Retail staff must be more aware of the needs of guide dog owners and partially-sighted customers, according to a new charter by Guide Dogs for The Blind.
The charity has launched its High Street Charter as part of its ongoing Access For All campaign, which was launched in 2000 to improve public services for the visually-impaired.
"Although there are issues of design and accessibility of services on the high street, the main problem is usually nervous and inexperienced staff who don't know how to treat visually impaired customers," said Robin Hutchinson, head of communications at the charity. "We want to make staff aware of how to help."
Previous campaigns have focused on access to taxis and changing the attitudes of restaurant owners.
