Jockey Club staff under fire for 'trying to refuse entry to blind man with guide dog'
Hong Kong Jockey Club staff have come under fire for allegedly trying to stop a blind man and his guide dog entering one of their shops, telling him pets were not allowed on the premises.
Hong Kong Jockey Club staff have come under fire for allegedly trying to stop a blind man and his guide dog entering one of their shops, telling him pets were not allowed on the premises.
David Wong Man-chiu, 65, and his dog, Google, were apparently surrounded by three members of staff when he visited the North Point betting branch to buy a Mark Six lottery ticket on Friday. The staff - two security guards and a cleaner - blocked his path and demanded he leave, said Wong's daughter, Vicky Wong Wing-ki, who was there.
Wong, who has been blind for 30 years, stood his ground while staff ushered out his daughter and pointed at a sign saying pets were not allowed.
"My dad knows his rights and refused to leave," said Vicky Wong. "We tried to explain that Google was not a pet and that he was a working dog, but they said there was no difference.
"They said if they let us in they would get in trouble."
Angie Scott, a friend who was also with Wong, said she was totally taken aback by the hostile reception they received.
"I go in there a lot and normally they are very friendly. It was like we had walked in with a bomb," Scott said.
"Eventually, the manager came out and told us to go ahead and told the staff to get back to their stations."
Under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance it is an offence for someone to refuse services or entry to a blind person accompanied by a guide dog at any place open to the public.
Scott said she had complained to the Equal Opportunities Commission, who said they would look into the case.
Alfred Li Yim-hung, chief executive of the Hong Kong Seeing Eye Dog Services, which trains and places guide dogs with the visually impaired, said he was very disappointed to hear of the reaction from Jockey Club staff.
"Most of the time in situations like this it is the frontline staff of security who know little about seeing eye dogs," Li said.
A spokeswoman for the Jockey Club said the club observed all legal requirements relating to discrimination against the disabled, and allowed guide dogs for the visually impaired in their off-course betting branches.
"Our staff are also required to provide support for customers with disabilities to make use of our services," she said.
