Nepal Association of the Blinds
Introduction
Established
in 1993, Nepal Association of the Blinds also known as NAB is a non-profit
making organization of the blind. With over 1030 general members in 23 branches
in different districts, it is one of the active non-governmental organizations
encouraging and supporting the rights and well-being of the blind as well as
sheltering them.
According
to a sample survey conducted by National Blindness Survey in 1980, the
population of the total blind people was expected to be about 0.84% of the
country’s total population. They have been facing numerous issues and problems
for their living as they are regarded as a vulnerable and idle human being by
the superstitious and traditional beliefs in the society.
Goal of NAB:
·
Protect and promote the rights,
awareness and welfare of the blind
·
Develop leadership character and traits
of the blind
·
Promote and develop awareness programs
to support and encourage blind
·
Provide educational facilities and make
them access to employment work to lead and guide their life with confidence and
pride
·
To develop better relationships with
other nationalized and internationalized organizations and working for more
contentment and support of the blind
Mission of NAB
The
main focus of the organization is to make blind people capable of leading their
life with more self-belief and dignity as well as supporting them to be
independent and work on their own.
Innovation
in the service sector
The
innovative idea or service for a social enterprise of blind people would be a
guide dog. In particular, a guide dog is simply a specially trained dog to
assist and support the mobility of an individual who is blind and partially
sighted.
This
potential service of dogs providing as a guide or more of a companion helps a
blind individual to go beyond just mobility as the bond of trust and care with
a dog of is always the most important aspect for an individual who is not given
much priority by the society.
Here,
the dog is trained to lead the blind, obey their command and keep away from
trouble acting like a principal member of a family. Consequently, the blind
individual is responsible for directing the way by keeping a mental map showing
teamwork and convenience with the guide dog.
Need of the
service
In
a developing country like Nepal, lack of services and facilities for disable and
blind people has led these people with a gesture and feeling of sadness and
failure in their life. Although, these people are important and valuable same
as common people the lack of proper encouragement and support has led them to
disappointment in their life.
So,
the service of providing a trained dog for a blind individual can be a right
decision as the dog can take the individual to places as well as can be loyal
and a good companion at the same time.
Target and aim
for the service
Here,
the service of the guide dog can be used for many sectors and communities such
as guard, rescue and safety but particularly the targeted audience would be
blind and partially sighted people as a service provided by the organization.
The
aim of the organization is protect, promote and encourage the blind people
rights and welfare as well as to encourage them to be independent and be able
to guide their life with own passion and employment. Thus, the use of trained
guide dog would support them and boost their confidence.
Marketing
strategy for the service
Marketing a service is much harder than marketing a product
as it is not tangible. As a service has the capability to demolish the status
of the organization, the proper marketing of the service plays a vital part and
it should be perfect for the long-run of the organization.
Since, a service cannot be felt, seen or returned like a
product, the traditional approach can be considered to market the service such
as 4P’s where people, physical evidence and process can also be considered.
Here, the service can be break down into different segments according to the
needs and understanding of the blind people capabilities. The wants and
satisfaction of the blind people from the service as well as the problems they
might face after the use of service should be thoroughly studied and examined.
The marketing of this service can also be done by creating
the design and offering of the service to the people and alerting them. The use
of guide dog can be recognized as a multi-service strategy as it has its own
intelligence and understanding.
Estimate of possible price
Here
the expenses that require for the advancement would be training the dog by the
veterinary or the dog trainees that would cost the organization about Rs.8000
to Rs. 12000 as per the need and the style of training for each guide dog. More
than the expenses require for the dog to train, there are regular and daily expense
that may require for the dog as well as it is time consuming for them to train
repeatedly.
Where/How to be put on the market
The
service is harder to sell unlike selling a product to the customer. Various
ideas for core marketing strategies of service can be implemented to sell the
service in the marketplace. As the service marketing mix assumes as the product
itself, the tactics of 7P’s would help the service to put as a product in the
market with regards to provide benefit for the blind people rather the motive
of making profit.
Environmental analysis and conditions
The
service for the guide dog would not need to relate with the environmental
conditions as the trainees would definitely have strategies and ideas that can
overcome to the issues and problems within the situation.
Legislation
NAB
has been registered with District Administration Service in Kathmandu is also
affiliated with other organizations such as Social Welfare Council and World
Blind Union. Hence, these non-profit organizations have support for the NAB
organization to initiate new ideas and innovation to give confidence and
support for the blind.
Flexibility/Adaptability of the service
The
service of the guide dog can be expressed as limitless as they can utilized
more than just mobility as they can also be used for security, rescue
operations and the best part is being a companionship with a bond of love and
happiness.
Additional requirement for the service
The
additional requirement for the service would be regular service by the trainees
leading to higher expenses as well as regular expenditure and care for the
guide dog that would be more time-consuming for the staffs of the organization.
Recommendation
Blind
people can make use of various opportunities as their dog as their companions
make them believe that there are also extraordinary factors in themselves which
they can do independently and confidently. Though there is also other
substitute support, product or service for blind people, use of guide dog can
be the most significant as they provide endless support and help as well as a
good companion at the same time.
This
foundation of service will have a tremendous impact in the society as these
people can also walk jointly with others as well as there are various
opportunities such as educational, employment and work for their passion.
Conclusion
This
idea to use a guide dog can definitely change a blind individual’s life as
there is always a feeling of being an independent person as well as there is an
attachment of loyalty and happiness with each other. However, there are
advantages and disadvantages for blind and partially sighted people.
A
guide dog will always provide a regular service and commitment to the blind as
they are the most loyal domestic pets. A guide dog always plays a vital role in
the accomplishment and success of blind people. On the whole, there are various
benefits to own a guide dog for blind and partially sighted people as there is
always a sense of safety and care.
Reference
Nepal Association of the Blinds - Home. 2014. Nepal
Association of the Blinds - Home. [ONLINE]
Available at: http://www.nabkavre.org/.
[Accessed 03 April 2014]
Guide Dogs for the Blind - Training with a Guide Dog .
2014. Guide Dogs for the Blind - Training with a Guide Dog . [ONLINE]
Available at:
http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer?pagename=programs_adult_mobility.
[Accessed 03 April 2014]
Learn How to Market a Service Effectively. 2014.
Learn How to Market a Service Effectively. [ONLINE]
[Accessed 03 April 2014]
Components of a Service Marketing Strategy. 2014.
Components of a Service Marketing Strategy. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.redscommunications.co.za/resources/marketing-tips-blog/161-components-of-a-service-marketing-strategy.html.
[Accessed 03 April 2014]
