Express & Star comment: Teach pub staff about disabilities
Disabled gran Ann Hill feels ‘hurt and embarrassed’ that she was turned away by staff at a Wetherspoon’s pub for being ‘too drunk’.
The 55-year-old actually has cerebral palsy, which she was born with and affects her speech and ability to walk.
She wasn’t just embarrassed when being told by bar staff she was ‘too drunk’ to be served, she was angry.
This led to an altercation with staff which is why the pub chain believes a right decision was made by its team at the time as they were not initially told she had cerebral palsy.
But should it really have reached this stage at all? Both a doorman and a barmaid mistook the grandmother’s disability for being drunk.
It is surprising that two employed pub workers are unable to tell the difference between someone who is too heavily intoxicated to be served alcohol and a mature woman with a disability.
Only last month another disabled woman, Grace Currie, was escorted out of a pub in Shrewsbury for being drunk when in fact she had previously suffered a brain injury when hit by a car.
The pub chain apologised to her while her family called for staff to have more disability awareness training.
It would appear this suggestion has not yet been taken up, if this latest incident is anything to go by.
As a society we are taking strides to improve ‘access to all’ enabling disabled people to enjoy a more equal role in our communities whether that be in the workplace, in sport, being able to better get around or make more use of the leisure industry.
A little thought and understanding could have gone a long way that night and possibly prevented the unpleasant scene that was to follow.
Ann Hill doesn’t want to go into Birmingham again, let alone to a Wetherspoon’s pub.
These two recent incidents may make other disabled people think again about going there.
Now really would be a good time for Wetherspoon’s to take up the family’s suggestion of more disability awareness training for its staff.
Surely the company will want to take any steps that may prevent embarrassing disabled grandmothers and car crash victims in the future.
