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The goal of the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind's Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign is to dispel any public misconceptions about where guide dogs are allowed, as well as to show viewers the special role guide dogs play in the lives of their blind owners. The underlying message reasserts the rights of blind people and their guide dogs to go everywhere the public is allowed.
The PSAs are distributed to hundreds of television stations, both broadcast and cable, across the country. The stations donate the air time to the Foundation, and they repeatedly play the PSAs throughout the year at no extra cost to the Foundation.
The content of the PSAs is based on a national law that allows guide dogs and their blind handlers access to all places open to the public. Unfortunately, there are many people in the country who are unaware of this law. Oftentimes, guide dog users are denied entry to public places -- ranging from clothing stores, to restaurants, to taxi cabs -- by someone who simply does not know the law. This poses a difficult and frustrating situation for the blind person, who then must fight for something they are entitled to by law.
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