A man has shared that he was denied entry with his guide dog at a Seattle restaurant because a staff member didn't believe he was blind.
Paul Castle, who describes himself as an "author, artist, and advocate," recounted the incident on Tuesday (May 7) on his TikTok platform.
"I walked in with my guide dog, Mr. Maple, and immediately somebody rushed up to me and said, 'No pets allowed, only service dogs,'" he recalled.
Highlights
- A man and his guide dog were denied entry at a Seattle restaurant after a staff member said he didn't "look" blind.
- Paul Castle, blind from Retinitis Pigmentosa, tried explaining his condition but was still refused service.
- The restaurant eventually offered a "sincere" apology to Paul and gave him a gift card.
Paul explained to the server that his dog wasn't a pet. "'It's OK, he's a service dog.' He looked at me, he looked at Maple, and said, 'Emotional support dog?' 'No, like a guide dog for the blind.'"
Image credits: matthewandpaul
"I literally had this harness attached to him," the artist continued, referring to the words "Guide Dogs for the Blind" on the animal's harness. "I showed this to him; I said, 'I'm blind.'"
But the worker thought he was making it all up. "He said, 'You don't look blind,' and I said, 'A lot of people in the blind community still have some functional vision.'"
"He said, 'You're looking right at me.' I said, 'Yes, but it's like I have a pinhole of vision — that's all I can see.'"
Image credits: matthewandpaul
In a separate video, Paul shared that he has retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an untreatable eye disease that "makes cells in the retina break down slowly over time, causing vision loss," as per the National Eye Institute (NEI).
Retinitis pigmentosa causes loss of side (peripheral) vision. Over time, the field of vision of people with RP narrows until they only have some central vision (also called tunnel vision).
Paul can see a small tunnel of vision, surrounded by "moving light, popping random colors, almost like fireworks."
Though he tried to explain this to the restaurant employee, he still wasn't allowed inside.
Firm in his belief that Paul was lying about his blindness, the worker stopped him again, saying, "Listen, this isn't my first rodeo."
Image credits: paulcastlestudio
"What is going on out there that would lead this man to believe that I was lying?" Paul asked in his video, which has received over 1.5 million likes and numerous supportive comments.
The Washington State Human Rights Commission states that "service animals must be allowed into all areas of a place of public accommodation where the general public is allowed," including "dining and eating areas, restrooms, and areas where food is sold."
In an attempt to prove his point, the worker asked the young advocate if she saw other dogs in the restaurant.
"I said, 'Honestly, no. I'm blind. There could be.'"
Image credits: paulcastlestudio
When the Seattle resident offered to return to the establishment with Mr. Maple's paperwork, he says he was threatened by the restaurant staffer: "If you step foot back in this restaurant with that dog, I will call the police."
"I'm speechless," Paul concluded his video.
Paul did not disclose the name of the restaurant where the incident took place.
In a subsequent post, the artist explained that he came back to the restaurant to meet with the manager. He told him that he wasn't planning on pressing charges against the employee, and he didn't want him to lose his job.
"I just want people to understand the spectrum of blindness and the importance of service animals," he explained.
"What is going on out there that would lead this man to believe that I was lying?"
Paul told his viewers that since posting his video, he has received a "sincere apology" from the restaurant
"The reason he didn't believe me is because I told him I was blind but I was able to sustain eye contact with him.
"I think most people want things to be black or white. If you have a disability, they want it to be the version that they've seen represented in movies and TV for many years, whereas 93% of people who are blind have some functional vision."
Paul added that it's "common" for people to assume he's not blind and accuse him of being a liar.
Furthermore, Paul told his viewers that since posting his video, he has received a "sincere apology" from the restaurant employee and a "very generous" gift card as compensation.
"I don't want anything bad to happen to this establishment. I just want them to learn from the whole experience."
"The employee had no right to question," a social media user commented
