I was stopped from entering a restaurant because I am blind.
One weekend, I left home with my white cane and walked to the nearest trading centre to have lunch.
I had heard so much about a restaurant across the road. Teachers at my school praised the food, so I decided to try it.
The area around the restaurant was congested, so I asked someone to help me get inside.
Then, as I stepped into the restaurant, the owner suddenly shouted:
“Stop! Stop! Don’t take him inside. I don’t have free food for disabled people.”
The person helping me explained:
“He is not asking for free food. He is here to pay.”
She looked at me and asked:
“Can you afford my food? It is expensive.”
I asked how much.
5,000 Ugandan shillings.
She told me to pay before entering.
While we were still arguing, another woman came from the kitchen and whispered to the owner:
“That is a teacher from the nearby school.”
Her attitude changed immediately.
She became friendly and apologized for how I had been treated.
But that left me with one question:
Why do persons with disabilities have to prove who we are, what we can afford, or what we do before we are treated with dignity?
Disability should never be a reason to assume someone is poor, incapable, or looking for free things.
Equal treatment should not depend on who recognizes you.
#Inclusion #Accessibility #DisabilityRights #PersonWithDisabilities
@NUDIPU @EstherKyozira @KISE_OFFICIAL @teamksblind @BugembeNelson @DisabilityLane @nuwodu @incpart