Understanding the visually disabled. During winter break, a training center is holding a seeing guide dog experience day/Yokohama December 26, 2011

Translated from the original article at: http://news.kanaloco.jp/localnews/article/1112250021/

Caption: Using an eye mask, participants are led on a walk by a seeing eye dog=Kanagawa training center of Yokohama city, Kōhoku ward.

On the 25th, the "winter break seeing guide dog experience day" was a project held to educate about vision disability, by blocking a person's vision and having them interact with a seeing eye dog. Conducted by Japan's Seeing Guide Dog Association, it was held in the Kanagawa training center of Yokohama city's Kōhoku ward. 

Seeing guide dog users Terasawa Masako and Ikariyu Junko presented lectures on the differences between using a white cane and walking with a guide dog. "There's a sense of anxiety that comes with striking objects with a cane. A guide dog will allow me to evade obstacles, and I feel that I'm free to do such things as enjoy the smell of the season's flowers," explained Ikariyu.

Participants were challenged to go on a walk led by a guide dog, while wearing eye masks. With cones chosen as obstacles and laid out, they walked past them without contact. "Amazing!" the participants’ voices rose, in admiration of the guide dogs.

The experience day is also open on the 26th, January 5th and 6th.

Original Text:

視覚障害者に理解を、訓練センターで「冬休み盲導犬体験デイ」/横浜

2011年12月26日

アイマスクをして、盲導犬に先導され歩く参加者＝横浜市港北区の神奈川訓練センター

視覚に障害のある人や盲導犬について知る企画「冬休み盲導犬体験デイ」が25日、横浜市港北区の日本盲導犬協会神奈川訓練センターで行われた。

盲導犬ユーザーの寺沢正子さん、碇谷純子さんが講師役となり、白杖を使うのと盲導犬と歩くことの違いを「白杖では物にぶつかる不安がある。盲導犬は障害物をよけてくれるので、心にゆとりができ季節の花の香りも感じられる」（碇谷さん）と説明した。

　参加者たちはアイマスクをし、盲導犬に先導されるままに歩行に挑戦。障害物に見立てたコーンにぶつからずに歩けると「すごい」と感嘆の声が上がった。

体験デイは26日と１月５、６日も開かれる。