A woman has criticized Wetherspoon, saying that bartenders refused to serve her crippled son because they mistook him for intoxicated.
Ross Wilson, 35, was left feeling ‘humiliated’ when a staff member at Edinburgh’s Alexander Graham Bell bar reportedly denied he had cerebral palsy.
Karen, his mother, alleges the bartender’smirked’ when she mentioned her son had mobility and learning challenges as a consequence of the disease, which causes him to struggle with balance and cohesion.
Ms Wilson claimed she and Ross, of Newtongrange, Midlothian, met up with her elder son Sean in the bar, where the two men had a couple of lagers.
She said that Ross had an ataxic [imbalanced] walk and went to the restroom many times before Sean headed to the bar at 7:30 p.m. for their last round before catching the train home.
The bartender refused to serve Ross because he was inebriated.
Ms Wilson said that when Sean attempted to explain to the bar manager that Ross had cerebral palsy, he was ‘dismissive’ and showed no comprehension.
‘I also made him know that I was a teacher and was fully aware of The Equality Act and that this was plainly discrimination,’ she continued, according to the Daily Record.
Ms Wilson is now advocating for landlords to help customers with disabilities feel accepted and a part of society.
‘I don’t want anybody else to go through what Ross went through,’ she added. I’d want to see something put in place to prevent this from happening, such as a wrist band that a handicapped person may wear.
‘I attempted to explain Ross’ illness to the worker, but he seemed uninterested.’ It’s terrible that he’s being treated this way. He had been humiliated.’
Ms Wilson described the staff member’s ‘arrogant assessment’ that her kid was inebriated in an email to Wetherspoon.
‘This was the manager’s opinion from witnessing him make his way to the bathroom,’ she wrote. He didn’t interact with him; instead, he made an arrogant, presumptuous, and shameful decision.’
She maintained that the manager did not speak to her, but instead sneered and motioned for the bouncer to come over.
Ms Wilson also claimed that she will contact her MP and the government to express her dissatisfaction with the lack of knowledge around equality and prejudice.
She said, however, that the ‘ridiculous’ answer she received’missed the point’ and was ‘not in the least way remorseful.’ She said that the email she got from the customer service department stated that they were pleased with how Ross was handled and that he was denied service because she was inebriated.
Karen, who claims to be a teetotaler, had two coffees, a Coke, and a lime that day.
Wetherspoon hoped Karen would return soon, according to the email, but she stated they were joking and that the way her on was handled was ‘despicable.’
‘Wetherspoon apologises for any trouble or discomfort given to Mr Wilson during his recent visit to The Alexander Graham Bell, Edinburgh,’ said spokesperson Eddie Gershon.
After consulting with the management team, the bar staff mistaken the customer’s symptoms for indicators of drunkenness.
‘Under licensing requirements, pub personnel have an obligation not to sell alcohol if it is suspected that a client is already inebriated.’
He went on to say that Ross was denied service due to a member of staff’s “real assumption” that he was inebriated, and that when he was informed that Ross had cerebral palsy, he apologized.