Maddie Haining was ejected from Club Tropicana on Manchester's Canal Street in the early hours of Saturday morning. According to Haining, the manager told her that if the club received a fine for breaching fire regulations, he would send it straight to her. Haining showed bar staff the Equality Act 2010, which states that access cannot be denied because someone uses a wheelchair, but staff continued to insist she had to leave. The manager was rude throughout the incident, threatening to forward her the fine and walking off while she was speaking, Haining said.
Door staff had no issue with Haining's wheelchair when she entered the venue with her friends at 2am, and security helped her inside, saying as long as she was okay then it was all okay. Less than five minutes after entering, security returned and said the manager had ordered her to leave because she was a safety risk. The manager said her chair was a safety risk but could not explain how or why, Haining reported. When Haining said this was discrimination, the manager changed his reason to say it was because she was a fire risk.
So I'm being kicked out of the bar for being in a wheelchair.
Cherylee Houston, a disability rights campaigner, said Haining's experience was shocking and outrageous but not uncommon. Houston described discrimination against disabled people as daily, noting that people often don't realize because it's not spoken about unless it's an extreme case. Houston added that the incident pointed to a wider issue where many disabled people were not made to feel welcome or accommodated at venues, some of which still lacked proper policies. Many disabled people have to consider whether they can get into a bar, shop, or restaurant, and many silently don't return after such experiences, Houston said.
The owners of Club Tropicana have offered Haining an unreserved apology for the stress and embarrassment she experienced. They said her treatment was completely indefensible, unacceptable, and appalling. Training and accessibility at the club will be reviewed after an investigation into what happened, the owners stated.
You do that.
Venues are legally required under the 2010 Equality Act to ensure reasonable adjustments like ramps and other measures are in place for disabled people. John Hamilton, who runs Bar Pop and chairs the Manchester Pub and Club Network, said Manchester's venues have problems with accessibility, with many new and old bars not being wheelchair-accessible due to steps and inability to install lifts.
Hamilton said Bar Pop had a disabled lift installed, but it took seven minutes to take someone from the front door to the main floor. Insurers assessed Bar Pop and said the lift would block the exit if operating during an emergency, so they would not provide cover. Bar Pop bought ramps that could be used at a lower entrance at the back, with staff training to help those who need access. Hamilton added that what happened to Haining was unfortunate, and staff sometimes don't get full training.
It's daily, and I think people don't realise because it's not often spoken about unless it's an extreme case.
The issues with Manchester is there is a lot of the new and old bars that aren't disabled accessible when it comes to wheelchairs. It's steps, you can't put lifts in, you can't do this, you can't do that.