[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 84 (Friday, June 21, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S5898]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        OREGON HERO OF THE WEEK

 Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Madam President, I am pleased to rise 
today to honor an outstanding organization located in my home State of 
Oregon. I would like to congratulate Guide Dogs for the Blind on its 
60th anniversary of providing exemplary service to the blind and 
visually impaired community in Oregon and across the country.
  Guide Dogs for the Blind is a nonprofit, charitable organization that 
provides guide dogs and training to the visually impaired community 
throughout the United States and Canada. With approximately 10 million 
Americans categorized as blind or visually impaired, Guide Dogs for the 
Blind performs an essential service that deserves to be recognized in 
this body on its 60th anniversary.
  The services provided by Guide Dogs for the Blind, and organizations 
like it, will only become more important in the coming decades. 
Statistics show that people 65 years and older are at high risk of 
suffering from poor vision. On average, 144 Oregonians benefit from 
guide dogs trained by Guide Dogs for the Blind every year, and as our 
population continues to grey, the need for guide dogs and organizations 
that train them will almost certainly grow.
  The use of guide dogs has been increasingly accepted over the course 
of the last century. Although guide dogs existed prior to World War II, 
most visually impaired people could not take full advantage of such 
services due to existing federal and state laws restricting animals 
from entering buildings. But only three days after the most devastating 
attack in American history, December 10, 1941, President Franklin D. 
Roosevelt signed a law finally requiring government buildings to admit 
seeing-eye dogs. Today, during these trying times, it is important for 
all of us to note that despite the turbulent political situation he 
faced after Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt still prioritized the 
needs of the visually impaired community by signing that law.
  Sixty years later, the program instituted by Guide Dogs for the Blind 
served the nation on its darkest day since Pearl Harbor. During the 
horrific attacks against the United States on September 11, a blind man 
working on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center was led to safety 
by a guide dog that had graduated from the Guide Dogs for the Blind 
program. Guide dogs, now an essential part of so many lives, can be 
remembered along with the selfless firefighters, police officers, and 
rescue workers who sacrificed so much to help others that day.
  Each and every staff member and volunteer at Guide Dogs for the Blind 
is a hero to their communities and to the people who benefit from their 
services. I rise to salute those associated with the Guide Dogs for the 
Blind for their dedication and continued service to visually impaired 
people throughout the country. Even in this era of innovation, the 
blind and visually impaired would not have the same opportunities 
afforded to the rest of us without the commitment of citizens like 
those associated with Guide Dogs for the Blind.

                          ____________________