Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden has met with representatives from Guide Dogs UK at the Conservative party Conference in Birmingham and helped raise awareness of the rights of assistance dog owners.
The law gives assistance dog owners, including guide dogs owners, the right to access businesses and services.
However, a recent survey by Guide Dogs found that 81% of guide dog owners reported having experienced an access refusal to a restaurant, shop or taxi at some point in the past because of their dog. 73% of those surveyed reported that an access refusal had occurred in the past 12 months.
This has a significant negative impact on the confidence, independence and wellbeing of people who use guide dogs.
In response, Guide Dogs launched their Open Doors campaign earlier this year to raise awareness of the rights assistance dog owners have, and to urge the Government to strengthen the law so access refusals don’t happen.
Guide dog owners who experience an access refusal can report them to Guide Dogs via their app available on iOS and Android. Search “Guide Dogs” in your app store.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Guide dogs play a vital role in the lives of their owners, by supporting them to be independent and to live the life they choose. But facing an access refusal can be devastating, leaving people feel unsafe, rejected and discriminated against. We need to work towards better access rights for assistance dogs, to prevent access refusals and to open doors for guide dogs.”
