ABOUT GDUI

Guide Dog Users, Inc., (GDUI,) an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, is your organization and the largest guide dog consumer driven group in the world.

GDUI is a democracy in existence since 1972, where members can exercise the privilege of shaping the initiatives and issues that most profoundly affect guide dog handlers.

GDUI has 19 affiliate organizations throughout the U.S. where members can personally interact and work together on local as well as global issues.

GDUI is a founding member of the Coalition of Assistance Dog Organizations, (CADO) having hosted its first historic meeting in 2001 ) and works tirelessly to promote and protect the rights of all qualified assistance dog teams.

GDUI members receive the award winning audio magazine, �PAWTRACKS� featuring everything you as a handler want and need to know about the world of working teams.

GDUI.org is the hottest online address for everything guide dog related including: federal and state legislation,

GDUI�s beneficial and affordably priced product line, the first and only online comparison of guide dog training programs and timely postings of events and information that affect you.

GDUI hosts two dynamic listservs: GDUI-Leaders, a stimulating environment for addressing issues, problem solving and exchanging vital information, and GDUI-FRIENDS providing peer support and a friendly place to just talk, a virtual guide dog community for handlers.

GDUI�s advocacy committee is who to contact for assistance and information on everything from access denial, to promoting legislation to tips on international travel with your guide.

GDUI partners with you to educate the public by tapping into the knowledge and experience of its members and through the distribution of situation appropriate literature.

GDUI�s empathizers are there for you as only another guide dog handler can be in times of loss, traumatic change and grief we must face as part of the life cycles experienced by working teams.

GDUI membership entitles you to substantial discounts throughout the US with participating vets, pet product suppliers and other businesses necessary to care for our dogs through a special arrangement with Pet Assure.

Not every GDUI benefit comes with a price tag or financial incentive but joining GDUI is worth much more than its $15.00 annual membership fee. GDUI welcomes your participation and support.

Photo: Former President of the United States, George Bush

Former President George Bush took part in the 30th Anniversary Luncheon of Guide Dog Users, Inc. via video-taped comments. Listen to Former President Bush's remarks

In 1972 a group of blind people associated with the American Council of the Blind Decided to form a special interest affiliate chapter devoted to the use of guide dogs. Guide Dog Users Inc. (GDUI) began as a grass-roots organization with an emphasis on peer support. Over Thirty years and 1,100 members later, we can't all fit around the kitchen table anymore, but GDUI's members continue to value the sense of community, passion and personal dedication behind everything the organization undertakes.

GDUI is a registered 501C3 not-for-profit organization incorporated in Washington DC. We receive no government funding. While the organization does benefit from the support of the American Council of the blind, the majority of its services, projects and activities are funded through membership dues, profits from product sales and tax-deductible donations and bequests from generous individuals.

GDUI is governed through a constitution and bylaws adopted by its membership. Amendments are developed by the Constitution and Bylaws Committee and voted upon each year at the annual general business meeting.

Many of those who generously donate their time and skills to GDUI do so in their "spare time" in addition to pursuing demanding careers, contributing to their home communities and living active personal and family lives.

A board of five officers and six directors governs GDUI between its annual conventions. Members elect these officials on staggered terms, giving the Board a dynamic structure. Nationally known non-profit experts have praised the GDUI Board for its professional yet friendly atmosphere.

GDUI's members include guide dog handlers from all fifty U.S. states and Canada. This represents approximately 10% of the population of the U.S. who work with guide dogs. Few organizations of any type can claim membership by such a large portion of the population they serve. GDUI membership outside North America increases annually. Currently there are GDUI members in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Japan and several other countries.

GDUI's membership includes active, independent individuals from many backgrounds, age groups and walks of life. Accompanied by their guide dogs, GDUI members live full and rewarding lives as college students, corporate executives, parents, teachers, social workers, software engineers, writers, performers, day-care professionals, store managers, members of the clergy, political lobbyists, research scientists, travel agents, farmers, reporters and retirees, among others. While the majority of itts members are guide dog handlers, GDUI's membership also includes guide-dog training and mobility professionals, friends and family of people with guide dogs, prospective handlers, puppy-raisers and others. GDUI welcomes anyone, sixteen years or older, with an interest in the dog guide movement.

The one thing all of GDUI's members have in common is a heart-felt respect for the remarkable work done by skillfully trained and handled guide dogs. GDUI members raise, train or work with dogs from more than twenty different schools and training programs yet share a common appreciation of the role these dogs play in our lives and the lives of blind people around the world.

See our Support Services Page for details on membership and other services GDUI provides.

GDUI has a strong commitment to its grass-roots origins and tradition of member-to-member networking. To support this philosophy, members have organized state and regional affiliate chapters. GDUI's affiliates tackle regional, state and community issues and provide opportunities for local peer-support as well as contributing to the success of GDUI as a whole. Many affiliates hold monthly meetings, publish their own newsletters and host conventions and other activities for their members.

At the national level, GDUI acts as an umbrella organization, providing support and resources where needed to assist its affiliates with campaigns and projects of particular interest to guide dog handlers in the areas they serve. Membership in any of GDUI's affiliates automatically confers membership in the national organization. Individuals may also choose to join GDUI at the national level as "members at large".

An Affiliate Liaison serves as contact between the GDUI Board of Directors and the affiliates. Through a column in each issue of PAWTRACKS, the Affiliate Liaison spotlights people and programs as well as featuring selections from affiliate newsletters. If you would like to start an affiliate in your area or want more information about our existing affiliates listed below, contact the GDUI national Office.

Support and advocacy form the cornerstone of GDUI's activities. Throughout this web site you will see examples of educational projects, advocacy efforts, support systems and helpful information about blind people who work with guide dogs.

Besides organizing an annual national convention in conjunction with the American Council of the Blind, GDUI produces a quarterly magazine, and publishes a host of educational booklets and brochures. Telephone and email networks exist to support people with additional disabilities, travelers, shoppers from the GDUI catalog and those facing illness or retirement of their dogs. We encourage you to explore the pages of our web site to learn more about GDUI.

GDUI

ABOUT GUIDE DOG USERS, INC.