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GDUI presents our Information Center, the place to find helpful facts, interesting presentations and answers to all those questions you're just dying to ask us! If you have information you would like considered for placement on this page, e-mail us by clicking here.
This section of the Info Center features tips and news on traveling with your guide dog. Check in often as we will add tips and news frequently.
ADVOCACY COMMITTEE MAKES A DIFFERENCE!
Have you ever been told that you must get a health certificate for your guide dog to fly on a domestic flight in the US? Those days are gone, thanks to the work of the GDUI Advocacy Committee. Kevin Chinn and his committee worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to include the wording below on its web site under rules for pets flying in the cabin. Kevin hopes to also get this news included in the FAA's Service Animal Circular when it is rewritten.
From the web site: http://www1.faa.gov/avr/afs/cabinsafety/pets/pets.htm
Can I be sure that there will be no animals on my flight if an airline does not allow pets in the cabin?
No, you can’t be sure. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has rules (14 CFR part 382) that require airlines to allow passengers to fly with their service animals in the cabin on all U.S. airlines. Service animals are not pets. They are working animals that assist persons with disabilities. There is no limit to the number of service animals that can be on any flight. Service animals do not need any health certificates to travel and they do not need to be confined in a container or cage.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is calling on all disability organizations to promote public education about its Toll Free Hotline for air travelers with disabilities through their organization newsletters, list-serves and sponsored events.
The Toll Free Hotline for disabled air travelers has been in operation since August 2002 and is available for callers from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time, seven days a week. It is currently not being fully utilized. The Hotline serves two main purposes: (1) education and (2) assistance in resolving disability-related air travel problems.
* Many disabled air travelers are not aware of their rights and the Hotline, in part, exists as an educational service to inform air travelers with disabilities about their rights under the Air Carrier Access Act and the Department's implementing regulations 14 CFR Part 382 (Part 382). Hotline operators are well versed in the ACAA and Part 382 and can provide callers with on the spot general information about the rights of air travelers with disabilities. The Hotline operators also respond to requests for printed consumer information about air travel rights of the disabled.
** The Hotline can also assist air travelers with disabilities in resolving real time or upcoming issues with air carriers. The purpose of "real-time" assistance is to facilitate airline compliance with DOT's rules by suggesting to the passenger and the airline involved alternative customer-service solutions to the problem. The airline remains responsible for deciding what action will be taken to resolve the issue in accordance with the ACAA and Part 382. Generally, if a caller has a real time problem or an upcoming issue with an air carrier, a Hotline Duty Officer will contact that air carrier and attempt to resolve the issue. For example, there have been a number of incidents in which Hotline Duty Officers have contacted air carriers and convinced them to accept service animals and electric wheelchairs on board flights, to stow folding wheelchairs in the cabin, and to provide requested wheelchair assistance.
Air travelers who want information about the rights of persons with disabilities in air travel or who experience disability-related air travel service problems may call the Hotline to obtain assistance at:
1-800-778-4838
(voice) or1-800-455-9880 (TTY).
Air travelers who want DOT to investigate a complaint about a disability-related issue still must submit their complaint in writing via e-mail at:
or postal mail to:
Aviation Consumer Protection Division
U.S. Department of Transportation
400 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
To request flyers promoting the Hotline to distribute to your membership, contact:
(202) 366-1617 (voice) or (202) 366-0511 (TTY).
If you are planning a trip overseas with your Guide dog,
Read Our International Travel Tip Sheet
Download Our International Travel Tip Sheet (English)
Download Our International Travel Tip Sheet (Spanish)
This section features audio files in mp3 format for your downloading and listening pleasure.
Come enjoy our Convention 2002 Audio Archives. Thanks to ACB Radio, we bring you a complete index of the sessions from the 2002 GDUI convention in Houston, Texas.
"Holistic Veterinary Care" was the topic of Dr. w. Jean Dodds at the 1999 GDUI Luncheon in Las Angeles, California. Excerpts from her speech are featured here.
Seeing eye instructor Ralph Malatesta presents information on stress and your dog from the 2001 national convention in des Moines Iowa.
ANNOUNCING GDUI'S FIRST PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!!
Guide Dog Users, Inc. in cooperation with CADO, The Coalition of Assistance Dog Organizations has produced a public service announcement for internet and commercial radio. In an effort to educate people about the role of assistance dogs, this 30-second PSA is free for anyone to download.
Click here to listen and download the new PSA!
GDUI offers a wide array of publications, from general information brochures to a quarterly newsletter. Our Publications Pages will soon contain tables of contents samples and some surprises so stay tuned!
PAWTRACKS
PAWTRACKS is GDUI's quarterly audio magazine. Produced in a 4-track, Library of Congress version and a 2-track, standard speed version for our sighted members, the magazine contains over 4 hours of news from GDUI, articles, interviews and presentations from our affiliates and national conventions. This publication is unique in that it features the voices of our members, reading articles, doing interviews and participating in convention activities. PAWTRACKS serves as a vehicle for advocacy, support and discussion of issues facing guide dog handlers today. And best of all, it's FREE with your annual or life membership!
To learn more about PAWTRACKS, contact Pawtracks Editor: Penny Reeder.
CANINE CONNECTIONS
Canine Connections is a quarterly one-hour show heard on ACB Radio.The show features GDUI members and current happenings, interviews, news from around the world about dogs and our very own twisted sense of guide dog humor. Listen to the Canine Connections demo here!
We have collected GDUI's important documents here for your review. Please visit often as new items are being added.
The GDUI Constitution and Bylaws are presented for all of our members and friends. These documents govern our organization and we encourage you to read them.
POSITION PAPERS:
Read In Public With Our Guide Dogs
Download In Public With Our Guide Dogs (Word Format)
Download In Public With Our Guide Dogs (PDF Format)
Read the Tip Sheet For Law Enforcement Officers
Download the Tip Sheet For Law Enforcement Officers
Position Paper: Definition of Service Animal
Position Paper: Service Animals in the Workplace
CADO Position Paper
Are you thinking about getting a guide dog? Maybe you are doing a report or project for school? We have some helpful pages for you!
Let's start with information about how to get a guide dog. GDUI has a booklet called "MAKING IMPRESSIONS: A Guide for the Prospective Guide Dog Handler." Check it out to help start your journey into a whole new way of life.
Where do you go to receive a guide dog and training? Guide dog training centers are located throughout the United States. GDUI does not recommend any one school over another. We do encourage potential guide dog users to contact several schools and feel free to ask questions about training and follow-up. Most of the guide dog schools also have web sites with a great deal of helpful information for people writing reports or school projects. Visit our Guide dog Schools page for a list of US Guide Dog Schools
"It's not just a good idea. It's the LAW."
People who work with guide dogs and other service animals have specific rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state and local laws. Below are some links to help you learn about these laws.
GDUI State Law Center
This page contains links to all 50 states and their legislative web sites, plus links to federal agencies and other resources.
The American Hotel and Lodging Association's California affiliate has produced 2 videos explaining the rights of people who work with service animals. Members of our California affiliate, Guide Dog Users of California play a key role in these videos as well as participating regularly in the association's trade shows to educate California hotels and restaurants.
Video for Law Enforcement Officers
Video for Hotel & Restaurant Staff
Owner/Trainer: Training Your Own Guide Dog
The Next Journey - The Decision To Euthanize
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