Last week, a woman in the UK was due to receive the Freedom of the City award for her disabilities campaigning, but was ironically unable to accept the award on stage because it lacked an accessible ramp.
According to the BBC, Ms Anna Landre said she was holding back tears throughout the ceremony held on 19 July.
What was supposed to be one of her proudest moments turned sour quickly when Ms Landre discovered that the stage didn’t have an accessibility ramp.
The wheelchair-using activist and researcher was due to receive one of the City of London’s highest honours for her contribution to the public, namely in the areas of computer science and disability campaigning.
But what shocked her most was that a ramp was not available at the venue. But the organisers simply assumed she wouldn’t want to get on stage, according to The Canary.
“Oh, I heard that you were upset about not getting on the stage, I’m really sorry. We do have a ramp, I just thought you wouldn’t want it. I didn’t put it out today,” a staff member told Ms Landre.
This left the 25-year-old, who had moved to the UK after finishing her studies in Washington DC three years ago, in shock.
Because she didn’t want to make a scene, she spent most of the ceremony trying not to start crying. She also added that she’s often stoic about these things because it is a common occurrence for her.
However, the “absurd” situation “turned an honour into an indignity”, she told the BBC.
In response to the incident, Ms Landre said: “As an activist, whenever this happens it’s an opportunity to fix it for the next person because if I don’t, it will happen to the next person.”
Even if a person with disabilities gets invited to an event, the experience is often segregated, she told The Canary.
In response to the incident, the City of London Corporation said it is fully committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. It is undertaking an urgent review to ensure accessibility at its buildings, facilities and events.
It added: “We want to make clear our unreserved apology to Anna Landre and we are making every effort to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Also read: M’sian Vendor Gives Away Free Ice Cream To Customers With Disabilities, Inspired By Late Child
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Featured image adapted from Anna Landre on LinkedIn.
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