By: Larissa Proctor
Held every September, Guide Dog Access Awareness Month is a time to raise awareness about the rights of guide dog handlers, the legal responsibilities of businesses when providing service or access to a guide dog team, and to champion equal access for guide dog teams.
In support of our commitment to safe and accessible journeys, CNIB partnered with Uber Canada on a Guide Dog Access Awareness public service campaign to educate rideshare drivers on the rights of guide dog handlers and the laws that protect them. As part of the campaign, we collaborated with Uber on four new awareness videos that were shared with drivers on the Uber platform and made available on Uber’s website and YouTube channel. And on September 19, we held events across the country where CNIB advocacy leads met with drivers and media outlets to answer questions and discuss guide dog etiquette. They also distributed blankets, lint rollers, and 'guide dogs welcome' window decals to Uber drivers to help make rideshares more welcoming to people who use service animals.
While our work is far from over, we're pleased to continue to collaborate with Uber to help create more awareness, so everyone has equal access to transportation and ride refusals are a thing of the past.
If you are denied access (or if you have witnessed a guide dog access refusal), it’s important that you know your rights. Download our Guide Dog Handler Advocacy Toolkit designed to support and empower you in your self-advocacy efforts. We also have resources and information for everyone about how to be more inclusive to guide dog teams on our Guide Dog Champions webpage.