Advocacy

Action to Create Change

At the Irish Guide Dogs, we support our clients in self-advocacy and collective systemic advocacy.

We work to empower our clients to speak up for their rights and needs while working in collaboration with like-minded organisations to foster greater understanding, improve accessibility, and create intentional societal change.

Advocacy Charter

Our Advocacy Charter sets out our commitment and approach to strengthening the organisation’s impact in using advocacy to influence positive change for our clients.

Our advocacy efforts support the achievement of our core purpose of enabling people with sight loss and families of autistic children to lead better lives, become more independent and more mobile.

Support Services

We are committed to providing a responsive and effective advocacy support to our clients based on mutual respect and with regard to their lived experience and expertise.

This advocacy support entails the provision of:

1. Information and advice to support clients with regard to access issues;

2. Education and training to support clients to develop practical self-advocacy skills;

3. A complaints mechanism to record clients’ access issues and inform the work of our Client Consultative Committee;

4. Webinars and collective events to inform, discuss and share clients and staff experiences of advocacy;

5. Partnership and alliance building with like-minded organisations in the development of issue-based campaigns; and

6. Record and analyse client advocacy issues in the development of policy positions to support systemic change.

Contact us

If you have experienced an issue with access to a business or service, please let us know via the form below.

Similarly, if you have any questions or if your business needs advice on accessibility issues, please email ClientServicesTeam@GuideDogs.ie.

We are here to help.