Guide Dog Training in Estonia
Raimo Saadi, Social Welfare Department Adviser from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Estonia started by giving some facts about Estonia:
- Estonia covers an area of 45,336 square kilometres
- Population is 1.3 million
- It is divided into 15 counties, and 79 local authorities
- There are almost 160,000 persons with disabilities in Estonia (12% of inhabitants)
The number of visually impaired people in Estonia is approximately 2,021. The proportion varies between counties. In Tallinn it is only 7% but it may be as much as 25% in other counties, so the need for services differs in different counties.
The social welfare system is divided between local government and state organised financing. Technical aids (which includes guide dog training costs compensation) comes under the state financing.
Raimo explained that the principles of social welfare in Estonia include the promotion of people working, coping independently and living in their usual home environment for as long as possible, and the services are designed to support that.
The Guide Dog Training System in Estonia
Of the 2,021 visually impaired persons:
700 have a severe degree of disability
854 have a profound degree of disability
467 have a moderate degree of disability
Guide dog training has existed in Estonia for more than 20 years, and there are two guide dog training centres:
- Estonian Guide and Assistant Dog Foundation (Tartu)
- Estonian Association of Assistance and Therapy Dogs (Tallinn)
Approximately six people each year receive a guide dog, and that matches the current need. There are between 35 and 40 working guide dogs in Estonia.
Until 2018 the funding of guide dog training was project based. There was no regulated application, coordination and supervision system. Training centres had to apply for funding each year which meant a lack of stability and confidence for users and training centres.
In 2018 a guide dog pilot project began, funded by the European Social Fund and focusing on training guide dogs for people of working age. The pilot is ongoing up to the end of 2019. The final aim for the pilot project is to give policy input for regulating guide dog training services in Estonia.
The guide dog training service and funding is now regulated as part of the technical aid system. This has provided stability and confidence for users and training centres. In setting up the system, Estonia followed examples for training, financing and assessment from the Austrian guide dog system and adapted them to take account of Estonian conditions.
Funding
State compensated guide dog training is available to support visually impaired persons who have either a profound or severe degree of disability.
- Guide dogs for working-aged persons are funded from the European Social Fund.
- Guide dogs for elderly persons are funded from the state budget.
The cost is between €6,000 and €7,000 and (except in the pilot project) a 10% own contribution is required from the future guide dog owner– amounting to €600 to €700. This is because the training system has had to be fitted into the technical aid system, and all that equipment has an own contribution part.
The state compensates veterinary costs. Local municipalities may cover the dog food costs.
Arrangements for having a guide dog
The Social Insurance Board is the responsible authority for coordinating the guide dog training system (funding, collecting applications, making contact with training centres, and supervision).
The three steps in the training process are:
- acquiring a dog
- the training period, and
- the guide dog user and guide dog cooperation learning period, including a suitability test.
A guide dog trainer prepares confirmation that a person is suitable to own a guide dog. A trained guide dog belongs to the training centre.
Guide dog users are required to visit a vet each year and have to take additional training sessions. They also have an obligation to insure the guide dog.
The estimated guide dog working age is eight years. If a guide dog isn’t capable of working anymore, then the state funds a retirement benefit for the person who provides a home for the dog.
David Adams expressed disappointment that the two Estonian guide dog schools were not present at the EGDF conference. Judith Jones said that EGDF would like to surmount the language difficulty and welcomed the opportunity to work with them in the future.