One in 5 blind people accompanied by a guide dog in Japan have accidentally taken a step off a railroad station platform, a survey by a guide dog trainer group has shown.
Fully 30 respondents, or 5.6 percent of the total, fell onto rail tracks from platforms, the National Federation of All Japan Guide Dog Training Institutions also said. The survey, which is believed to be the country’s first large-scale investigation into guide dog users, shows that blind people face dangers on station platforms, the federation said. The institution will investigate the causes of such accidents and improve the training of guide dogs and their users so blind people can negotiate train stations safely. The survey was taken in October after a fatal accident in August in which a 55-year-old blind man accompanied by a guide dog fell from the Aoyama-itchome subway station platform in Tokyo and was run over by a train. The questionnaire survey covered 716 users of 691 guide dogs lent from eight guide dog training groups that are members of the federation. The federation asked whether the users had had any accidents or problems while walking outside. Valid responses were given by 540 people aged 59.3 on average. They used guide dogs for 8.8 years on average. Those who lost their footing or became trapped in the gap between a platform and an incoming train numbered 114, or 21 percent of the total respondents. The survey also found that 213 people, or 39 percent, had narrowly avoided accidents or injuries on station platforms, while 309 people, or 57 percent, had had similar experiences at intersections or railroad crossings. The federation also plans to carry out an investigation into such experiences by blind people. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/11/09/national/1-5-blind-guide-dogs-fallen-off-japanese-station-platforms-poll/#.WCqbZhb_qd4 -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
