Pub owner's heartwarming message for dad of wheelchair-bound boy
A pub owner has been praised for being inclusive of people with disabilities after a father asked her if his wheelchair-bound son was welcome in the restaurant.
Steph Tate, the owner of The Barrel Chapeltown in Sheffield, England, wrote on Facebook a man came into her pub last weekend asking if his wheelchair-bound son was “OK to be in the pub”.
“This man went on to explain that his child sometimes makes loud noises and waves his arms about, people have made comments in the past when he has taken him out,” she wrote.
“It broke my heart that a parent felt they needed to ask if it was OK for his child to be here just like anyone else.”
Ms Tate did not go into further detail about the father and son as to not “embarrass” them, but added it got her thinking about “how many other people must be in the same position”.
She added staff were happy to accommodate people with disabilities by plugging-in devices or moving furniture.
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“If you’re sat at home with a disabled child, partner or friend and feel on edge about taking them anywhere due to fear of someone making comments please feel free to bring them here,” Ms Tate wrote.
“If I find anyone making negative comments or being disrespectful they will be asked to leave, not you.”
Ms Tate’s post has been shared more than 790 times and has more than 1,700 likes since it was posted earlier this week, with many praising her inclusiveness.
One woman wrote the pub owner had “an amazing attitude”, while a mum of a child with cerebral palsy and autism wrote Ms Tate was a “breath of fresh air”.
Another person, who said she had a disability, said she was moved to read it.
“Steph, we have so few allies and are so often made to feel unwelcome in pubs, restaurants and other public spaces,” she wrote.
“Sadly, I live too far away to visit, but thank you, thank you for making the lives of disabled children, their parents and disabled adults so much easier.”
