Guide Dogs Teams Up With Cardiff Airport As New Accessibility Initiative For People With Sight Loss

Published on September 22, 2025

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Cardiff Airport has taken a important measurement towards improving recreation experiences for sight-impaired passengers pinch a caller business pinch nan Guide Dogs charity. This inaugural is portion of nan airport’s broader purpose to beryllium recognized passim nan UK arsenic a flagship airport for accessibility, ensuring that each passengers, sloppy of their mobility aliases sensory needs, consciousness welcomed and supported.

With nan Guide Dogs charity’s expertise, Cardiff Airport is committed to training its unit to amended assistance travelers who acquisition show loss. The inaugural focuses connected helping guideline canine owners, agelong cane users, and young passengers pinch show loss. This business is expected to not only amended nan wide acquisition for group pinch ocular impairments but besides raise consciousness crossed nan broader airdrome and hose industries.

Sighted Guiding Training: Improving Support for Sight-Impaired Passengers

As portion of this collaboration, Guide Dogs Cymru has provided basal sighted guiding training to Cardiff Airport’s Special Assistance Team and frontline staff. This includes learning really to admit erstwhile a rider whitethorn request help, really to safely connection assistance, and nan astir effective sighted guiding techniques. Staff members person been trained to usage techniques that guarantee passengers pinch show nonaccomplishment tin navigate nan airport, from entering nan terminal to going done information and boarding their flight.

A behind-the-scenes video, disposable connected nan Guide Dogs YouTube channel, shows nan applicable aspects of this training. The video features various scenarios, including 1 wherever a unit personnel helps a agelong cane user, named Gary, arsenic he navigates nan airport, followed by his travel done security. Also featured is Chloe, a predominant flyer pinch a guideline dog, Emily, who shares her recreation experiences, alongside a young personification pinch show nonaccomplishment walking pinch his family. These real-life examples show nan affirmative effect that due training tin person connected sight-impaired passengers, giving them greater assurance to recreation independently.

A Commitment to Accessibility and Inclusivity successful Travel

Kerry Bevan, Head of Skills, Information, and Support Services for Guide Dogs, emphasized nan value of accessible recreation and sighted guiding successful airports. She shared that nan charity’s collaboration pinch Cardiff Airport is portion of a wider push to train much unit astatine airports passim nan UK, including astatine Bristol and East Midlands Airports. Bevan expressed dream that this business would animate different airports to adopt akin programs to support sight-impaired travelers, ensuring a much inclusive recreation acquisition for everyone.

Angela Hewitson, Terminal Operations Manager astatine Cardiff Airport, besides said astir nan affirmative effect of this training connected nan airdrome staff. She acknowledged that nan training had been not only applicable but besides incredibly inspiring, giving nan squad a deeper knowing of really mini changes tin importantly amended nan recreation acquisition for passengers pinch show loss. She expressed excitement astir continuing nan business pinch Guide Dogs Cymru and learning from their expertise to make Cardiff Airport an moreover much welcoming and supportive situation for each travelers.

Impact connected Business and Leisure Travel

For business travelers and visitors alike, this business holds tremendous value. Business travelers pinch show nonaccomplishment tin now trust connected airports for illustration Cardiff to supply nan basal assistance they need, whether walking for activity aliases individual reasons. This inaugural aligns pinch nan increasing accent connected inclusivity and diverseness successful nan recreation industry, and it offers a competitory separator to Cardiff Airport successful attracting much passengers, peculiarly those requiring typical assistance.

For tourists, this caller inaugural provides bid of mind, knowing that their recreation needs will beryllium met pinch respect and care. Travelers pinch show impairments aliases those accompanying family members pinch show nonaccomplishment will use from nan enhanced accessibility measures, allowing them to attraction connected enjoying their travel alternatively than worrying astir imaginable barriers astatine nan airport.

Quick Tips for Sight-Impaired Travelers Using Cardiff Airport

1. Pre-Book Special Assistance: Always notify nan airdrome successful beforehand if you require assistance. Cardiff Airport offers a Special Assistance Service for travelers pinch show loss.
2. Arrive Early: To guarantee a soft experience, it is recommended to get early, particularly if you request sighted guiding assistance. This gives unit ample clip to assistance you done check-in, security, and boarding.
3. Stay Informed: Keep way of immoderate changes to your formation aliases nan services disposable astatine Cardiff Airport done their charismatic website aliases mobile app. Updates are often provided regarding accessibility services.
4. Use nan Guide Dogs’ Resources: Explore nan Guide Dogs YouTube channel for videos and different resources connected really to navigate airports and different nationalist spaces pinch show loss.
5. Speak Up: If you request assistance, don’t hesitate to attack immoderate unit personnel who has received nan caller training. They are well-equipped to supply you pinch safe and businesslike support.

Looking Ahead: Enhancing Accessibility Across UK Airports

Cardiff Airport’s collaboration pinch Guide Dogs is mounting an illustration for airports crossed nan UK, aiming to create an situation wherever everyone feels included and supported. This business aligns pinch broader efforts crossed nan recreation manufacture to guarantee that people pinch disabilities, including those pinch show loss, person nan aforesaid opportunities to recreation independently and confidently.

Airports play a important domiciled successful shaping nan recreation experience, and initiatives for illustration these are an basal portion of making recreation much accessible for all. As Cardiff continues to build connected its activity pinch Guide Dogs Cymru, it will apt animate different airports to travel suit, creating a more inclusive recreation environment passim nan UK.

Key Points:

• Cardiff Airport partners pinch Guide Dogs to amended accessibility for sight-impaired passengers.
• Staff training includes sighted guiding techniques and recognizing erstwhile assistance is needed.
• Guide Dogs Cymru has provided broad training to nan airport’s Special Assistance Team.
• Travelers tin expect a more inclusive experience pinch enhanced support astatine Cardiff Airport.
• Pre-booking assistance and arriving early are recommended for sight-impaired travelers.

Source: https://www.wales247.co.uk