‘I was kicked out of bar because of my wheelchair’
I was kicked out of bar because of my wheelchair
An 18-year-old woman from Oldham, Maddie Haining, was removed from Club Tropicana in Manchester’s Gay Village after being told her wheelchair posed a safety hazard. The incident occurred on Saturday night, when she arrived at the nightclub with a companion. Within minutes, a bar manager requested her departure, prompting Maddie to share a video on Instagram capturing the exchange.
A Disappointing Encounter
Maddie described the experience as “embarrassing and infuriating,” emphasizing the indignity of being asked to leave due to her disability. She recounted that security staff had initially allowed her and her friend to enter without issue, even helping to lift her wheelchair into the venue. However, her friend left to get a drink, and shortly after, the staff informed her they had to be escorted out.
“It’s not okay to be removed from bars because you are disabled and different to other people. If they can be in there then why shouldn’t we,” Maddie said in the video, highlighting her frustration with the decision.
When she sought to speak with the manager, he was “horribly rude, really really rude the whole time he was speaking to me,” she claimed. Maddie challenged the manager’s reasoning, asking, “how was I a safety risk?” She noted that the staff had not explained the issue and later shifted the argument to a fire risk. To counter this, she displayed the 2010 Equality Act on her phone, asserting that wheelchair users cannot be excluded based on such grounds.
Legal Rights and Consequences
Club Tropicana stated in a statement that an investigation is ongoing and that it would be “inappropriate to comment further.” The venue confirmed it had been made aware of the incident but not directly contacted by Maddie. Meanwhile, Manchester City Council is reviewing the matter after she lodged a complaint with its licensing committee.
Under the Equality Act, venues are legally required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled individuals. This includes provisions like ramps and evacuation plans that ensure accessibility. Maddie pointed out that refusing entry due to disability constitutes discrimination, and the manager’s refusal to acknowledge this was a key point of contention.
Despite her efforts to educate the staff, the manager insisted on his decision and even hinted that any fines the club might incur could be passed on to her. Maddie eventually left the venue but asked for the names and contact details of the involved staff to file a formal complaint. She described the ordeal as a rare experience, expressing her confidence in her rights after nearly five years of navigating disability-related challenges.
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