Dear Editor
Today, on International Guide Dog Day, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has introduced a Bill in Parliament to protect the rights of persons with disabilities to access public and private spaces with their guide dogs and assistance animal, and to prevent them being denied access to places because of their accompanying animal.
The DA Bill, named the Performing Animals Protection Amendment Bill is referred to as the “assistance animals bill” because in large part it will protect the access of assistance animals accompanying vision impaired persons, to private and public spaces.
The Performing Animals Protection Amendment Bill, introduced by the DA, will establish a right of access to public spaces for persons with disabilities accompanied by assistance animals. And it will create accountability measures for those who unlawfully deny access. No one should get away with these denials of entry, in the future.
The DA Bill will also give effect to an Equality Court judgement where the court held that a government office denying access to a person with her assistance animal amounted to unfair discrimination.
The DA Bill will close a critical gap in South Africa’s legislative framework because currently there is no law to guarantee that a service dog or other service animal for a person with a disability will be allowed into public and private spaces and buildings.
Every day persons with disabilities are put in impossible positions by the arbitrary denial of entry to themselves and their assistance animals, and this must end. Assistance animals are not pets, or fluffy friends, they are an essential aide to the life and livelihood of persons with disabilities and they must be allowed into public and private spaces with their person.
I drafted and introduced this DA Bill after years of experience in this field establishing the daily hardships of assistance animal users, and volunteering at assistance animal puppy raiser. That experience showed me time and time again that persons with disabilities are being arbitrarily denied entrance and access to public and private spaces when accompanied by their assistance animals.
South Africa’s progressive Constitution and our commitment to human dignity both demand that we remove barriers that prevent full participation in society by persons with disabilities.
DA thanks all organisations that provided public comment on the Bill and we are committed to moving this important legislation forward.
Regards
Wendy Alexander MP
DA Member of Parliament