Equal access for users of Guide Dogs and Hearing Dogs

9.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 9th Apr 2009

Sharon meets Hearing Dog "Ky"

An end to discrimination against users of Guide Dogs and Hearing Dogs has drawn closer following a key vote in the European Parliament. Guide Dogs for blind people and Hearing Dogs for deaf people are included in an umbrella term "Assistance Dogs" covering dogs trained to help people with a variety of disabilities.

SE England MEP Sharon Bowles has been campaigning to ensure equal access for all assistance dogs. Last year she joined in activities to make 2008 the year of the assistance dog by visiting the Buckinghamshire based headquarters of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

Sharon said: "It is crucial that assistance dog users are treated equally throughout Europe. I've spoken with people who have been denied access to restaurants and shops, because other people have failed to recognise the dog as an assistance dog."

"In the UK we already have laws that protect the rights of assistance dog users, but unfortunately due to a lack of recognition, these are frequently ignored. I hope that this vote will reinforce the message that discrimination against assistance dog users is totally unacceptable. Discrimination on grounds of disability must have no place in Europe. This vote will be highly important for millions of people across the European Union for many years."

The proposals voted on basically outlaw discrimination when accessing services and goods on the grounds of age, religion or belief, sexual orientation and disability. However sections of the proposals specify that the law must take assistance dogs into account.