Access for service dogs in Singapore

I think many of us take for granted the rights and privileges we as citizens of the United States have. One of those many rights is the Americans with Disabilities Acts (ADA) which REQUIRES that ALL public places be assessable to persons with disabilities and allows a disabled person with a service animal the right to entry as well.

Unfortunately this is not the case in Singapore. In fact Cheng Hock actually recieved a dog guide (from another school) in 1982. At that time he was unable to gain entry anywhere with his dog, rendering the dog pretty much useless as a mobility aid. He ended up returning the dog to the school within the first 2 years. Since then, Cheng and his supporters have been working towards gaining access right for all people with disabilities. Recently he felt enough progress had been made to try again and received "Kendra" a female yellow lab from GDB.

Here's a brief list of the progress made so far:

1987 - MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) which is the light rail system in Singapore (both above and under ground) was built in 1987. When forming the Rapid Transit Systems Act a Sub clause (8.3) states that while animals are prohibited, this does “not apply to a guide dog accompanied by any blind person”.

November 2005 – SBS Transit will allow blind persons with guide dogs to board buses.

August 2005 - Due to Cheng’s close working relationship with the ophthalmology department on issues relating to blindness Alexandria Hospital has gone on record as the first medical establishment in Singapore to allow guide dogs on its premises.

Dec 2005 – The National Environment Agency (NEA) carried out a review (with Cheng’s assistance) and decided to grant licenses to food establishments the discretion to allow guide dogs on their premises so long as the dogs are harnessed and kept at the owner’s side. The NEA has offered to contact restaurants on Cheng's behalf at his request.

Currently, using taxis is the most problematic. Many drivers will refuse to pick up a person with a guide dog. Cheng finds that if he attempts to flag one down on the street only 1 in 10 taxis will stop. If he calls ahead and informs taxis of the dog, 80% of the time he will get a pick up (there is an extra $2 charge). Of the 20% of drivers who refuse10% are Islamic (apparently the Islamic faith teaches that dogs are unclean) and 10% report their reasons as allergies.

Cheng spends a great deal of his time educating the public in regards to his right to bring his dog where ever he goes. He still gets denied access occasionally, but more often than not he is successful.