Press Release issued: 27 October 2010.
Eight Scottish businesses have won prizes in a special award scheme to highlight companies that do most to help blind and partially sighted people.
Winners include branches of such household names as Waitrose and Boots as well as local venues such as Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre.
The Go Shop Awards scheme - launched by the Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland, in partnership with Caledonian Business School with Glasgow Caledonian University - aims to encourage improvements that would make shopping, travel, leisure, banking and even web-surfing more accessible to people with sight loss.
Glaswegian Jill Daley (33), who lost her sight to diabetic retinopathy as a teenager, nominated 279 Cafe Bistro in the city's Dumbarton Road, which won the best restaurant/pub category. "Whenever I go there, Vincent, the manager, is very attentive," she said. "He always makes sure I know what's on the menu and he'll make me something else instead if I want. If I am ever in the restaurant on my own, he will introduce me to some of the other regular diners in case I fancy a chat. There's a real sense of community and the interior, too, is very accessible."
Anne Dignan, who has macular degeneration, nominated the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. "The Traverse deserves a particular mention due to the personal assistance and care given by all the staff, ranging from the booking office to the rest of the front of house staff," she said. "People requiring assistance are recorded in a diary and seats in the front row are reserved. Assistance is given to escort you directly to your seat via lifts and corridors, to avoid stairs and negotiating your way within a dark arena. You are escorted back up to and from the café area at interval time and then finally at the end of the performance.
"Touch tours are also on offer for some of the performances which enable you to go on stage and experience handling props or speaking to technical staff sometimes. Guide dogs are also welcome."
John Legg, director of RNIB Scotland, said: "For people with sight loss, the Go Shop Awards have provided renewed hope that service-providers do listen and are prepared to make changes to the way they work, to make their goods and services accessible.
"For businesses, it has been an opportunity to learn about the challenges people face in their everyday activities. And this doesn't necessarily have to mean elaborate or expensive changes. Several have commented on how the awards have transformed the way they think about the needs of blind and partially sighted consumers, which was precisely the kind of response we were hoping for. We need to work together towards more practical solutions for people living with disabilities."
Professor Christopher Moore, vice dean of Caledonian Business School, said: "The Go Shop awards serve as an important mechanism for rewarding those companies that have put the customer and their needs at the forefront of their business thinking and actions. We are delighted to be associated with an initiative that promotes excellence in service delivery to all customers - and particularly those represented by RNIB Scotland."
The Go Shop Award winners 2010:
Best department store - Accessorize (Buchannan Street, Glasgow)
Best restaurant/pub - 279 Cafe Bistro (Dumbarton Road, Glasgow)
Best optometry provider - Boots (Braehead Shopping Centre, Glasgow).
Best bank - Royal Bank of Scotland (Portobello branch)
Best entertainment venue - Traverse Theatre (Edinburgh)
Best supermarket - Waitrose (Morningside, Edinburgh)
Best transport provider - Badenoch & Strathspey Community Transport Company (Aviemore)
Best website - Tesco Online.