30-04-2025
Guide dog users 'humiliated' after being refused access to public spaces
A blind woman has said she has lost count of the number of times she has been illegally refused access to public places because she has a guide dog.
Siobhan Meade from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, who qualified as a guide dog owner in 2003, says she has been refused access at least 30 times.
The most recent figures from charity Guide Dogs show 90% of guide dog owners have experienced an unlawful refusal at some point, and 72% experienced one in 2024.
Ms Meade told ITV News Anglia she "hung her head in shame" the first time it happened
"I just didn't know what to do," she said. "I just felt humiliated standing on the doorstep, knowing that I was allowed to go in, (with) everyone watching me.
"It just felt so embarrassing. Nobody should ever feel like they don't belong, because at the end of the day we're all one medical condition or accident away from disability - disability doesn't discriminate."
Under the Equality Act 2010, guide dog and other assistance dog owners have the right to enter most services, premises and vehicles with their dogs - but more than 40% of guide dog owners who faced an access refusal last year have been turned away from food and drink premises.
However, there are some exceptions, such as where taxi drivers have a medical exemption certificate due to a dog allergy.
The 41-year-old, who creates online content to educate people about blindness, is one of the 79% of guide dog owners who say they have changed their plans or limited where they visited because of access refusals.
Ms Meade said the extra planning and research she does before she visits anywhere new with her current guide dog Marty has left her "mentally and emotionally drained".
She wants to see better staff training and public education on the issue.
"Every time it just knocks my confidence," said Ms Meade. "Over a pattern of so many years you're just thinking, I just don't have it in me anymore.
"It's simple, I'm not asking for anything extra. I'm asking for what you already have - and that's the freedom and choice to live the life I choose."
Clive Wood, from Guide Dogs, said: "We can give somebody with sight loss the skills to get out and about with their guide dog and feel independent, but if they're a guide dog owner who's refused access to a service, it does chip away at that person's confidence and that's completely against what we're trying to do."
Guide dog user Emma Norman, from Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, told ITV News Anglia she has to "hype herself up" when she goes somewhere new in case she has to fight to be let in.
The 33-year-old Pilates teacher and her guide dog Archie have experienced refusals in settings including restaurants, hotels, taxis and supermarkets.
"That one refusal could ruin someone's day," she said. "I almost go into places expecting something, so when you get a good experience, it's like, oh my God, thank you so much for being so nice. And it shouldn't be like that."
