M&S has introduced online training to help its workers better understand their role in supporting customers with disabilities and how to identify assistance dogs.
The retailer said it has developed the resources in collaboration with customer John Dickinson-Lilley, after he was mistakenly told his assistance dog, Brett, was not allowed to enter its Charing Cross store in January.
M&S said it took action to apologise and has worked closely with Mr Dickinson-Lilley to ensure that customers with assistance dogs are always welcomed into its stores in the future.
As part of the retailer’s goal to become a more inclusive and accessible retailer, the new training helps employees to better understand their role in supporting customers with disabilities, M&S said.
John Dickinson-Lilley commented: “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 sight loss across the UK. After the experience I had at M&S’s Charing Cross store, 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. This is by far the most inspiring response I’ve seen from any retailer and demonstrates just how much M&S cares about making its shops accessible.”
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.
As part of the online training course, colleagues will hear from Mr Dickinson-Lilley about the importance of making customers using assistance dogs feel welcome and the positive impact it has on their customer experience.
The assistance dog training is just one of a series of accessibility resources available to colleagues, which includes guides for sensory friendly shopping and deaf awareness with top tips and introductory signs for people who use British Sign Language.
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