UK charity Guide Dogs has partnered with the Warner Bros. Studios Tour London to improve accessibility for visitors with visual impairments.
As part of the year-long partnership, dubbed ‘Dogwarts’, the Harry Potter studio tour has sponsored three guide dogs in training – black Labrador Harry, yellow Labrador Ron, and Golden Retriever Hermione.
Since opening in 2012, the studio tour in Watford has welcomed guide and assistance dogs. Working with Guide Dogs, the attraction is introducing new initiatives such as iPads that can be used to magnify signs and descriptions.
Guide Dogs will also provide staff at the studio tour with training resources to help guests who are blind or visually impaired.
Geoff Spooner, senior vice president and general manager at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, said: “We love welcoming everyone to the studio tour to step behind the scenes of their favourite Harry Potter moments and discover how they were brought to life through the magic of filmmaking.
“Our partnership with Guide Dogs marks our steadfast commitment to become a best practice example of accessibility for those with sight loss in UK attractions.
“We also hope to drive change throughout the industry that makes a real difference.”
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is home to iconic sets, authentic props and original costumes from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films.
New initiatives at studio tour
Sets include the Forbidden Forest, the Great Hall, Platform 9¾, Diagon Alley, the Gringotts Wizarding Bank, and Professor Sprout’s greenhouse.
Kerry Kernan, head of children, young people and families at Guide Dogs, added: “We are delighted to be working with the studio tour team and hope our partnership will improve the experience and make a difference to visitors with visual impairment.
“Through our consultation, advice and training, we hope to encourage change across the UK attractions industry to become more accessible for people with sight loss, so blind and partially sighted visitors have more confidence to visit such attractions independently in the future.”
Images courtesy of Warner Bros. and Guide Dogs
