A Sheffield woman with a rare impairment has made an official complaint to a supermarket after she was not allowed to do shopping with her carer because she did ‘not look very disabled.’
Chantelle (who asked her surname not to be published) has the rare progressive neurological disorder Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia, which only affects around four in every 100,000 people. Its main symptom is muscle weakness and spasms in the legs but there can be other effects such as extreme fatigue, pain, ataxia and bladder problems.
The 30-year-old told “The Star” that after queuing up with her carer at Lidl in Stocksbridge she was told that they would not be allowed to enter together due to social distancing measures but then saw an elderly couple entering together so questioned a staff member at the door.
When we asked why that had been allowed and when I explained about being disabled and needing my carer, I was told ‘you do not look very disabled’.
“What is ironic is that there is a sign in the shop window saying ‘not all disabilities are visible’.
“They sent me a £5 voucher but even if they had sent me £500 it would not have made any difference. I want Lidl to make sure this never happens to anyone else.”
Lidl said: “Our store teams take pride in providing additional assistance to customers who need it. We also understand that it is not always possible to shop alone, and allowances should always be made for those that need to be accompanied by someone to support them.”
You can read the entire story here,
