EOC issues practical guide for guide dogs

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) on Thursday said it issued a practical guide to foster greater acceptance of guide dogs and their users with visual impairments in society. The EOC conducted interviews with four guide dog users in October last year, and it found that some interviewees experienced disrespectful acts, such as being rejected from entering some premises. Guide dog user Koonie Chan said many people had misunderstandings about guide dogs, and more education was needed. "They can't differentiate whether it's guide dog or a pet dog... I got really frustrated. I asked [the waiters], and they said 'You can’t come in because you got a dog'," she said. The EOC said people were allowed to bring their guide dogs into places like restaurants, MTR trains and franchised buses, but there’s no legal protection to ensure guide dogs could enter premises like schools and workplaces. But the EOC's executive director Ferrick Chu said public awareness should be further enhanced, before making any moves to improve existing legislation. "Because of low awareness, because of misunderstanding, the better way to do it is through public education... [Whether] it's necessary to write another piece of legislation to extend protection, I think it's up to the community and the legislature," he said. There are currently more than 50 trained guide dogs in service in Hong Kong, and the EOC said some universities are looking into using robotic guide dogs to help people with visual impairments.