Japanese Business Organizations' Level of Familiarity with Assistance Dog Legislation and Their Acceptance of These Dogs in the Workplace

In 2003, Japan passed the Act on Assistance Dogs for Persons with Disabilities, requiring public facilities, public transport, and private businesses serving the general public to allow access for people with physical impairments who use assistance dogs. One purpose of this law is to enable people with disabilities to lead independent and fulfilling lives as active members of society. In order to achieve this goal, the law requires public facilities such as national institutions and public transport, as well as private businesses serving the general public, such as hotels and restaurants, to allow access to people with physical impairment accompanied by assistance dogs. In 2007, the law was amended to stipulate acceptance to the workplace of people with a physical impairment accompanied by an assistance dog. We conducted a questionnaire survey of 6,062 business owners covered by the legislation, to ascertain the extent of knowledge of the law and acceptance of assistance dogs. In cases where the respondents had not employed any assistance dog users, they were also asked about the possibility of employing them in the future. The results indicate that assistance dog users are seldom accepted in the workplace, and familiarity with the law has not improved since the last survey in 2004, despite the 2007 amendment which is directly applicable to employers. Regarding the attitudes toward employment, most business owners answered that they would not or might not employ an assistance dog user. The level of knowledge of the law and the related financial support system differs among facility owners carrying out different types of business. Those positive toward employment tended to know much about the Act on Promotion of Smooth Transportation, etc. of Elderly Persons, Disabled Persons, etc. These (f)indings suggest that there is a need for better dissemination of information about the obligation to accept assistance dog users in the workplace, of information about the users' obligations, how to cope with problems, and accessing consultation services.