[Wasagdu] Sunset the CA Guide Dog Board

[Debby Phillips]

It's about time! I hope they get rid of that stupid board. See you later back thanks for sending this along period

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 25, 2017, at 6:39 AM, Becky Frankeberger via WASAGDU <wasagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> April 21, 2017
> Dear Assembly Member -
> Guide Dogs for the Blind, the largest guide school in North America and
> correspondingly the largest guide school in California, urges you to vote
> "NO" on
> AB 1705, which would extend the term of the California State Board of Guide
> Dogs
> for
> the Blind for another four years. The California State Board of Guide Dogs
> for the
> Blind
> is a regulatory body created by the Legislature in 1947. It was established
> at a
> time
> when guidance and regulation of guide dog school programs in the State of
> California
> was deemed necessary. The stated purpose of the Board is the public
> protection of
> guide dog users in California.
> Our clients and other guide dog consumers in the State of California, many
> of whom
> have contacted you directly, are clear that they do not want or feel they
> need the
> State
> Board.
> In addition, the State Board places an undue burden on the guide dog
> schools
> in
> California. With the passing of SB 1331, schools from outside of California
> can operate
> within the State unregulated. The justification for this is that the
> schools
> are
> certified
> through the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF), globally considered
> the highest
> standard any guide dog program can attain. All three guide dog schools in
> California
> are certified through IGDF, thereby meeting the requirements for safe and
> appropriate
> instruction and protection put forth to all consumers through SB1331.
> Guide dog schools within California are required to pay substantial fees to
> the Board
> as
> a requirement of operation within the State. However, SB 1331 has exempted
> schools
> outside the State that are IGDF certified from paying fees or having to
> qualify in
> order to
> operate within the State. We believe that this is an undue burden on
> California schools
> and penalizes us relative to our out-of-state counterparts.
> Guide Dogs for the Blind pays approximately 80% of all of the fees paid to
> the Board.
> Last year we were required to pay $124,000, not including individual
> licensing fees
> or
> renewals. This is a significant amount of money for a non-profit to pay,
> particularly
> because we also pay fees to be IGDF certified and are being held to a
> higher
> standard
> through IGDF than that of the State Guide Dogs for the Blind Board.
> SB1331 clearly states that the Board does not represent all guide dog users
> in
> California, but only those who have graduated from a California guide dog
> school.
> This
> distinction places responsibility on the consumer to pick a California
> school if
> they want
> the protection of the Board - this limits options for the consumer as well
> as further
> diluting the mission of the Board because the State Board protects only a
> subset
> of
> guide dog users within California.
> In conclusion, we believe that the California State Guide Dogs for the
> Blind
> Board
> is
> redundant and should be sunsetted. The quality of the guide dog industry is
> determined
> and enforced through the IGDF, not through the California State Guide Dog
> Board.
> The
> IGDF has a much broader reach within California because they oversee and
> protect
> every guide dog handler within the State who has chosen to receive services
> from
> an
> IGDF accredited school. The State Board only protects those consumers from
> California-based schools. No other state has a board, and we are unaware of
> any
> evidence that non-California, IGDF-certified guide dogs schools perform
> significantly
> worse with respect to their instruction than IGDF-certified California
> schools.
> We, therefore, urge you to vote "NO" on AB 1705.
> Sincerely,
> Christine Benninger
> President and CEO
> Guide Dogs for the Blind
> 
> Becky Frankeberger
> Butterfly Knitting
> -  Ponchos
> -  Afghans
> -  Shawls
> -  Custom Knitting
> 360-426-8389
> becky at butterflyKnitting.com
> 
> www.butterflyknitting.com 
> 
> 
> 
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