Muslim leaders visit Guide Dogs Victoria

In January 2010, Guide Dogs Victoria held a special seminar to welcome the Board of Imams Victoria. We were also honoured by the presence of the Grand Mufti of Australia, Sheikh Fehmi Nahji Imam.

In an effort to grow awareness of services available to Muslims with low or no vision, Muslim spiritual leaders were invited to tour Guide Dogs Victoria’s campus in Kew. Learning about everything from white cane training to Guide Dog mobility, this seminar was the first of its kind for Victoria.

The concept was successfully launched by Guide Dogs Queensland last year, lead by Rehabilitation Services Manager, Bashir Ebrahim (OAM). Bashir, who lead the group in Victoria, said he was proud to host the seminar as the first of many more within specific community groups.

“We hope to build a greater awareness within the Muslim community about our association, and expand workshops to include the State’s many other ethnic and indigenous communities,” Mr Ebrahim said.

“It’s only through open dialogue and education programs that we can ensure all Victorians with low or no vision are aware of the services available. There is a need to promote a better understanding of cultural differences and address misconceptions. We want to ensure that everyone who needs support to live independently despite their vision loss is able to get the help they need, and this seminar will go a long way in growing that awareness within the State’s Muslim community” explained Bashir.

Feedback from the seminar has been extremely positive, with the Mufti and Imams keen to help educate their communities in understanding vision loss and how agencies like Guide Dogs Victoria can assist. They are also very keen to help overcome some of the issues with access for Guide Dogs, which is an excellent outcome for our clients.