New Card for Guide Dog Owners

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association has recently updated the card it gives to guide dog owners to show when visiting food premises. The new card has been endorsed by the CIEH, after discussion with Lacors and the Food Standards Agency.

The wording on the card, which can be used by owners of guide dogs and other recognised assistance dogs, reads as follows:

"Guide dogs and other assistance dogs should be allowed entry to restaurants, food shops and other food premises. Their very special training means that they are unlikely to be a risk to hygiene in these premises."

On the back of the card is information about the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) which places duties on all service providers, including owners and operators of cafés and restaurants, not to discriminate against disabled people and to make reasonable adjustments to their services and premises to enable disabled people to access them. Entry to disabled people and their assistance dogs would be deemed a reasonable adjustment under this legislation.

Despite the existence of the Disability Discrimination Act, the Guide Dogs Association says it
regularly receives complaints that people have been refused access to restaurants and food shops, with staff often citing hygiene as the reason.

The new cards are available from the 'Guide Dogs' local District Team offices or from Gill Kenyon, Access Information Officer, Email: gill.kenyon@guidedogs.org.uk. Tel: 0845 241 2178.

Further information about access rights for guide dogs can be found on the Association's website.