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.