Marinakis: “We will create a proposal-road map for the better service of people with visual disabilities”

ONNED President Pavlos Marinakis together with the Secretary General of Social Solidarity and Poverty Alleviation George Stamatis met with the driver of a guide dog in order to talk to her, but also with competent bodies for the value and help that a dog can offer in a person with Visual Disability.

The handler Julianna Bousi, Philologist and Goalball Athlete, presented the difficulties in access but also how her Trained Dog Guide deals with them in known and unknown routes.

The guide dog is a strong companion, who in order to be trained and given to a Visually Impaired Person, is socialized in a foster family from 4 months to 12-14 months and is trained by a Guide Dog Trainer for 10-12 months. They co-train for 70-130 hours, coexist for 6-8 years and after evaluation the Dog Guide “retires”.

At the meeting, the Secretary General of Social Solidarity and the Fight against Poverty, George Stamatis, presented to ONED President Pavlos Marinakis the conclusion of the working group on Mobility, Orientation and Daily Living Skills. The Center “Dogs Guide of Greece” expressed, through its representatives, the importance of the initiative, especially on the issue of the viability of the institution of the Dog Guide and thanked Mr. G. Stamatis for his valuable donation together with the Secretary General of the Prime Minister Mr. Grigoris Demitriadis a puppy in order to start his journey to become a valuable Guide Dog.

This is a symbolic move of great importance. It is the first time that, after 2010 when Law 3868 was passed for the Access of the Operator Group and Driver Dog to Private and Public Spaces, Public Transport etc., the State recognizes the value of this service whose main objectives are the security, autonomy and independence of a Visually Impaired Person.

The Secretary General of Social Solidarity and the Fight against Poverty, Georgios Stamatis, stated: Includes suggestions for updating and improving the training framework for mobility trainers. The report presents the service of guide dogs, highlights its importance and proposes measures to improve it. People with visual impairments undoubtedly face difficulties in their daily lives. The lack of accessibility in cities makes it quite difficult for them to move and integrate into society. The finding on mobility, orientation and daily living skills of people with visual impairments and in particular the consolidation of the institution of the Guide Dog, creates the dynamics for an inclusive society that respects and promotes equal access so that our visually impaired fellow citizens can to live independently and safely “.

During the meeting with the members of ONNED, the possibilities of cooperation regarding the support of the institution of the Guide Dog in Greece were discussed with both the President of the Panhellenic Retinopathy Association Stratis Hadjicharalambos and the President of the Center “Guide Dogs Guide” Greece.

The organization “Hellenic Center for Training and Development of Guide Dogs and Mobility for the Blind and Assistant Dogs for Persons with Disabilities – CENTER” DOGS GUIDE GREECE “was founded in 2008 by the Official Institutions of Visual Impairment and the Center for Visual Impairment. .), National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities (Ε.Σ.Α.μεΑ), National Federation of the Blind (Ε.Ο.Τ.), Panhellenic Association of the Blind (PST), Lighthouse for the Blind of Greece (Φ.Τ. E), Panhellenic Association of Retinopathies (PEA) and Hellenic Dog Training Center (EKES). It aims to manage and meet the need of visually impaired people to use a guide dog for their mobility.

Present at the meeting was the Commander and Chairman of the Board of Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind Sofia Hamonikolaou who spoke to the executives and the president of ONNED about the work of the Center. KEAT is the exclusive body for the implementation of the national policy for the visually impaired in Greece, and its exponent at European and International level. Its purpose is to develop services and programs that support both the educational processes of people with visual disabilities and their social and cultural integration and reintegration into psychological, social and cultural level, with the ultimate goal of ensuring independent, autonomous and dignified living. Its services include meeting the needs of young people and adults with visual impairments at the national level such as housing, psychosocial support, therapies, counseling and, among other things, learning foreign languages, music, information technology, etc.

ONED President Pavlos Marinakis stated, among other things, during the discussion: “We have proved that volunteering and solidarity with our fellow human beings who face difficulties in their daily lives is our main priority. This discussion has no colors, signs and ideological labels. We as ONED want to get in touch with people with Visual Disabilities, to get to know and record their problems and to try to contribute to their better and easier daily life. The ONED site already has a special accessibility menu for people with Visual Disabilities and we will seek to do the same in other agencies that may not have this tool. Unfortunately, we are not familiar with the issues that every person with disabilities can face in their daily lives and this must change from the very first levels of education. “After our first meeting today, our goal is to co-create a roadmap proposal to create friendlier conditions for Visually Impaired People in various aspects of their daily lives.”

The meeting was attended by the Secretary of the Central Committee Nikos Siadimas, the Second Secretary of the Central Committee Giannis Anastasopoulos, the Director of the Political Council Giannis Fitopoulos, the Director of the Press and Information Office Konstantina Kollia the Head of Social Solidarity and Solidarity Volunteer Manager Christina Giaskoulidi and Head of Family Policy and Gender Equality Katerina Karavioti.