[IRLGuideDogs] Fw: Spending Areas in Dublin Airport for Guide Dogs

  • From: "Audrey Tormey" <atormey@xxxxxx>
  • To: "guidedog-egroup" <irlguidedogs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 10:48:00 +0100

Hi There Guide Dog Owners, & indeed anyone interested in "access issues" for
those of us with guide dogs!
This is a response of an email Neil Ashworth sent to me in response to my
strong thoughts on "spending areas" for our dogs in airports, and other
transport venues:

I'd be interested in hearing other peoples' views and hopefully, you could
also contact Neil Ashworth so as he can bring to any talks with the relevant
authorities your experiences, opinions, etc.

With thanks

Audrey Tormey
----- Original Message -----
From: "Neil Ashworth" <neil@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Audrey Tormey" <atormey@xxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 8:29 AM
Subject: RE: Spending Areas in Dublin Airport for Guide Dogs


Hi Audrey,

I agree there should ideally be designated areas but at some airports
this is not always practical. I am due to attend a meeting with Dublin
Airport Authority and also Cork Airport Authority in the near future and
I will be addressing this issue along with the need for improved low
vision awareness training for airport personnel and a better
understanding of the needs of blind and visually impaired people and in
particular guide dog owners.

I have worked with a number of airport authorities in the UK and a
variety of solutions were found to this problem, not always a
'designated' spending area as we would understand it but a workable
situation which provides the opportunity for the dog to relieve in a
safe area prior to and after a flight into the airport. This is often a
leash relief situation at larger airports with a large number of
arrival/departure gates or at an airport where space or security is an
issue. However, with the new European legislation protecting the 'Rights
of Passengers with Reduced Mobility when Travelling by Air' there is a
framework in place which allows organisations like IGDB to address our
clients transport needs more actively.

As I am fairly new to Ireland I would appreciate any information or
experience you might have had in order to pass these on during my
discussions and any suggestions you might also have for improvements in
this area and indeed other areas of transport.

Hope this answers your question for now. Feel free to pass this reply
onto the guide dog list and if I can do any more for now please let me
know.

Kind regards,
Neil.

-----Original Message-----
>From: Audrey Tormey [mailto:atormey@xxxxxx]
Sent: 16 May 2006 18:46
To: Neil Ashworth
Subject: Spending Areas in Dublin Airport for Guide Dogs


Hi Neil,

I am emailing you to see if you could pass on feedback to me as a GDO in
terms of designated "spending areas" for our dogs in airports, and in
particular in Dublin airport! I have already posted my sentiments to the
guide dog list, and to date, there has been no feedback on this topic
from staff of IGDB in regard to this potential problematic issue for
those of us who travel with guide dogs.  I understand due to the fact
that there is no "designated grass area" for our dogs "to spend",  we
are expected to find our way to the car-park and allow our dogs "get
busy" there! this I feel is both dangerous, impractical, and jeopardises
both GDO and working dog.  I feel there is a responsibility of
organisations such as IGDB to provide advocacy and liaise with service
providers to make it easier to access services.

I look forward to a response from iGDB in the near future:

Yours faithfully,


Audrey Tormey





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