Dear Laura,
The news on Sky which I am referring to is based on under cover secret
filming of the horrific scene in which I could clearly hear the blind
person trying to ask why he was being barred from getting into the
shop and the guard also being heard flatly refusing the man to go in.
I looked up for the article on the Sky News website and luckily, I got
it. Please read it below.
Best
Kudzai Shava
article
Guide Dogs: Study Finds Shops Bar Users
Secret filming shows blind people being illegally refused entry to
restaurants and shops because of their guide dogs.
12:23pm UK, Friday 06 September 2013
Guide Dogs Barred
A new study by the charity Guide Dogs has shown that blind people are
being illegally turned away from restaurants and shops because of
their canine companions.
Sky News has obtained undercover footage from the
charity
of examples of this taking place, despite legislation being passed
three years ago aimed at ensuring disabled people have the same right
to services as
everyone else.
In the footage, Dave Kent and his guide dog Winston can be seen being
refused entry to shops and restaurants.
Despite telling store security guards or staff that Winston is a guide
dog, he is told it is against store policy or that the shop is for
customers not
dogs.
Rob Harris, engagement manager at Guide Dogs, said the problem was a
lack of awareness.
He told Sky News: "The Equality Act 2010 states that each service must
provide reasonable adjustment to make sure that disabled people can
access it, whether
that be buying their food, or buying their shopping or their clothes,
so there really is no excuse."
The
Equality Act 2010
provides disabled people with the same rights to services in shops,
banks, taxis and restaurants.
Under the act a store or restaurant could have to pay damages if it
discriminated against a blind person because they had a guide dog with
them.
On 9/7/13, laura welti <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear Kudzai
>
> As someone involved in an organisation of Disabled activists, I can assure
> you that, had any of our members reported the situation you describe we
> would have taken immediate action.
>
> I, and many of our members, can't afford Sky so I've not seen the report
> you refer to - can you forward me some details of the who, where, and when?
>
> If I know which supermarkets have been breaking the law in this way, I can
> ask our members whether they have had the same experiences with these
> companies and, if so, refer them to Bristol's Tackling Discrimination legal
> advice service.
>
> Yours
>
> Laura
>
>
> On 7 September 2013 12:49, Kudzai Shava <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Dear All,
>> On Friday 6 September 2013, I was extremely shocked, horrified and
>> utterly disgusted when I heard on Sky News the horrible discrimination
>> blind people are subjected to by some supermarkets/shops which they
>> are not ordinarily allowed entry simply because they have their guide
>> dogs. What does the Equality Act of 2010 say, for goodness sake? For
>> some of us who have had an opportunity to study in the UK and learnt a
>> lot from and were hugely inspired by disability activists and disabled
>> academics in that counttry, we are terribly shocked to hear of such
>> things still happening considering that the issue of right to access
>> should be clearly one that activists would really regard as one that
>> has been long won. The three decades or so of struggle for
>> non-discrimination would certainly count for nothing if no action is
>> taken against perpetrators of this. DPAC and all other like-minded
>> organisations should not let these sections society continue with this
>> kind of social oppression of blind people. I urge you to get to the
>> bottom of this and help those blind people who have suffered at the
>> hands of these supermarkets and shops to explore the legal route to
>> get redress.
>> Thank you.
>> Kudzai Shava
>>
>> On 9/6/13, Colin Barnes <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> > FYI
>> >
>> > Disability activism is not dead thanks to DPAC, Black Triangle and the
>> > Mental Health Resistance Network, but where were the big charities and
>> all
>> > the other large so called 'disability' organisations?
>> >
>> > "Disabled activists from grassroots campaigns Disabled People Against
>> Cuts
>> > (DPAC), Black Triangle and Mental Health Resistance Network have
>> > occupied
>> > the BBC building in London to protest against the role the media are
>> playing
>> > in worsening attitudes towards disabled people and a complete failure
>> > to
>> > give space to the realities of what this government are doing to
>> > disabled
>> > people."
>> >
>> > http://dpac.uk.net/2013/09/for-immmediate-release-dpac-do-the-bbc/
>> >
>> > Best wishes
>> >
>> > Colin
>> >
>> > ________________End of message________________
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>
>
> --
>
>
> Laura J Welti
> Forum Manager
>
> Bristol Disability Equality Forum, Registered Charity 1146576
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