Unitl last week, anyone with an assistance dog living in Scotland or the north of England who wished to take their assistance dog abroad had to return to the UK via either Heathrow, Gatwick, Doncaster or Manchester Airports and then continue their journey further north. Not only was this a great inconvenience but meant additional costs.
Glasgow Airport has now joined the list of airports registered with the PETS scheme. Whilst this is great news for all assistance dog partnerships registered with Assistance Dogs UK, both the press articles I have come across appear to be indicating it is for guide dog partnerships only.
The language is confusing ... guide dogs are simply a sub group within the assistance dog movement, so by mentioning them and not mentioning hearing dogs, mobility assistance dogs or medical alert dogs, it rather gives a false picture of the status quo.
It really makes me wonder just how the press get it so consistently wrong ...
Take a look at the articles on the Just The Flight and Cheapflights websites and decide for yourself!
Monday 30 July 2007
Sunday 29 July 2007
Paper talk!
A friend of mine was featured in a newspaper this week with her wonderful assistance dog. It's an inspiring story of how a dog and a person can work together in partnership.
I just wish I could get my head around some of the phraseology though, it always seems to be the same, and rather detracts from the story.
Take the headline for example, the assistance dog is called a pet, which as he is a working dog is rather an insult. Pets, by and large can curl up at home while everything goes on around them, assistance dogs really earn their living. Also, the fact that the reporter used the word tricks to describe Ajs very special and highly trained tasks is rather tacky. The references to Aj as a mutt and pooch are plainly insulting.
What a shame this wonderful dog has been sold short!
I have seen this happen before and have asked a couple of reporters why they do it ... "it's what sells" or some close variation is usually the answer. Are the newspaper reading public really that out of touch that they cannot understand "working dog" instead of mutt and pooch?
I just wish I could get my head around some of the phraseology though, it always seems to be the same, and rather detracts from the story.
Take the headline for example, the assistance dog is called a pet, which as he is a working dog is rather an insult. Pets, by and large can curl up at home while everything goes on around them, assistance dogs really earn their living. Also, the fact that the reporter used the word tricks to describe Ajs very special and highly trained tasks is rather tacky. The references to Aj as a mutt and pooch are plainly insulting.
What a shame this wonderful dog has been sold short!
I have seen this happen before and have asked a couple of reporters why they do it ... "it's what sells" or some close variation is usually the answer. Are the newspaper reading public really that out of touch that they cannot understand "working dog" instead of mutt and pooch?
Thursday 26 July 2007
Today's the Day!
Well today is the day when new European legislation comes into force concerning people with disabilities who wish to travel by air. No longer will it be possible for an airline with Europe to turn someone away by reason of their disability ...
Just recently there have been several well publicised instances where airlines have been very high handed in their treatment of people with disabilities, and for that reason, I welcome this legislation.
Full details can be seen here.
Only articles three and four of the regulation come into force today (26th July 2007) with the entire directive due to be in force in one year on 26th July 2008. There is a fuller explanation of the directive on the website of the European Disability Forum.
Thankfully, I have had a refusal once at the airport but have had some experience of discrimination from a well known holiday firm refusing to carry my assistance dog. Their reason? "Dogs aren't meant to fly!" Yeh, right, tell that to my dog who has accumulated over 50,000 miles in flight!
Just recently there have been several well publicised instances where airlines have been very high handed in their treatment of people with disabilities, and for that reason, I welcome this legislation.
Full details can be seen here.
Only articles three and four of the regulation come into force today (26th July 2007) with the entire directive due to be in force in one year on 26th July 2008. There is a fuller explanation of the directive on the website of the European Disability Forum.
Thankfully, I have had a refusal once at the airport but have had some experience of discrimination from a well known holiday firm refusing to carry my assistance dog. Their reason? "Dogs aren't meant to fly!" Yeh, right, tell that to my dog who has accumulated over 50,000 miles in flight!
Tuesday 24 July 2007
Assistance Dogs need to go to the toilet too you know!
Ok so it is raining. In fact it has been raining for days. So much so that many towns and villages in England are flooded. Thankfully our area isn't too bad and hasn't suffered badly.
Nevertheless it took a few minutes to get garbed up in waterproofs to walk the dog today, and off we went. Practically had the heath to ourselves though, that is until we bumped into a somewhat infrequent visitor there with their dog. "I didn't expect to see you today!" they offered.
"Why ever not?" "I asked,
"Well it's very wet and I thought you would be indoors this weather"
I was stiffling back my laughter and replied "Well assistance dogs do need to go to the toilet too you know, no matter what the weather".
She clarified, "Yes I know that, but what about you in the rain? You'll get wet and you might sink!"
Aaaah, now I was starting to understand where she was coming from but then realised that if she walked her dog in the rain a little more often she would already know that I walk my dog come rain or shine! Thanks to my trusty all terrain Tramper buggy I haven't been caught out yet!
Nevertheless it took a few minutes to get garbed up in waterproofs to walk the dog today, and off we went. Practically had the heath to ourselves though, that is until we bumped into a somewhat infrequent visitor there with their dog. "I didn't expect to see you today!" they offered.
"Why ever not?" "I asked,
"Well it's very wet and I thought you would be indoors this weather"
I was stiffling back my laughter and replied "Well assistance dogs do need to go to the toilet too you know, no matter what the weather".
She clarified, "Yes I know that, but what about you in the rain? You'll get wet and you might sink!"
Aaaah, now I was starting to understand where she was coming from but then realised that if she walked her dog in the rain a little more often she would already know that I walk my dog come rain or shine! Thanks to my trusty all terrain Tramper buggy I haven't been caught out yet!
Friday 20 July 2007
The O2 have seen the light!
Background: Many public entertainment venues offer reduced price or free tickets to essential companions of people with disabilities. This often helps offset poorer seating for the companion or a reduced view, or simply recognition that they will assist the person they are accompanying in case of emergency evacuation and so on. In short it benefits both the venue and the disabled person (who oftentimes ends up paying for the companion ticket as well as their own).
When the O2 phone company bought the Millenium Dome and renamed it as The O2 Arena, I was quite excited. That excitement somewhat waned when I tried to book tickets for a Barbra Streisand concert and learned that not only do they charge wheelchair users full price but also charge full price for essential companions and additionally charge £20 for Blue Badge parking! After learning it would be £250 each and that the wheelchair area was right at the back, it didn't take much thought before we turned down the Streisand tickets. I also phoned customer services and told them that they had priced themselves out of my market and that many people wit disabilities could not afford to pay for a carer / companion and pay for their ticket too. (We subsequently saw Streisand in Manchester for much less)!
A couple of weeks later I booked tickets to see Elton Johns' Red Piano Show also at the O2. Again, full price tickets for wheelchair user and companion. I reluctantly paid up but couldn't help thinking that a company as large as AEG who own O2 doesn't really need to be squeezing people with disabilities like htis, totally out of step with many other major London venues. I've seen one or two similar comments in the disability press recently too.
Earlier today I got a phone call from Ticketmaster, the company that sells the tickets on behalf of the O2. I was surprised and delighted to hear that they have had a policy turnaround and that the money I paid for my companion for the Elton John concert is to be refunded.
Presumably the groundswell of opinion changed their minds somehow, I guess I should have asked about the parking too but was just so excited to be told to expect £110 to be credited to my card I completely forgot!
When the O2 phone company bought the Millenium Dome and renamed it as The O2 Arena, I was quite excited. That excitement somewhat waned when I tried to book tickets for a Barbra Streisand concert and learned that not only do they charge wheelchair users full price but also charge full price for essential companions and additionally charge £20 for Blue Badge parking! After learning it would be £250 each and that the wheelchair area was right at the back, it didn't take much thought before we turned down the Streisand tickets. I also phoned customer services and told them that they had priced themselves out of my market and that many people wit disabilities could not afford to pay for a carer / companion and pay for their ticket too. (We subsequently saw Streisand in Manchester for much less)!
A couple of weeks later I booked tickets to see Elton Johns' Red Piano Show also at the O2. Again, full price tickets for wheelchair user and companion. I reluctantly paid up but couldn't help thinking that a company as large as AEG who own O2 doesn't really need to be squeezing people with disabilities like htis, totally out of step with many other major London venues. I've seen one or two similar comments in the disability press recently too.
Earlier today I got a phone call from Ticketmaster, the company that sells the tickets on behalf of the O2. I was surprised and delighted to hear that they have had a policy turnaround and that the money I paid for my companion for the Elton John concert is to be refunded.
Presumably the groundswell of opinion changed their minds somehow, I guess I should have asked about the parking too but was just so excited to be told to expect £110 to be credited to my card I completely forgot!
The Millenium Dome, as seen from the offices of the Olympic Delivery Agency, 23rd floor, One Churchill Square.
What does it look like?
Here in the U.K. there is a thing called the National Key Scheme . Accessible toilets for people with disabilities are often locked with an NKS key (otherwise known as a R.A.D.A.R. key). Havng recently, albeit temporarily mislaid my key I thought I could do with a spare.I went to the Welcome Centre in my home town to buy a spare. What should have been really straightforward with me signing a declaration about being disabled turned into a really hilarious conversation when the young guy behind the counter asked me "are you disabled?"
So, there I am sitting in my wheelchair, accompanied by Caesar, my assistance dog and the guy wants proof! "I can assure you I am not a fake" I offered, he reddened a bit, qualified his statement and then several other people joined in, "How disabled do you have to be to go to the toilet?" one asked!
The guy was getting more embarrassed by the moment, I was laughing so much I could hardly write my name on the form!
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