Blind people hit Tokyo streets appealing against guide dog discrimination

TOKYO, Apr 29: Blind people in Japan marked this year's International Guide Dog Day, an event held around the world to promote awareness of guide dogs' roles in helping persons with disabilities, by launching a parade in the capital appealing for better access to shops.

Participants in the International Guide Dog Day parade walk in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on April 25 with guide dogs. (Credit:Mainichi)

The parade, which continued for roughly two kilometers around Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, was organized as part of the 10th anniversary of the enforcement of Japan's Act on Assistance Dogs for Physically Disabled Persons, an ordinance that promotes self-sufficiency among persons with disabilities who use assistance dogs.

Some 150 blind people and others, accompanied by 24 guide dogs, took part in the event. By calling out, "Let's create a city free of guide dog-refusing shops, starting in Shibuya" to passersby, the participants promoted the act and appealed against shops and other facilities that continue to refuse entry to guide dogs.

"There are still many shops that are not keen on letting in guide dogs based on religious or other reasons," says Shigenori Maruyama, 59, a blind man who took part in the parade. "In order for everyone to feel relaxed, it is necessary that both sides understand each other's feelings."

International Guide Dog Day was established in 1992, and is held annually on the last Wednesday of April.

Source: http://mainichi.jp

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