Human rights fight in B.C. as Shoppers, Wal Mart resist drug labels for blind

VANCOUVER – A human rights battle is brewing between a British Columbia group that advocates for the blind and two major pharmacies.

Access for Sight Impaired Consumers has filed separate complaints with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal against Wal-Mart Canada and Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. (TSX:SC), accusing both companies of discriminating against people who are print disabled.

Spokesman Rob Sleath says Wal Mart and Shoppers are resisting requests to put special labels on prescription bottles that allow patients to use a device and hear critical dosage information.

Sleath says Wal-Mart already uses the program in the U.S. so he doesn’t understand why it’s not available in Canada.

He says his group has encouraged Shoppers to add the labels since 2006 but the company has resisted all along.

Sleath says other pharmacies in B.C. use the program, but both Shoppers and Wal Mart continue to dispense medications to print-impaired customers using only written labels and verbal instructions from pharmacists.

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