Audio Descriptor: A woman walks along a busy road using a white cane. She reaches a road crossing and stands alone as people rush past her and cars zoom by.
Cassandra: Growing up as a blind person in Singapore, things were often challenging for me. Everyday tasks that many take for granted such as walking through a crowded mall, or crossing a busy street can even sometimes be dangerous for me. Even with a white cane, navigating through city life is not easy. Having lived with my disability since I was young, I've had lots of time and experience to build up resilience. I have big dreams inspired by my blindness and I will not let that same darkness stop me.
Audio Descriptor: The woman sits and pats a golden Labrador Retriever wearing a harness.
Cassandra: My name is Cassandra and my fight for independence led me to find my beloved companion and Seeing-Eye Dog.
Audio Descriptor: Montage of Cassandra's photos through the years.
Cassandra: When I was eight, I was diagnosed with a vision condition called Stargardt’s disease, where I slowly lost my vision over time. As my vision deteriorated, I started bumping into the walls, sometimes walking into people or even tripping downstairs.
And I soon had to depend more and more on family and friends to help guide me around so I can go places safely. It took me a long time to come to terms with this. I was quite worried when I used a white cane, on how people would view me or judge me. And even when I did build up the courage to use a white cane, I often had to depend on others like family, friends or passersby to give me directions on where I needed to go.
Audio Descriptor: Cassandra is seated in an office.
Cassandra: I was determined to find another way to stay independent and reclaim my dignity. That sense of purpose led me to my Seeing-Eye Dog and she really changed things. She allowed me to live life on my own terms. Now I can navigate through my day-to-day task on my own and I can do it with so much more safety. With my Assistance Dog, I can lead life with independence, confidence and dignity.
Audio Descriptor: Cassandra is led by her Seeing-Eye Dog through various situations. Her Seeing-Eye Dog leads her up flights of stairs and safely across a zebra crossing.
Female Narrator: Seeing-Eye dogs are able to support the blind and vision impaired in various ways. For example, when recognizing steps, Seeing-Eye Dogs stop at the bottom and top of the stairs, giving the disabled handler time to gain their footing. They are also able to find the road crossing, lead the handler to the edge of the curb, stop there and wait for a gap in traffic to cross the road.
Most importantly, Seeing Eye Dogs are also trained to perform intelligent disobedience to prioritise the safety of their disabled handler. If a handler is unaware of a car passing across the road, the Seeing-Eye Dog will not lead their handler forward, even if they are given the command to do so. Instead the dog will cross over to the front of the handler, using their bodies to prevent the handler from moving forward, ensuring both their safety.
All bona fide Assistance Dogs including Seeing-Eye Dogs are extremely well-behaved. The Assistance Dogs that K9Assistance provides are extensively trained for up to two years by internationally accredited organizations. In addition, Assistance Dogs and their disabled handlers undergo a yearly Public Access test to ensure that they continue to have extremely good public behaviour.
Audio Descriptor: Cassandra is seated in an office.
Cassandra: Having my Seeing-Eye Dog has completely changed my ability to navigate the world around me. It is only with her help that I was able to establish my career, lead life independently and contribute back to society. Assistance Dogs are truly a gift of dignity and I believe that people with different types of disabilities should also have access to them.
Audio Descriptor: As Cassandra sits on a couch, she is joined by members of her K9Assistance team. They are smiling and talking to each other.
Cassandra: This is the belief that led to a few friends and I setting up K9Assistance.
Andrew: And together with our team, we will welcome Singapore’s first ever Assistance Dogs beyond Seeing-Eye Dogs.
Shalom: Mobility Assistance Dogs
Juliano: Hearing Dogs,
Bryanna: And Autism Assistance Dogs.
Mariah: They can transform the lives of so many other people with different disabilities.
Cassandra: I hope that you too can share my belief that everyone should lead a dignified life with the help of an Assistance Dog. So visit k9assistance.sg and support us.
Female Narrator: Assistance Dogs make the impossible, possible!
