Japanese People with Vision Disabilities Rate their Experiences with Information Resources Pertaining to Guide Dogs

This study investigated the experiences of men and women with vision disabilities knowing about and participating in information programs provided by guide dog organisations; and investigated the way information programs affect people’s perceptions and attitudes towards guide dogs in Japan where people are hesitant to acquire a guide dog. The results suggest that the information programs had been widely publicised and were familiar to participants. Younger women were the most experienced with and positive toward guide dogs and older women the least. However, nearly one third of the participants were not satisfied with the amount of information they had acquired about guide dogs. Information programs need to be more accessible, especially to people interested in acquiring a guide dog.