PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND'OPEN YOUR DOORS' CAMPAIGN (11 October 2004)

That this House congratulates the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association on the launch of its Open Your Doors campaign, which aims to educate service providers on how they can best serve guide dog owners and other visually impaired people; notes that despite the legal duties placed on service providers under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, guide dog owners continue to face barriers when trying to access services in restaurants, pubs, shops, hotels, banks and building societies; further notes that nearly 50 per cent. of businesses surveyed by the charity had no policies, procedures, fixtures or fittings in place to assist visually impaired people; commends Guide Dogs' effort to address the problem through the distribution of their pocket guide, Opening Doors, which gives practical tips and advice on how to adjust services to help blind or partially sighted people; and asks all honourable Members to ensure, through their local chamber of commerce, that businesses provide a fully accessible service to guide dog owners in their constituency,

Sponsored by:
Baroness May of Maidenhead (Conservative)