MODERN GUIDE DOG MOVEMENT IN JAPAN: ELITES, VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC

Abstract: The purpose of the thesis was to introduce the general process of the Modern Guide Dog Movement in Japan. The research was conducted by the fieldwork in Tokyo, spring 2011, under a main contribution from the Japan Guide Dog Association through interviews and participant observations. An in-depth study of the three-stage Modern Guide Dog Movement in Japan is presented and discussed in the thesis. During the past half century, the modern guide dog movement has gone through three different groups in Japan: elites (political elites and guide dog experts), visually impaired persons, and finally, the general public. The broad social context of the ongoing Disability Rights Movement together with the guide dog movie Quill has made the involvement of all three groups possible and positive in the process of the Modern Guide Dog Movement in Japan.