"Service Dogs Are Someone's Hands and Feet"

Korea Disabled Development Institute Launches 'Understanding Assistance Dogs for the Disabled' Campaign
Lee Jae-seok Advertising Research Institute Develops Promotional Series to Improve Awareness of Assistance Dogs for the Disabled

Part of the printed advertisement for the service dog awareness campaign. It visually expresses the core message intuitively: "Service dogs for people with disabilities can go anywhere, and service dogs should be considered an inseparable part of the person with a disability."

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] On the 3rd, to commemorate International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Disabled People's Development Institute (KODDI) unveiled promotional materials aimed at fostering a correct understanding of service dogs for persons with disabilities. The institute announced that it will carry out the "Understanding Service Dogs for Persons with Disabilities Campaign" until the 23rd of this month.

The promotional materials released on this day consist of a total of six types: one for outdoor advertising and five for print advertising (posters). Since May, the institute has been working with "Lee Je-seok Advertising Research Institute" for about six months to cultivate a culture of proper understanding of service dogs for persons with disabilities.

Service dogs assist visually or hearing-impaired individuals and act as their hands and feet, essentially becoming a part of the person's body, thus linking to the human rights of persons with disabilities.

However, some taxis, restaurants, and lodging facilities restrict the entry of service dogs, which has become an issue. According to Article 40 of the Disabled Welfare Act, facilities such as restaurants and lodging must not refuse service dogs without justifiable reasons.

A sticker developed to promote proper awareness of assistance dogs for people with disabilities. The development institute is considering introducing this sticker at store entrances and public places. / Photo by Korea Disabled People's Development Institute

Nevertheless, despite awareness of the law, many still refuse entry to service dogs, and persons with disabilities often have to search for places that allow service dogs.

As a result, due to the general public's lack of understanding about service dogs, there are cases where complaints arise because customers sharing the same space cannot distinguish between guide dogs and pets.

A newly designed sign, partially modified from the existing guide dog sign, to convey that people with disabilities and assistance dogs are inseparable / Photo by Korea Disabled People's Development Institute

The institute plans to conduct the "Understanding Service Dogs for Persons with Disabilities" campaign from the 7th to the 23rd in conjunction with Disability Empathy Week to correct misconceptions about service dogs.

To improve awareness of service dogs, promotional posters and service dog stickers have been developed, and there are plans to consider introducing these at store entrances and public places in the future.

Choi Kyung-sook, director of the institute, stated, "Refusing service dogs is equivalent to refusing persons with disabilities and is one of the factors that lowers their mobility rights and quality of life." She added, "Through this campaign, we hope that service dogs will naturally become part of our lives and that violations of the rights of persons with disabilities will disappear."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.