Chief Executive Officer’s message
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT recently celebrated one of the most important events in our annual calendar - International Guide Dog Day, on 28 April.
We used this day to highlight an important issue that emerged during our recent survey of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT clients. The research showed that 89% of working Guide Dogs have experienced distractions like patting and feeding from members of the public, and 88% of Guide Dog users have had their dog disturbed and even attacked by unleashed pet dogs.
It is understandable that people are drawn to Guide Dogs; they're cute and they do an amazing job. But we want the public to understand that if they distract a Guide Dog, it reduces its capacity to do what it is trained to do.
With International Guide Dog Day behind us, we are now firmly refocused on assisting even more people with vision impairment - whether through our community education programs or our Orientation and Mobility services. As always, we rely on your help to continue providing these services.
Thank you for your generous support of our organisation. You are making a big difference to the lives of people who have impaired vision.
Graeme White
Chief Executive Officer