Is there a way to not be forced to go through the duty free area at Heathrow Terminal 3 for accessibility reasons?

Question

When taking a flight from London Heathrow Terminal 3, all passengers are required to walk straight through the middle of the duty free shopping area in order to get to their gates. This is unlike at other terminals at Heathrow (which make you walk along the outside of, not straight through, the duty free area).

The duty free area consists of strong smells, flashing lights, and various other things (such as visual information overload) that can present accessibility problems to passengers who are sensitive to these things (photosensitive epilepsy, autism spectrum, etc.). I'm mildly sensitive to these things, and I'm traveling with someone who is way more so.

Is there a way to skip past the duty free shopping area and walk straight to the central area once one's cleared security? I did some research and found that Birmingham Airport allows passengers who request it at the assistance desk prior to security can have a handler escort them through a special corridor that bypasses it, but is the same available at Heathrow Terminal 3?

Update: I called Heathrow and they told me I can request this at the Assistance desk at check-in. They recommend pre-booking assistance through the airline and mentioning it in the notes, but they will also accommodate someone day-of so long as they request it at the assistance desk prior to security. Whether this works is yet to be seen, so I'm not posting a self-answer yet.

Answer 1

Sadly, the answer appears to be no, if you're starting your journey at Heathrow Terminal 3.

When I got to Heathrow Terminal 3's pre-security assistance desk, they told me that the airport was not built with a way for normal economy passengers to access the gates without going through duty free, short of having access to the premium cabin/elite passenger security checkpoints.

When I pressed on the subject, they said the best they can do is provide a handler to walk with the person through the shop and guide them through it so they can go through it blind.

On the other hand, if you're connecting in Terminal 3, there is a way to avoid a mandatory shopping area. Once you've completed security, simply follow the sign for "Express Connection": the sign says it's only for passengers on a specific list of flights departing within 60 minutes, but anyone can use that path. This will take you past even the central waiting area to the gates, but you can walk back there if you have time to spare.