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2. I am completely blind. Have been since I was four years old. I work in London. I won't reveal anything more specific, as it may help narrow things down to an extent I'm not quite comfortable with.
3. I rarely have used Legally India, so am sorry if this seems like a very incongruous, random or strange thing to ask on here (as this website deals, as it should, largely with questions about legal practice in India). You, however, have plenty of blind lawyers in India and this website's design is quite accessible. Therefore, I would assume the concept of blind lawyers or law students using LI wouldn't be all that strange for you. You also have some stuff on training contracts, so people asking about work culture outside India wouldn't be so outlandish either, I assume?
4. To be clear, I obviously have spoken and will continue to speak with colleagues in my own jurisdiction about the below idea, but would like the opinions of colleagues from a jurisdiction which is of immense importance to us here, and to which I have a personal connection because of family.
5. Currently, I use a long white cane as a mobility aid (a device that helps me understand information about my surrounding environment such as what obstacles are in front and/or on either side of, me, figure out where landmarks to known places are situated etc). You likely have noticed blind students, interns or colleagues in your own context using a similar device to navigate around university campuses, law firm offices or other spaces.
6. However, I wish, in order to increase my independence and efficiency, to transition to using a guide dog.
7. The matters I hope you will give me your valuable opinions on:
(a) How would you, coming from a country where (unless I am mistaken) assistance dogs (or guide dogs specifically) aren't really a thing yet, view a professional in a society where they were who used one and with whom you had to interact? If you have a fear or dislike of dogs, would that in any way be mitigated by knowledge that the guide (or other assistance, e.g. autism support) dog is there purely to support the disabled professional in question and extremely well-trained (i.e., not to do the typical things that untrained dogs do such as sniffing/licking people)?
(b) This one's really subjective/culture specific, so please feel free to skip this question if you like. Do you think, from any experience you may have had of the UK, that this might in any way detract from my or other peoples' professionalism? For example, do you think people might define me as the blind guy with the dog instead of thinking of me as a fellow professional like themselves?
Look forward to your responses and apologies if these questions seem awfully naive!