Discrimination

Today it's a post from Oatie's mum. We decided to go Family swimming and skating. So we headed off for a family skate first. Oatie, was really enjoying himself in his stroller. When one of the rink guys said we had to leave the ice because strollers are not permitted on the ice. Which isn't true as the rules on the sign screwed to the wall that clearly states strollers are permitted as long as the wheels are clean (which our were) we don't want to trip over anymore than anyone else does with debris. Oatie's dad explained that the rules say you can, and the rink guys were still adamant that they were right.  Even after Oatie's dad explained that he (Oatie) was Disabled and this was 'skating' to Oatie they didn't care and their edict came from their manager. Well we said that they could get their manager to ask us to leave if the rules weren't so. Naturally no one came. After the skate I was really annoyed, I really didn't like discrimination against disabled people before I had a disabled child, and really truly felt that there should be equal opportunity and that discrimination still exists in this day and age is just plain ignorant and so unfeeling.  Well, I found a phone number for the manager just outside the rink, and well guess who answered... it was the same guys who tried to throw us off (manager wasn't in today) they did go and look the wall and realized that they were wrong, I laid it on thick how they should be more considerate of disabled people, (Oatie was out of earshot of my conversation) still rink side with his dad while his brother and sister took their skates off.  And... I even got an apology out of them for being discriminatory towards Oatie and they said in future they'll leave him alone.  The sad bit is that Oatie loves buggy skating and as he can understand every word that is said he was really upset when they said he couldn't skate as they said it right in front of him and he went all quiet after that saying Off?  It wasn't until another skater said to Oat, that there was not way they were taking him off the ice (Oatie's got a bit of a fan club). Oatie is a safe skater, he wears a skating helmet. And we'd never take him on shinny or a figure skate in a stroller only a public or family skate.