Recent incidents involving people with disabilities and their service animals have put the way South African businesses handle accessibility and customer rights firmly in the spotlight.
Two cases that gained attention on social media involved a visually impaired man and his guide dog being denied entry to Gardenia Park SPAR in Bloemfontein, Free State, and a quadriplegic person reportedly being denied access to a Johannesburg restaurant, Tortellino D’Oro in Sandton with his service animal.
The incidents have prompted renewed questions about awareness among businesses and their employees regarding people who rely on guide dogs and other trained service animals.
In South Africa, businesses such as retailers and restaurants are required to consider the rights of people with disabilities and their service animals.
Watch the video of the incident that occurred at the SPAR outlet below:
The South African Guide Dogs Association for the Blind said a lack of awareness remains a significant challenge.
Pieter van Niekerk, head of public relations at the South African Guide Dogs Association, said there was unfortunately no controlling or regulatory authority in South Africa to which assistance dog and training principles must conform.
Although the association is affiliated with Assistance Dogs International and the International Guide Dog Federation, Van Niekerk said the growth in organisations offering assistance dog training had created additional concerns.
“It is reality that we now have more training institutions and dog schools making a variety of assistance dogs available, however the emphasis should be on accredited training,” Van Niekerk said.
He said substandard training was becoming problematic, particularly as individuals and training schools could now offer online training and so-called certification, while service dog vests could also be purchased online.
“This is not certified training by an accredited training institution,” Van Niekerk said.
SPAR responds to guide dog incident
The SPAR Group confirmed that it was aware of the incident at the independently owned Gardenia Park SPAR involving a visually impaired customer and his guide dog.
According to Mpudi Maubance, group head of public relations, communications and sponsorship manager at The SPAR Group, the store manager intervened once the matter was brought to his attention.
The manager apologised to the customer and welcomed him and his guide dog into the store. The matter was subsequently resolved amicably and the customer was able to complete his shopping.
“We regret the distress and frustration caused by the incident,” Maubance said.
SPAR said it was committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment where customers are treated with dignity, respect and fairness.
The retailer is engaging with its security service provider regarding the incident and will reinforce the appropriate treatment of customers with disabilities, including those who rely on guide dogs.
It will also review the awareness and guidance provided to relevant store and security personnel to help prevent similar incidents in future.
“SPAR does not tolerate discrimination and remains committed to ensuring that our stores are welcoming and accessible to all customers,” Maubance said.
Awareness remains critical
Van Niekerk said the Guide Dogs Association encouraged clients to report incidents involving access disputes so that it could engage directly with the retailer or business involved.
The organisation also offers access awareness and sensitisation training to businesses.
He said this training could be incorporated into company policy or used as refresher training for relevant employees across a business network.
The aim, he said, was to ensure staff understood how to interact appropriately with customers who have disabilities and rely on assistance animals.
Restaurant incident raises further questions
The second incident involved a quadriplegic person who was reportedly denied access to a restaurant in Sandton with his service animal.
Taking to Instagram, the user wanderlistfoodie said, "My dad is quadriplegic and his service dog is a huge part of his independence. We went to Tortellino d’Oro in Johannesburg expecting to have lunch like anyone else, but we were told that his service dog was not allowed inside."
"We explained that he was a trained service dog, not a pet, but that made no difference. When we challenged this, we were told that he wasn’t refusing us entry because we could sit outside And I think that says everything," wanderlistfoodie's caption continued.
Watch the video posted on social media below regarding the incident at the restaurant:
Van Niekerk said that, in his opinion, the establishment had not acted in line with the Constitution and discrimination legislation.
He said the business had instead relied on the principle of a right of admission and argued that its customers could choose to dine without dogs being present.
According to Van Niekerk, the restaurant had created a specific outside area where people with dogs could sit.
“The business owner acts to be a dog lover, but is adamant that their restaurant is not a dog friendly venue, although they are welcome to use the outside area especially created for this,” Van Niekerk said.
He said the situation illustrated the importance of businesses understanding the distinction between ordinary pets and trained assistance animals.
For businesses, the incidents serve as a reminder that accessibility should not be treated simply as a matter of customer preference.
Retailers, restaurants and other customer facing businesses can reduce the risk of misunderstandings by ensuring that employees and security personnel receive appropriate disability awareness training and understand the role of service animals.
For people who rely on assistance animals, access is closely connected to their ability to participate independently in everyday life.
Van Niekerk said businesses that were uncertain about their responsibilities should seek appropriate guidance and training rather than dealing with access disputes on an individual basis.
As awareness around disability rights continues to grow, the message from the Guide Dogs Association is that businesses need to ensure their policies, employees and security providers are equipped to accommodate customers who rely on service animals.
The owner of Tortellino D’Oro did not respond at the time of publishing.
ashley.lechman@nationalmg.co.za