One core value at St. Mary’s is compassion, and fourth-grade students recently had the opportunity to learn about the importance of this value. Last week, the Japan Guide Dog Association visited the school to educate fourth-grade students about the purpose and importance of guide dogs. Through this visit, students not only gained firsthand insight into service dogs through direct interaction and training demonstrations, but also developed a deeper understanding of empathy and awareness toward individuals with visual impairments. Special thanks to Mr. Clarkson for sharing information about this event.
The Japan Guide Dog Association (JGDA)
The Japan Guide Dog Association is a non-profit organization that breeds, trains, and distributes guide dogs to people with visual impairments at no cost. However, training guide dogs is extremely expensive, and since the JGDA is a non-profit organization, over 90% of the fees are covered by generous donations from individuals and organizations. “Guide dog training is pretty expensive.” Mr. Clarkson said, “You have to house the dog, feed them, you’ve got to make sure vets’ fees are paid. You also have to make sure the trainers are paid as well.” Overall, the association’s primary mission is to help those with visual impairments and to aim to give them the same opportunities as other people do. For more information, visit (https://www.moudouken.net/en/)
Student Participation and Event Highlights
Before the day of the event, students participated in a fundraising challenge to raise money to donate to the JGDA. Fourth-grade students earned money to donate by doing chores at home to raise 2,000 yen. “We have the boys complete chores at home to raise around 2,000 yen each, so they actively contribute rather than simply being given the money. It teaches responsibility and awareness, and allows them to see where their money goes right in front of them.” Thanks to the hard work of the students, they were able to raise a total of 211,000 yen, and they hope to increase the amount to 250,000 yen through future fundraisers.
At the event, students gained valuable insights into the roles of guide dogs and how they assist their owners through slideshows, videos, Braille lessons, and a live demonstration by the guide dog and its handler. Through the event, students learned about inclusivity and compassion, and learned that just because people have disabilities does not necessarily mean that they have fewer opportunities in life; in fact, the user of the guide dog is a qualified doctor. “I think the fact that he is an actual qualified doctor is a really good message for the boys to see.” Mr. Clarkson said. “It’s not that he doesn’t have a job or just stays at home all day; he has a very responsible position and travels all over the world for his work. It shows them that, although he may have lost his sight, which could happen to anyone, he is making the best of it.”
Overall, after just a few hours spent with the guide dog and the JGDA members, the event reinforced the importance of compassion, empathy, and having a constant awareness of surroundings.
