As you my followers know I am a keen advocate for accessibility for all with disabilities whether visible or not. Recently, The Guide Dogs Association for the Blind carried out a survey as part of their Open Doors for All campaign. In answer to that survey a staggering 81% of Guide Dog handlers were refused access to a business or service because they had their guide dog with them. As a support animal handler myself I know how hard it is to have to advocate for yourself and to educate people on their responsibilities under the Equality Act. I expect it, to be honest, since having a cat as my support animal is unusual. But to have read that guide dogs are refused access to places, let alone the high number of refusals is beyond comprehension in this day and age.
According to the Guide Dogs website the first known example of a special relationship between a dog and a blind person was depicted in a first-century AD mural in the ruins of Roman Herculaneum. Guide Dogs themselves have been around since 1931 so over 90 years of guide dogs providing life changing support to those who are blind. And yet even with this length of history and knowing what a vital support guide dogs provide there are still some out there who seem to have been living under a rock.
Access refusals can knock the confidence of handlers, especially new handlers. I know how much I have to plan for a day out, that’s hard enough for me and I am sighted. And I know how much it has knocked my own confidence when I have had a negative or difficult interaction because I have Amani with me so I can fully empathise with guide dog handlers. And it goes beyond just the refusal in that moment. Again, according to the Guide Dogs survey 49% of those surveyed said they change their plans or restrict visits to certain places because they are worried about being refused entry or being challenged.
So this is why I signed up to be a part of High Street Heroes this week (7-13 November 2022 originally planned for September but postponed) and spent the morning of 9 November visiting businesses in Haslemere, where I had a rather positive day of speaking to managers and business owners about this. The majority of people were shocked by the fact that guide dogs are refused access and all said that dogs in general were allowed in their establishments, some even had regular patrons with either a guide dog or who had sight loss. This was encouraging for me; one because it made the job of asking them to place the sticker about guide dogs a pleasure and two because they were very accepting of Amani being with me. In all I visited 23 businesses on Haslemere High Street and along Wey Hill – a MASSIVE thank you to you all.
With these businesses placing a visible sticker in their windows showing guide dogs are welcome it makes guide dog handlers approaching those businesses feel less anxious because they can know with confidence that they will not be denied access. It’s a simple thing that makes life that little more accessible and equitable for all.
