President Higgins pays tribute to Irish guide dog organisation

President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to staff and volunteers of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB) as the organisation celebrates its 40th anniversary.

The President highlighted the multitude of people who have benefited from the vital work of the IGDB and its reputation as a trusted national organisation.

“Through your hard work and commitment you have helped to instill, in many citizens living with disabilities, the expectation that they too can succeed, can aspire to live the life of their choice, have their voices heard, their talents respected and be defined by their skills and abilities and all of their possibilities.”

President Higgins went on to acknowledge the continued effort and generosity of its supporters including IGDB patron Roy Keane.

He recognised “the significant amount of time and commitment from Roy Keane” and “his fellow generous volunteers that have been the backbone of the association since its foundation”.

The IGDB was co-founded in 1976 by the late Mary Dunlop and their current president Jim Dennehy.

At the time there was no opportunity for training with a guide dog for blind and vision impaired people living in Ireland, other than travelling to the UK.

Since then, the charity has enabled thousands of people who are vision impaired and families of children with autism to improve their quality of life and social inclusion within their community.