Guide Dogs launches awareness campaign titled ‘Rethink Refusal’

A Brisbane mother she has been left feeling “degraded and anxious” by her personal experiences with her guide dog in the city, as more than a third of Queenslanders in her position have been denied access to a public venue or transport in the past year.

A Brisbane mother of four said she felt “degraded and anxious” after frequently being refused entry to venues when accompanied by her guide dog.

Ebony Uamaki’s story arose after Guide Dogs released alarming statistics from their recent survey ahead of International Guide Dogs Day on April 27.

According to the survey’s data, more than a third of Queenslanders with a guide dog have been denied access to a public venue or form of transport in the past year.

Ms Uamaki said she was questioned at shopping centres, and even the city’s botanic gardens, when accompanied by her guide dog Hollie.

Guide dog owner and kids for story about the places they are challenged at for having a dog. Ebony Uamaki with her kids Arorangi, 4 and Tavake, 3 with Guide Dog Hollie. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

“At the botanic gardens recently, I was told ‘dogs aren’t allowed’ and I explained she was a Guide Dog so they let me through but told me repeatedly that dogs aren’t allowed,” she said.

Guide Dogs Queensland General Manager Lee Buckingham said when a person and their guide dog was refused entry it can have potentially dire consequences.

“It can affect the person’s feelings of safety, and confidence to be active in their community,” Mr Buckingham said.

In response, Guide Dogs Australia’s Rethink Refusal campaign aims to educate businesses, industries and the community on how a Guide Dog refusal, illegal in the first place, can have further implications for the immediate safety of a person with low vision or blindness.