Ways Dogs Help Disabled People

Intelligent, loyal, affectionate, eager to please and infinitely trainable: Dogs keep on rising to every new challenge humans set for them. Acting as eyes for the blind, ears for the deaf, an emotional anchor for children with autism and a guardian for people with seizure disorders, they improve quality of life for people with disabilities that would otherwise restrict their independence.

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    • By the time guide dogs for the blind finish their training, they are able to guide the person who depends upon them safely along an indoor or outdoor path no matter what obstacles are in the way. Hitched to their U-shaped harnesses, they stop every time they encounter curbs, stairs or other changes in elevation. They lead their masters around not only dead-ahead obstacles but also such overhead hazards as tree limbs and signage. One of the most impressive qualities trained into them is "intelligent disobedience" -- refusal to obey a command from their master if they deem it unsafe, such as stepping out into traffic. Golden and Labrador retrievers are the most commonly used breeds; length of training varies between four and six months.

    Hearing

    • Training a dog to take over the function of human hearing isn't nearly as demanding as training a guide dog for the blind. Some organizations advise dog owners on how to teach their own pets. Depending upon individual needs, hearing dogs can alert hearing-impaired masters when someone is at the door, when the telephone is ringing, when a baby is crying or when an alarm is warning of imminent danger. They do this by making physical contact and then leading their charge to the source of the sound. In order to graduate from an approved program, a dog must notify its master within 15 seconds of the beginning of the sound.

    Autism Support

    • Children diagnosed with disorders on the autism spectrum, who often have difficulty connecting emotionally with other people, often have no such problems relating to dogs. In 2002, Priscilla Taylor, an Oregon special education teacher, founded the nonprofit Autism Service Dogs of America, an organization that trains dogs to be companions, helpers and comforters of children with autism. The dogs receive general training at ASDA headquarters; after that, training customized to a child's specific needs takes place in the home under the guidance of the child's primary caregiver. The dogs go everywhere with their children, including to school, providing a calm, reassuring presence conducive to learning and interacting with other children.

    Seizure Response

    • Canine Assistants of Milton, Georgia, trains dogs to serve people with a range of physical disabilities and special needs, including those who have persistent seizures owing to epilepsy or brain injury. Following general training to teach the dogs to respond to about 90 different commands, they are specifically trained to do whatever their charge needs to have done, whether this is being a companion, summoning help or fetching the phone. Seizure response dogs can be trained to hit a switch that dials 911. Some dogs appear to be able to sense when a seizure is coming on and alert their owners in advance. One theory is that they smell slight chemical changes in the body that presage a seizure.