M&S is introducing new online guide dogs awareness training for its colleagues to help them better support and serve customers with disabilities ahead of Purple Tuesday, an awareness campaign to make shopping as accessible as possible.
The company developed the resources in collaboration with customer John Dickinson-Lilly, after he was mistakenly told his assistance dog Brett was not allowed to enter its Charing Cross store in January.
The training aims to enhance M&S’s existing Assistance Animal Policy and resources in place to support customers who use them.
“Disabled people want to be welcomed in the same way as any other customer, and I want to be able to use my platform as a retired GB athlete to advocate for disabled people, including the two million people with vision disabilities across the UK. I was delighted to be invited to work with the accessibility team on its new assistance dog training resources—it showed genuine commitment and leadership.” said John Dickinson-Lilley
“We want every customer to be able to shop with confidence at M&S and that means ensuring our colleagues feel equipped to support our customers with disabilities.” said Zoe Mountford, Lead Sustainability Manager for M&S.
M&S’s colleague Buddy Network, which supports over 150 colleagues with disabilities and health conditions, and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) have also supported the retailer to create the training resources, which aim to inspire colleagues to play their part in making M&S a more accessible retailer.
As part of the online training course, colleagues will hear from John about the importance of making customers using assistance dogs feel welcome and the positive impact on their customer experience.
The assistance dog training is just one of a series of accessibility resources available to colleagues, including guides for sensory-friendly shopping and deaf awareness with top tips and introductory signs for people who use British Sign Language.
