State agencies urged to be more open to seeing-eye dogs

Kirin "Sai" Techawongtham, who created a Facebook page about herself and her three-year-old black Labrador, Luther, to raise public awareness about guide dogs, said it was difficult for visually-impaired people to access state offices because officials still did not understand the function of a guide dog and prohibited them from entering public offices. 
“I understand that pets are prohibited from entering public offices in order to avoid disturbance, but a guide dog undergoes intensive training and does not cause any disturbance or property damage. So, I want to call on officials and agencies to open their hearts to guide dogs,” said Kirin, a new psychology graduate from Hendrix College in the US state of Arkansas. 
Manoeuvring roads and footpaths in Thailand is also difficult for the visually impaired due to many obstacles on the ground and overhead, said Kirin, who lost her sight at age 13 due to a brain tumour. She received Luther two years ago from a New York-based non-profit organisation “Guiding Eyes for the Blind”. 
Aswin said Thai law actually allows blind people to bring their guide dogs to public places, adding that apart from coordinating with related agencies about allowing guide dogs into public spaces, he will also have the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) urgently start promoting guide-dog training. 

Before meeting the governor, Kirin told reporters that she wanted the BMA to facilitate disabled people’s access to public services and boost public awareness of the law, so visually-impaired persons and their guide dogs are not prohibited from entering state sites such as hospitals and public parks. She also urged the BMA to improve the condition of footpaths and mass-transit services so disabled people and their guide dogs can travel conveniently.