Restaurants encouraged
to welcome guide dog owners
Restaurants are being encouraged
to welcome guide dog owners and
adapt their services for blind
and partially-sighted people, as
advised in a new information leaflet
published by Guide Dogs.
The publication, ‘Access
to restaurants for guide dog owners’ outlines
the duties and responsibilities
of restaurateurs under the Disability
Discrimination Act. It also explains
how services can be adapted for
people with sight loss, and reassures
proprietors about the hygiene of
guide dogs.
Since December 1996, it has been
unlawful for restaurants to refuse
to serve a disabled person – including
guide dog owners – or offer
a lower standard of service for
reasons related to the person’s
disability. Since October 2004,
the law also requires that service
providers make reasonable adjustments
to the physical features of their
premises to overcome barriers to
access.
The DDA does not prescribe how
restaurateurs should meet these
duties, but the Guide Dogs’ leaflet
encourages them to choose a décor
with good colour contrast and lightening
and to make sure that walking routes
are free of hazards such as planters
and umbrella stands – major
obstacles for customers who can’t
see.
Clear signage and information
in alternative formats, such as
Braille and large print, is also
recommended, particularly for menus.
The leaflet emphasises the importance
of knowing how to communicate with
blind and partially-sighted people,
including speaking to the person – not
their guide dog, and asking what
assistance they need, rather than
making assumptions.
Restaurant owners are reassured
that the Institute of Environmental
Health Officers has stated that
assistance dogs are exempt from
the usual hygiene rules which apply
to dogs, including in areas where
food and drink are served.
Guide dogs are well groomed and
are trained to sit at their owner’s
feet, not climb on seats or bother
other customers.
To order a complimentary copy
of ‘Access to restaurants
for guide dog owners’, please
phone 0845 241 2178 or you can
download a copy from Guide Dogs’ website
www.guidedogs.org.uk/campaigns
2008 will be Year of the Assistance
Dog, with guide dog owners nominating
restaurants and other service premises
for Dog Star Awards, based on good
practice outlined in Guide Dogs’ (and
other assistance dog) leaflets.
20th August 2007
