer, citing specific
sections of the Act. This message closed with the following
statement:<br>
<br>
“The National Association of Guide Dog Users strongly urges Southeastern
Guide Dogs to modify their policies, practices, and procedures
automatically disqualifying blind individuals with mental health
disorders from applying for and receiving a guide dog from your
organization. Within our membership, we have experts on mental illness
and the law who can help Southeastern Guide Dogs craft sound, effective
policies that respect the dignity of the individual while complying with
state and federal law should you need such expertise. I am open to
discussing this issue further with you or your representative(s). We
would appreciate a response to our concerns by June 30, 2020.”<br>
<br>
As
recently as June 22, we brought this up to Susan Wilburn, Southeastern
Guide Dogs’ Director of Admissions and Graduate Services. Ms. Wilburn
stated the disorders listed on their website had been reviewed by a
psychiatrist. I mentioned our concern again and advised I had written to
Mr. Herman and John Compton, Southeastern’s board secretary and an
attorney. As of this writing, I have had no response.<br>
<br>
<a name="OLE_LINK26"></a>
Guide
dog training programs are places of public accommodation as defined by
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Mental illness can be
considered a disability under the Act. Discrimination is defined, in
part, as “the <a name="OLE_LINK27"></a>imposition or application of
eligibility criteria that screen out or tend to screen out an individual
with a disability or any class of individuals with disabilities from
fully and equally enjoying any goods, services, facilities, privileges,
advantages, or accommodations, unless such criteria can be shown to be
necessary for the provision of the goods, services, facilities,
privileges, advantages, or accommodations being offered”. 42 USC
12182(b)(1)(i). <br>
<br>
If you or someone you know has been denied training by Southeastern Guide
Dogs or any other guide dog training program due to a previous diagnosis
of a mental health condition, we would like to hear from you. The
information we receive will be kept strictly confidential in compliance
with state law and codes of ethics. , so you will remain anonymous.
Please contact us in whatever format you feel most comfortable<br>
<br>
Advocacy Help Line: (202) 573-8582<br>
Confidential Email: advocacy@nagdu.org<br>
<br>
National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc. (NAGDU)<br>
National Federation of the Blind<br>
(202) 573-8582<br>
Advocacy@NAGDU.ORG<br>
<a href="http://nagdu.org/">Visit our website</a><br>
<a href="http://twitter.com/nagdu">Follow us on Twitter</a><br>
<br>
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise
expectations because low expectations create barriers between blind
people and our dreams. You can live the life you want! Blindness is not
what holds you back.<br>
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