SHOPS and restaurants are being encouraged to follow an Ely restaurant’s lead and be more welcoming to hearing dogs.
Montaz Restaurant, in Ely, has been praised for allowing deaf people to bring their hearing dogs in with them.
But it is becoming more common for people with hearing dogs to be turned away.
More than 80 per cent of deaf people with hearing dogs have been denied access to shops and more than 55 per cent have been forcibly escorted from restaurants.
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, a charity that provides life-changing services to deaf people across the UK, is campaigning for this to change.
Philip Biggs, access and inclusion manager for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, who has a hearing dog called Marsh, said: “Like me, there are hundreds of deaf people in the UK who rely on their hearing dog.
“Not only does Marsh assist me by alerting me to sounds that I can not hear, but he also increases my independence and confidence in public situations.
“Therefore, if I am denied entry to a restaurant, cafe or hotel with Marsh, it can be very upsetting and degrading.”
To find out more about Hearing Dogs for Deaf People go to www.hearingdogs.org.uk/wholetsthedogsin
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