Here at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, we are always looking for ways to improve our facilities and make them accessible for all.
For visitors with a visual impairment who might use a Guide Dog, we have strict rules in place to protect the welfare of our birds, many of whom get stressed when they have encountered dogs previously. With increasing support for the Guide Dogs UK Open Doors campaign, highlighting that it is an illegal offence to refuse admission to a person with a Guide Dog, we have taken action to enable us to support service users with a sight loss.
In the UK, over 2 million people are living with sight loss, and of these, 340,000 are registered as blind or partially sighted
The team learning about sight loss
Tim and Tyne from Guide Dogs UK recently attended the Sanctuary to deliver their Sighted Guide training to 14 members of staff and volunteers. The session included information about the services that Guide Dogs UK provide, some statistics about the numbers of people living with sight loss and what that means to them, as well as practical guidance on how to Sighted Guide someone.
Only 1% of people with sight loss have a Guide Dog
It was incredibly useful as the staff and volunteers came together to highlight potential areas of difficulty for people with visual impairments, such as navigating our paths, using the signage and finding seating on our flying ground. These will all be looked at in the near future to investigate any improvements we can easily make to make life easier for the growing number of people with sight loss in the UK.
By 2050, it is expected that the number of people with sight loss in the UK will be 4 million
Using special goggles, staff and volunteers could experience what different types of sight loss would “look” like to them.
In the meantime, if you, or someone you know, would like to book a visit to Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, please rest assured that our team are now equipped to be able to Sighted Guide you and help you enjoy a fun day out at our attraction.
“I can’t wait to put what we’ve learnt today into practice!”