Access is a Justice Issue

This morning, reading the BBC News website, I came across this article by Sean Dilley.

Sean uses a Guide Dog and this article tells stories of being refused service in shops, restaurants, taxis and other places because of his dog. It made me sad, then very sad, then annoyed, then bloody furious within about 30 seconds. What sent me from empathetic sadness to blinding fury was not the fact that he has been refused access, yet again. Not the rediculous excuses used to deny access. No, neither of these things sent me into fury. What sent me from annoyance into absolute fury was the reactions of other people, accusing him of spoiling their meal, judging him for having the audacity to even want to eat a meal in a restaurant. But what really tipped me over the edge into rage was this sentence,

"online threats and increasing hostility towards disabled people mean I’m giving up on asking publicly for equality and respect."

Threats, hostility, being othered. I hate that I live in a world where other people, human beings will actively oppose access for disabled people, sometimes to their face and often while hiding behind the safety of a computer screen. In psychology there is something called the online disinhibition effect - the basic premise of which is that people will say things online that they would never say in person, this can be both positive and negative. Positive disinhibition can occur when someone feels safe enough share something personal in an online space. Toxic disinhibition, however occurs when someone makes harmful, hateful statements and threats online because there is safety in being anonymous on the internet. For Sean Dilley, there has been so much toxic disinhibition aimed at him and members of his family that he has chosen to stop sharing his experiences. What kind of person would threaten someone's life, the life of their guide dog, or their family members over the sharing of an experience, something that actually happened to a disabled person, shared to raise awareness of the need for equality of access? Questions are good, discussion is great, even disagreement can be helpful when done respectfully, but hiding behind your computer to intimidate and threaten isn't just wrong, it's beyond cowardly and it's clear how Sean came to the end of his resources trying to cope with it all and I wish him well.

However, as someone with a hidden disability who also uses a service dog, I think it is incredibly important that people, humans, everyone who possibly can, stand up for access equality as publicly as they can. Here are some ways you actually could make a difference to service dog users:

Be informed - read up about the equality act and assistance dogs
Ask questions - if you know someone with an assistance dog, talk to them about it. I get asked a lot about what Rosy does to help me and I'm very happy to share that information, particularly because I have a hidden disability.
Get training - if you work in retail, hospitality or any service industry you should receive training about assistance dogs, if you haven't had training, ask for some. If you don't know where to get it from, ask me to help and I will.
Always ignore - if you see an assistance dog out and about, give them space, never ever distract them, do not pet them or offer them treats. Give the person your attention, ignore the dog.
Be supportive - if someone with an assistance dog is beign refused service or entry, support them by calmly reminding the staff member of the dog's legal status and asking that they allow you access. This is difficult for many people to do but, trust me, it means the world to feel supported so be brave if you can.
Be choosy about where you shop/eat - I always post about negative experiences with Rosy and also about positives, make a choice to support more dog welcoming places. For example, we just came home from a week in Whitby and loved going to Hetty and Betty Tea Rooms, Bothams Tea Rooms and Abbey Wharf, who have an actual dog menu! Closer to home, Aldi and Lidl are great, Iceland aren't.

I could bang on about this stuff for days - but for today, I will just say this - next time you go out and walk into a space unhindered, unquestioned, not even noticed - remember that when I want to go there, Rosy is what makes that possible and she will almost always be stared at, noticed and often I will be questioned before being allowed to enter or not. Access is not automatic for me, but it should be - which is what makes it a justice issue.