A world without light may be unimaginable for many of us, but for Ms Cassandra Chiu, her world is made brighter with her guide dog, Elke.
On Wednesday (19 Jun), she shared that a stranger had tried to stop her from boarding a bus with Elke.
Fortunately, they later managed to get onto the bus, and the driver also kindly found them a seat.
Ms Chiu is well-known as one of the first guide dog owners in Singapore.
She was showing her daughter the bus route to school when they encountered an unfriendly stranger.
The pair, together with Elke, was about to board bus 123 at Lucky Plaza when the woman shouted,
Dog cannot go up bus!
Ms Chiu’s daughter informed her that Elke was a guide dog, but she adamantly blocked them from boarding.
They eventually managed to push their way on board.
Fortunately, their experience on the bus itself was more pleasant with the bus driver’s thoughtful action.
The driver had gotten up from his seat to ask if any kind passenger could offer Ms Chiu a seat, presumably as the bus was crowded.
Thanks to him, Ms Chiu was able to sit down comfortably with Elke lying peacefully at her feet.
This incident goes to show that some Singaporeans are unaware of the rules surrounding guide dogs.
Our public transport system does allow guide dogs on board, according to SBS Transit’s website.
Over the years, Ms Chiu has faced many challenges as a visually-impaired person — from being chased out of eateries to having taxi drivers reject her.
Perhaps with increased awareness of such experiences, our society can step up to be more empathetic towards the blind in Singapore.
The next time you see a visually-impaired person — step up to lend a helping hand and you might just make their day brighter, one small action at a time.
Featured image from Facebook and Facebook.
Footage showed that the car had been parked on the right-most lane.
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