The New VA Law

Regarding the new law pertaining to service dogs in VA buildings:

The estimate is that this new rule regarding VA buildings potentially excludes as much as 85% of the SD community. MOST ADI programs do not train the kinds of "psych" tasks that so many veterans desperately need. This necessitates these veterans, needing dogs so desperately, having NO CHOICE but to OT or go through a non-ADI program. Now, suddenly, their dogs may not (probably won't) be allowed to go to doctor appointments with them at VA Hospitals and Clinics. Undoubtedly, many of these veterans who are in need of medical treatment will no longer go to their various medical appointments solely because they'd have to leave their partners behind. (The military is pretty clear about never leaving your partners behind. Just sayin') We all know that when we don't see our doctors, they eventually won't refill our meds and that if we do not see our psychologists then they can't help us. No meds and no therapy usually leads to suffering and pain. And yes, it is that veteran's choice to not leave behind the partner...perhaps the ONLY living thing that service member honestly believes cares about them and who helps them...just to go into a cold and sterile building to see doctors who don't often offer much kindness or real help. I cannot see how this new policy in ANY way serves Veterans...and isn't that why the VA exists? 

Therapy Dogs International Discriminates Against The Disabled?

Sadly, it would appear so.  How very interesting and sad that a highly-trained service dog cannot also be a TDI therapy dog.  Here's a link to what's going on over at Service Dog Central.  http://servicedogcentral.org/content/node/568  I find this pretty shocking coming from Therapy Dogs International - of all groups?

I suppose it's a little like The National Federation of the Blind now urging a boycott of Goodwill Industries until Goodwill decides to pay their disabled employees AT LEAST minimum wage.  Yes, you read that right.    Goodwill is a non-profit and so they are exempt from minimum wage standards.  Check it out http://www.nfb.org/national-federation-blind-urges-boycott-goodwill-industries

Woof!

The Senseless Death of Guide Dog Quincy

Most people around me are intimately familiar with the untimely death of Guide Dog Quincy last month.  A ProBoneO legal team is working to help handler Bruce Cole and too many people to thank have stepped up to show their support of the enforcement of Scanner's Law in this case.  Scanner's Law is a special law in Florida State that provides special protections for Service Dog Handlers.  Please take the time, if you haven't already, to check out Quincy's Memorial page on Facebook.  We'd appreciate a "Like".  The more Likes we have, the better we can show that this is a serious issue and that the public supports laws that protect service dogs and their handlers.  https://www.facebook.com/QuincyColeGuideDog  Thanks!!!

Really Petaluma, CA?

Got word today that paratransit is trying to require that Service Dogs ride in kennels.  I don't have too many details yet, but really Petaluma?  If any place in the U.S. should have a handle on the laws regarding Service Animals, I'd think it'd be Petaluma.  Guide Dogs for the Blind, Canine Companions for Independence and Bergin U are all within a stone's throw.  *sigh*

OT: Netflix case setting precedent

 As someone with Deaf and HOH friends and family members, I have been watching this case with interest.  While not dog related, it's BIG and most definitely disability-related.

From the SF Chronicle: "

A federal judge has taken a step toward requiring Netflix to provide closed-captioning for the deaf on its video-streaming website, ruling that federal disability laws cover businesses that serve their customers online. 

Netflix, headquartered in Los Gatos, is the dominant provider of movies and TV programs on the Internet, with more than 20 million subscribers. The National Association for the Deaf accused the company of violating the law by withholding closed-captioning from most of the videos on its "Watch Instantly" on-demand website. <snip>

This is huge.  Google it for more information.

Another, similar issue, that's been brought up by some of my friends and clients who rely on captioning involved the "tweet" and "text" messages that some live shows are starting to pop up during their broadcasts. Often this text interferes with the captioning to the point where it is basically useless.  Dear Networks, Is knowing what Pam in St. Louis thinks about some dancer's butt more important than your Deaf/HOH viewers being able to read what it is the judges were saying about the dancer's routine?!?!?!?

/rant

The Quest came today...

I graduated from Bergin University of Canine Studies in December 2012. My copy of the school's newsletter, The Quest, arrived in today's mail.  In it are photos of me and a copy of my graduation speech. I've been threatening to create a blog as another form of social media to use to help keep my friends/colleagues/followers up to date and abreast when it comes to Service Dog issues, laws, cases and legislation.  The passage of a Bill in PA (over ten years in the making) which provides for fantastic civil and criminal protections for service dog handlers lets me start my blog off with a bang!  Thanks go out to Passle and Rep. Evans for their hard work.