10 February 2023 – Assistance dogs and their partners all over the world are set to benefit from an exciting new collaboration announced today between the two leading organizations for setting standards and accrediting assistance and guide dog training programs.
Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation which will see them collaborate to improve the lives of people with disabilities including visual impairment. Between them, IGDF and ADI represent more than 250 assistance and guide dog programs with more than 36,000 active teams in more than 40 countries.
“Together, ADI and IGDF are committed to setting the highest possible standards and providing the best possible experience for both the dogs and their partners,” said Chris Diefenthaler, Executive Director of ADI. “By entering into a formal cooperative alliance with IGDF, we will ensure that the accreditation and standards of both organizations provide high-quality certified assistance dogs.”
The Memorandum recognizes that IGDF is the expert in the field of guide dogs, while ADI is the expert in the field of all other types of assistance dogs. Both organizations will work together on areas including sharing data; access, advocacy and public policy; events and conferences; working groups; and communications. They will also work to make their accreditation processes as similar as possible to help those training programs that are members of both ADI and IGDF.
“This formal collaboration marks a major step forward in our relationship which will hugely benefit our member programs and guide dog users,” said Bill Thornton, Chair of the IGDF Board of Directors. “I’m excited that both organizations will be working even more closely together to benefit tens of thousands of guide dog and assistance dog users all over the world.”
In an example of closer cooperation, ADI and IGDF will pool data from their annual census of programs to create a joint report on the number and type of assistance and guide dogs and their users in any given year. This data will then be used to raise awareness among international organizations, government agencies and the private sector of the need for better understanding of the assistance dog industry and the needs of assistance and guide dog users.
“Both ADI and IDGF share the same ultimate goal – to improve the lives of those people with disabilities by providing them with highly-trained assistance dogs,” said Diefenthaler. “Closer cooperation ensures we will work together to pursue access, advocacy, and public policy in the best interests of our collective clients.”
“Guide and assistance dogs improve the lives of countless thousands of people around the world by helping with practical tasks, enhancing independence, and boosting wellbeing, dignity and confidence,” added Thornton. “This new spirit of cooperation will ensure we can enhance this vital work knowing both organizations have the best possible accreditation and standards.”
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Martin Atkin, Communications Consultant, ADI martin@assistancedogsinternational.org David Maynard, Company Secretary, IGDF enquiries@igdf.org.uk
About Assistance Dogs International (ADI)
Assistance Dogs International is the world’s leading standards-setter and accreditation body for training assistance dogs. As a worldwide coalition of nearly 150 non-profit member organizations spread across five continents, ADI is the world’s most diverse and inclusive assistance dog certification and standard-setting body. For more information visit www.assistancedogsinternational.org
About the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF)
The International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) is the charity that defines and maintains international standards for the training of guide dogs around the world. This work ensures the quality and safety of guide dog services for people who are blind or have low vision. For more information visit www.igdf.org.uk