Art for all: The Hermitage museum invited guide dog

Every year on the last Wednesday of April, the day of guide dogs is celebrated around the world. An unusual master class was timed to this holiday in the State Hermitage. Employees of the main museum of St. Petersburg were told how to make the exhibition space more accessible and friendly for blind visitors and their four-legged helpers. 

The master class was conducted by the staff of the Center “Dogs-assistants of the disabled” and the Charity Foundation of Alisher Usmanov “Art, Science and Sport” as part of the program for supporting people with visual impairment “Special Look”. Elina Pachueva, deputy director of the Center, told about the process of training guide dogs, the basic rules for communication with blind people and their pets in museums. She noted that according to federal law, with a guide dog, which is a technical means of rehabilitation for a blind person, you can go to any public place.

From words to actions: a tour of the parade halls of the Winter Palace was held for Natalia Kuznetsova and her guide dog named Fly. Natalia told about how her life changed after the appearance of the assistant, demonstrated what Fly learned at the educational center for dogs, and how they interact with each other. For its part, the four-legged guide behaved very well among the exhibits.

The meeting at the Hermitage launched the All-Russian grant competition for blind and visually impaired people to receive a guide dog, announced by the charity foundation of Alisher Usmanov as part of the “Special Look” program. The winner of the competition will receive a dog prepared by the specialists of the Center, and a two-week course of training in working with animals. More information about the rules of the competition can be found on the official website of the program "Special Look".