Despite disabled people also being a part of the population, not everywhere is accommodating for them. Some places lack elevators and ramps, others may not have the tactile paving necessary to guide the blind. There are even places that flat out refuse to allow service dogs!
Unfortunately, it seems Malaysia is not exempt from these prejudices either. Recently, a shop in a mall in Johor Bahru allegedly stopped this woman from entering. Their reason? Well, the lady claims it’s because she was in a wheelchair!
The post was made on Sunday (12th March), presumably after she had gone to the mall. She and a friend had apparently planned to eat at a certain store. However, the lady claims the store denied her entry. “Thank you for confusing me,” her post read. “You can’t go in (to eat) if you are in a wheelchair because (vehicles) aren’t allowed in. Dumbfounded.”
Needless to say, her post immediately garnered attention, with many sympathetic to the woman’s plight. Several expressed their own frustration at her mistreatment, and others demanded an explanation from the store as well. Surprisingly enough, they were indeed given one!
Someone claiming to be the representative of the store, later responded to the lady on her post. “We are very sorry for your unpleasant experience, and we have already informed the branch’s person-in-charge of the incident,” they said.
The representative then alleged their store had been crowded at the time as they were receiving goods from a lorry. “So, the staff had to ask customers to not enter because they were worried they would accidently hit the customers while moving the goods,” they explained. The representative also promised to remind the staff to be more attentive to their customers.
However, the lady refuted the statement, claiming she had not seen anyone delivering goods at the time. She also alleged that customers were allowed to move in and out of the store. However, when she tried to enter and the staff blocked her, saying “Vehicles are not allowed in,“, she felt as though she was being excluded because of her wheelchair.
Our hearts go out to her and others who also suffer from being prejudiced for their handicaps. We sincerely hope establishments will take note of such incidents and get better in serving our fellow people.
Sources: Facebook, Tan Tan News
