14 December 2009
More than 5,000 members of staff and volunteers support the hospitals of Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust, but this week, a one-of-a-kind employee started work - guide dog for the blind, Jennie.
Jennie works with general manager of renal services, Steve Simper, who, because of a deteriorating vision disability, has just one per cent sight.
Steve said: "It's a bit strange having a dog - especially one that comes to work with you! But it's going really well and she's settling in brilliantly.
"She's already fantastic at knowing her way around too - after just one practise run she could guide me to my office and the restaurant. In a couple of months she'll be going to get the coffee on her own!
"I'm a keen walker and walk the two miles to work every day, and Jennie picked up the route really quickly. Having Jennie is a real benefit to me - I can walk faster and people realise as soon as they see me that I'm visually impaired."
Steve gave some top tips to follow if you see someone with a guide dog. He said: "The most important thing to remember is that when the dog is in the harness, they should be completely left alone because they're working. When the dog's out of the harness and on the lead, she's not officially working but you should ask before stroking her. And finally, you shouldn't offer a guide dog food because it's really distracting and she's on a strict and balanced diet."
Steve joined the Trust 18 months ago and manages the job with the use of Braille, a special talking computer and a modified mobile phone.
He said: "I have a modified mobile phone that talks to me and my computer allows me to see everything in large print and can read documents out to me. I just click on the document and put my feet up! Saying that though, I am a big fan of Braille. I, like a lot of other people, just prefer to have a piece of paper in front of me. Sadly, Braille is a dying art and less and less people are using it, which I think is a shame."
World Braille Day, which marks the birth of the inventor of the language, Louis Braille, takes place on 4 January.
Steve added: "Braille is an incredible invention which gives visually impaired people a greater level of independence - it allows people to read important text like directional signs and boxes of medication without the help of others."
