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SACRAMENTO (July 24) – Jeff Neidich, president of the State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind (Board) will be a keynote speaker at an upcoming Bay Area seminar of the California Association of Guide Dog Users (CAGDU), an affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind.

Neidich will talk about how the Board is "Building Bridges Throughout Our Community," the theme of the seminar, which will be held from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., August 23, at the Lions Center for the Blind, 3834 Opal Street in Oakland.

The Guide Dog Board president, who is himself visually impaired and a guide-dog user, describes his visit to the seminar as "an attempt to renew the Board's focus on our stakeholders — from guide dog users and instructors to the public at large."

Among the subjects Neidich will discuss are some of the Board's latest initiatives, including a renewed effort to educate businesses and the public about the role guide dogs play in the lives of their owners and society at large; important safety issues; and policy matters such as the licensing of out-of-state trainers and unlicensed activity.

Neidich, who has been a Board member since 2004 and president since 2007, will also discuss upcoming improvements designed to make the Board more accessible, such as a toll-free telephone number and new Web site content. The Board also has a new Web address: www.guidedogboard.ca.gov

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