[Nfbnet-members-list] NAGDU Celebrates Formation of 15th Affiliate Division

[Marion Gwizdala, President]

NAGDU Celebrates Formation of 15th Affiliate Division

                 The National Association of 
Guide Dog Users, a strong and proud division of 
the National Federation of the Blind, is excited 
to announce the formation of its newest affiliate 
division. On August 29, leaders of the guide dog 
Movement in North Carolina ratified the 
constitution of the North Carolina Association of 
Guide Dog Users, formally creating the 15th 
National Association of Guide Dog Users’ 
affiliate division. The new affiliate division 
will hold its first annual meeting during the 
convention of the National Federation of the 
Blind of North Carolina which will be held from 
Thursday September 12, 2019 to Sunday September 
15, 2019 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Raleigh-Durham.

“Dissolution of North Carolina’s voluntary 
service animal registry is the first initiative 
of our new division,” Says Cody Davis, an 
attorney who has spearheaded the creation of the 
association. “this registry gives the false 
impression that service animals must be 
registered as a condition of access to public places!”

                 The federal Americans with 
disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination 
against disabled individuals accompanied by 
service dogs and expressly asserts that 
documentation or registration cannot be used as a 
precondition to access. Though North Carolina 
makes it a misdemeanor to deny a disabled person 
access because of the presence of a service dog 
and its service animal registry is voluntary, 
state law enforcement agencies have refused to 
file charges for violating the law if the service 
dog is not on the state’s registry.

                 The National Association of 
Guide Dog Users currently has affiliate divisions in the following states:

1.       California
2.       Colorado
3.       Connecticut
4.       Florida
5.       Michigan
6.       Missouri
7.       New Jersey
8.       New York
9.       North Carolina
10.   Ohio
11.   Pennsylvania
12.   Tennessee
13.   Texas
14.   Virginia
15.   Wisconsin

                 The North Carolina Association 
of Guide Dog Users is an affiliate division of 
the National Association of Guide Dog Users – the 
nation’s leading advocacy organization for blind 
people who use guide dogs – and the National 
Federation of the Blind of North Carolina. The 
National Association of Guide Dog Users conducts 
public awareness campaigns on issues of guide dog 
use, provides advocacy support for guide dog 
handlers who face discrimination, supports sound 
policy and effective legislation to protect the 
rights of guide dog users, offers educational 
programs to school and civic organizations, and 
functions as an integral part of the National 
Federation of the Blind. For more information 
about the North Carolina Association of Guide Dog 
Users, you can send a message to 
<mailto:cdavis at nagdu.org>cdavis at nagdu.org or call (919) 349-9799.

Marion Gwizdala, President
National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc. (NAGDU)
National Federation of the Blind
(813) 626-2789
President at NAGDU.ORG
<http://nagdu.org/>Visit our website
<http://twitter.com/nagdu>Follow us on Twitter

The National Federation of the Blind knows that 
blindness is not the characteristic that defines 
you or your future. Every day we raise 
expectations because low expectations create 
barriers between blind  people and our dreams. 
You can live the life you want! Blindness is not what holds you back.

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