I am pretty sure that by now, everyone
in the country has heard of Rachael Leahcar.
The amazing eighteen year-old who blew
away judges on Australia’s latest reality mega-show, The Voice. The lead up was phenomenal, she was lead up
the stairs and guided to the stage. When
she was in place, the words ‘You have landed’ greeted her, and she began with
her rendition of La Vie En Rose. Each of
the judges turned around, wanting her on their team; Rachael didn’t know this
however and questioned if anyone had turned.
Rachael is legally blind – she has only 10 per cent of her vision. That is what makes her courage so admirable.
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| 'La Vie En Rose' Image from The Voice Online |
This has opened a lot of doors
for, not only Rachael, but many people with a vision impairment throughout
Australia. When people realise the courage
that was put behind that performance, it encourages them to also believe in
themselves.
The Australian spirit encourages
people to work hard, to earn what they have and to never give up. This mentality rings true with many people
who have a vision impairment, they have to work hard, they have a tough life: enter
Guide Dogs Australia.
Guide Dogs Australia assist
people who are blind or have a vision impairment to ‘gain freedom and
independence’, they help to ‘equip, empower and educate’ those who are vision
impaired. They provide services which
reduce the disadvantage of people with vision impairments through the Guide Dog
Program.
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| 'Guide Dog Puppy' Image from the ABC |
Guide Dogs are incredibly special
dogs, usually Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers or a cross-breed of both;
they are bred for their gentleness, intelligence, energy, loving nature and
highly trainable qualities. The dogs are
carefully selected for all of these character traits and bred accordingly. This is perhaps why Guide Dogs have such
a long loved and trusted past.
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| Mission Statement and Values of Guide Dogs Australia and Guide Dogs Queensland |
A Guide Dog begins training from
just a few weeks old. They first meet
their trainer, a bond is built between the two and a long working relationship
is formed. They are first taught the
basic commands at initial training programs at their centre, only progressing
when these have been learnt. The
majority of the training program takes place in the ‘real world’; places like
residential neighbourhoods, rural and city settings, shopping centres and bus
and rail stations. After a twenty week training course, the dog is put to the test one last time before graduation. The dog has gained experience for almost any situation and the ability to lead their
future-owner with confidence. Once they have graduated they get placed in the loving home
of a family.
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| 'Man's Best Friend' Image From the Guide Dogs Australia |
There is an immense amount of
work that goes into the Guide Dog program in Australia. As a non-government funded organisation, they
rely solely on business and public donations for their entire operation. This is achieved by constant involvement in
the community, through family open days, programs to help people to become more
aware of the role of Guide dogs Australia as well as training programs. Guide Dogs Australia is reliant on volunteers
to continue the operation of the organisation; people to clean out the kennels
and watch over the dogs overnight to dog trainers and breeders, everyone has a
place.
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| 'Graduation Day' Image from Guide Dogs Australia |
Guide Dogs are talented
dogs. They love to work and are extremely
loyal. They love to receive praise for
doing the right thing and they carry out their role as a Guide Dog perfectly. They truly are ‘man’s best friend’.
All information was gathered from
- http://www.guidedogsqld.com.au/
- http://www.guidedogsaustralia.com/
- http://www.sixfeetonejourney.com/home.aspx
- http://www.thevoice.com.au/profile/rachael-leahcar/
