Traveling with a guide dog: Confidence, constraints and affective qualities of the human-guide dog relationship

Rickly, J.M.; Halpern, N.; Hansen, M.; Welsman, J.

Abstract

Guide dogs enhance the confidence of people with vision impairment (PwVI) and improve their everyday mobility, but they also present constraints to travel. This paper investigates the influence of the PwVI-guide dog relationship on travel behavior through a mixed method study of guide dog owners in the United Kingdom. Results from the quantitative analysis show that confidence to work the dog outside its normal environment has a significant positive effect on the number of overnight trips taken with the dog. Qualitative findings highlight the affective qualities of the relationship that influence change in travel behavior to accommodate guide dog limitations and well-being. This study expands our understanding of the diversity of interpersonal relations that influence accessible travel behavior and contributes to human-animal relations research in tourism.

Citation

Rickly, J., Halpern, N., Hansen, M., & Welsman, J. (2022). Traveling with a guide dog: Confidence, constraints and affective qualities of the human-guide dog relationship. Tourism Management, 93, Article 104617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104617

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 21, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jul 8, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022-12
• Deposit Date: Nov 23, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 9, 2024
• Journal: Tourism Management
• Print ISSN: 0261-5177
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 93
• Article Number: 104617
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104617
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/14033229
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517722001303