Leader Dogs for the Blind Receives Award for Helping Visually Impaired

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Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester Hills announced Wednesday that it has received a 2012 Access Award from the American Foundation for the Blind.

Chosen annually, the Access Awards honor individuals, corporations and organizations that create new standards of accessibility and a better quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired. Leader Dogs for the Blind received the award for their Accelerated Mobility Program which teaches people the orientation and mobility skills they need to travel safely with a white cane.

“Our Accelerated Mobility Program created a more efficient option for the delivery of orientation and mobility (O&M) services in the U.S.,” says Susan Daniels, Leader Dogs for the Blind president and CEO. “We condensed the curriculum into a week of training at Leader Dog which lets people improve their cane travel skills and quickly return to their families and work. People who live in rural areas, or areas that lack sufficient O&M services, often have trouble obtaining the training they need to travel independently and safely—we remove that barrier. ”

Previous award recipients include Apple, Inc., Google, the CBS Television Network and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.