City centre tour highlights challenges faced by the visually impaired

The challenges faced by blind and partially sighted people in busy city centres will come under the spotlight in Exeter this week.

Tracy Wilson and her guide dog Mardle will take leading councillors and key officers on a tour around Exeter city centre on Wednesday (1 April ) to demonstrate the difficulties faced by those who have sight difficulties in an urban environment.

Tracy, who is the Eye Clinic Liaison Officer at the West of England Eye Unit at the RD&E Hospital, said: "Every day blind and partially sighted people face real challenges navigating streets that most people take for granted. RNIB's report 'Who put that there!' highlights some of the things that we'd like local councils to consider to make life easier. We're grateful to Cllr Owen for taking the time to see some of the issues for himself."

Cllr Keith Owen, Lead Councillor for Health and Wellbeing, said: "We are always keen to hear from groups about the challenges people face when travelling around the city centre. I hope this tour will shed some light on this and how we can make Exeter more accessible to everyone."

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) recently launched their new report on accessible street, 'Who Put That There!' that illustrates some of the issues faced by blind and partially sighted people.

People can find out more about the report by going to: http://www.rnib.org.uk/campaigning/current-campaigns/my-street