CityofSantaBarbara
By the City of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Airport was honored to host a Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) training event on Thursday, May 25.
Guide dog puppies-in-training and volunteer “puppy raisers” participated in a specialized training exercise to teach the pups how to navigate all aspects of a busy airport.
The trainees were able to experience the diverse set of noises and movements of an airport, including the process of the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) Check Point at SBA.
The event was part of the puppies’ journey to becoming guide dogs that will one day assist travelers who are blind or visually impaired with air travel.
GDB believes that everyone deserves to move through the world safely and confidently. SBA is proud to support this belief, and the current and future passengers that travel with a guide dog.
TSA also has several programs to support passengers in their travels, including TSA Cares. Learn more about what TSA is doing by visiting TSA.gov/travel/passenger-support.
For more information about GDB and all the work they do, visit guidedogs.com.
About Guide Dogs for the Blind
Headquartered in San Rafael, Calif., Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) is the largest guide dog school in North America. It is a passionate community that prepares highly qualified guide dogs to empower individuals who are blind or visually impaired to move through the world more safely and confidently. More than 16,000 guide teams have graduated from GDB since it was founded in 1942. Over the course of 80 years, GDB’s mission has expanded to three kinds of programs: Guide Dog Mobility Program, Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Program, and K9 Buddy Program. GDB not only improves mobility for its clients, but it also furthers inclusion and advocates for policy reforms that change how the world views blindness. GDB’s services are provided free of charge, and it receives no government funding. The organization was the subject of an award-winning documentary feature called Pick of the Litter, which was developed into a television docuseries by the same name for Disney+. For more information, visit guidedogs.com, or call (800)295-4050.
About Santa Barbara Airport
Santa Barbara Airport served over 1.2 million passengers in 2022 and is leading California Airports in post pandemic commercial service recovery. American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines serve the airport with 20 daily departures to 10 non-stop destinations – Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Seattle. SBA is a self-sustaining enterprise operated by the City of Santa Barbara.
Such an important program….