Club apologises after amputee denied entry - 01
Jun, ST
Source: Straits Times
Author: Melissa Sim
Party-goers say: It's discrimination Club says: It's a safety
issue
A POPULAR nightclub has apologised to an amputee after
denying him access to its premises when he went there while on a
night out with friends.
The 28-year-old, who was on crutches, was turned away
at The Butter Factory at One Fullerton.
The club's staff and security said they were worried
for his safety and feared he might blame the club if he should hurt
himself. They also said the crutches could be used as a weapon.
The health-care professional, who wanted to be known
only as David, said that even though he could understand their
concern for his safety, he had been embarrassed by the episode,
which had made him 'feel like a lesser individual'.
David told The Straits Times he had not used his
prosthetic leg that night because he had used it all day at work.
He also did not feel that he needed to wear it while relaxing with
friends.
The group he was with said they tried to explain that
they had been in packed clubs before without encountering any
problems.
But the staff maintained that the club was crowded and
it was a safety issue. They invited the group to return on another
day when David was wearing his prosthetic leg.
The group then left.
While the party-goers felt that their friend had been
discriminated against, the club told The Straits Times the staff
had followed its safety policy.
A spokesman said that although ' it is factually true
that crutches could be potential weapons should a fight ensue',
David had not been refused entry for that reason.
The club had admission policies with regard to areas
such as age, dress code and safety, said the spokesman. The club,
as an operator managing a business, was entitled to exercise its
discretion in these areas, the spokesman pointed out.
'One must understand thatï enforcing these rules is not
discrimination,' said the spokesman.
But one of David's friends, Dr Sonia McCarthy, 28, who
was visiting from the United Kingdom, said the club had dismissed
the ability of her friend to handle the situation.
'It's discrimination when they impose their views about
the ability of another to cope with a situation,' she told The
Straits Times.
This view was shared by the president of Singapore's
Disabled People's Association, Mr Leo Chen Ian. He said: 'They are
prejudging that a one-legged person is not stable. So a one-legged
person has no right to enjoyment.'
Late last week, the club contacted David and his
friends and apologised for the incident, saying it had 'made an
error in judgment'.
The management told The Straits Times that the club had
since agreed to let David in without his prosthetic leg as his
friends, who are doctors, had assured the club that he is more
stable without it.
When asked whether others on crutches would be
admitted, the club said it would 'continue to assess every
situation independently in relation to the safety of those who use
crutches'.
However, David said he would 'probably not go back' to
The Butter Factory because he was embarrassed and a little offended
by the situation. 'There are other places to choose from,' he
said.
When The Straits Times called five other clubs
anonymously, one - Attica at Clarke Quay - said it would not allow
a disabled person on crutches to enter its premises. The
representative said it was a safety issue as the flooring was
marble and smooth. She said pregnant women were also not allowed in
for that reason.
The other clubs said that a person on crutches was
welcome to enter their premises, but they warned that there might
be crowds and they would ask such patrons to be especially
careful.
The Pump Room, a pub at Clarke Quay, said that even
customers in wheelchairs were allowed on the premises.
As for David, he said he would wear his prosthetic leg
when visiting clubs in future, as he is now 'worried he won't be
let in'.
'But I would really prefer that it wasn't an issue,' he
said.
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