A Comparison of the Guide Dog Movements of England and the United States

Abstract

In comparing the guide dog movements in the United States and England, there are several similarities. Among these are the charitable and non-governmental nature of the enterprise, techniques of training, residential requirements, and minimal costs to obtain a guide dog. A major difference is that in England there is one school with seven centers, while in the United States there are ten competing schools. In England, twice as high a proportion of blind people use guide dogs. Structural and cultural reasons are explored to explain these differences. Among the structural differences are the organization and enterprise, involvement of graduates in educational and fund-raising activities, and greater commitment to the team after graduation. Two innovations in the United States are the move toward geographically regionalized schools that begin to resemble the British centers, and the move to domiciliary or at-home, non-residential programs. This latter development has also taken hold in the British system.