1. Welcome! I'm new to blogging but have taken the plunge in order to be able to share my diary during an upcoming trip to The United States.
   
   Caesar and I are an assistance dog partnership, he helps me tremendously with tasks to make life easier on a day to day basis. You can catch more about us at our website, but basically, I have been a wheelchair user for some time since sustaining severe brain and neck injuries in a sporting accident, and Caesar is a registered assistance dog from Dogs for the Disabled.
   
   Since being partnered with Caesar almost five years ago, I have become increasingly active in campaigning for greater access for people with disabilities and assistance dog partnerships.
   At the end of last month we were both in Salzburg for the annual conference of Assistance Dogs Europe where I co presented a presentation on access for assistance dog partnerships across Europe, this was the culmination of several months of research.
   
   At about that time I learned that I had won a scholarship from the International Association of Assistance Dog Partnerships to attend their annual conference and also that of Assistance Dogs International, which are being held consecutively in San Diego in January 2006. Wow!
   
   Caesar and I have travelled together extensively in Europe before but never beyond, so this will be a new experience for us both.