The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) found that it was discrimination when a franchise store of a well-known domestic bakery refused service to a wheelchair user.
According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and others on the 6th, a wheelchair user, identified as A, visited a bakery franchise store with a personal care assistant. However, the store blocked A and the companion from using the premises, saying other customers would be inconvenienced and there was not enough space. A filed a petition with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), saying it constituted discrimination against a person with a disability.
The store said it was much more crowded than usual at the time because many visitors had come, and that for A and the companion to sit, they would have had to ask existing customers to move. It also argued there was not enough space for a wheelchair to enter.
However, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Committee for the Remedy of Disability Discrimination said A had previously used seating at the store and that there was also space for the companion to stand and wait. It also said a wheelchair is an assistive device and essential means of mobility for people with disabilities, and the Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities explicitly guarantees its legitimate use.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) added that it determined the refusal of service was based on a vague prejudice that wheelchair use could harm other customers and interfere with business.
Considering that it is a well-known bakery franchise used by many wheelchair users, the National Human Rights Commission recommended that the company's representative establish measures to prevent recurrence and strengthen management and oversight to ensure similar cases do not occur. It also recommended that the franchise location take special human rights training offered by the National Human Rights Commission.