Guide Dogs NSW/ACT is taking action to ensure Sydneysiders with disability gain better access to restaurants and bars.
The charity has launched the Access Means Business Campaign alongside the City of Sydney, with hospitality businesses able to access free online modules on accessibility for the half a million Australians with low vision or blindness.
The City of Sydney contributed $30,000 to the campaign.
The initiative is a first for Australia. The campaign is currently running in New South Wales only but Guide Dogs NSW/ACT hope it may be expanded throughout Australia later down the line.
As part of the campaign, hospitality businesses are being asked to:
- Undertake an online course on assisting people who have blindness or low vision;
- Display a sticker near the entrance of their business, welcoming assistance dogs;
- Sign up to be an Inclusion Ally to keep up to date with the work of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT;
- Share the campaign and resources with their networks.
Guide Dogs NSW CEO Dale Cleaver said many public spaces and facilities are still not designed to support full inclusion and participation for people with low vision or blindness.
“This launch marks the beginning of the campaign, and we encourage all hospitality businesses across Sydney to sign up for online learning to ensure owners and staff can deliver an inclusive venue and service,” Cleaver said.
At the launch of the campaign Deputy Lord Mayor Zann Maxwell said: “Inclusion is so much more than the built form, it is the community participation that is enabled by programs like this.”
Access the modules on the Guide Dogs NSW/ACT website.