Assistance dogs not only provide a specific service to their handlers, but also greatly enhance the quality of their lives with a new sense of freedom and independence.
There are three types of Assistance Dogs:
- Guide Dogs – for the blind and the visually impaired
- Hearing Dogs – for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Service Dogs – for people with disabilities other than those related to vision or hearing
Although Guide Dogs for the blind have been trained formally for over seventy years, training dogs for people with physical and mental health disabilities is a much more recent concept.
In some countries in the world people partnered with assistance dogs are guaranteed legal access to all buildings providing public services and to all modes of public transportation. ADI is working to ensure all people partnered with an assistance dog are guaranteed access across the world.