Guide Dogs Victoria campaign uses trams to teach travellers how treat the visually impaired

Guide Dogs Victoria is seeking to educate people on how to treat visually impaired travellers on public transport in a campaign created by McCann Health.

A tram in Melbourne will be wrapped with material promoting the Opening Doors campaign, while posters will appear across the Yarra Trams network setting out the correct etiquette in treating those with sight issues.

It launched today to coincide with White Cane Day and will run for six weeks.

The principal aim is to highlight the issues faced by visually impaired travellers and inform their fellow public transport users what they can do to help.

“Public transport is critical in supporting people who are vision impaired achieve independence and their goals in life, all through the simple act of getting them from one place to another,” Guide Dogs Victoria chief executive Karen Hayes said.

“For many of our clients at Guide Dogs Victoria, public transport is the only way for them to get around – 81 per cent use it regularly.”

McCann Health executive creative director June Laffey said travellers take their ability to travel independently for granted.

“Working on such an important public awareness campaign is an opportunity to reflect on how we can help others in our community and make a difference every day,” she said.