Niamh Shackleton
A legally blind man and his guide dog were recently kicked out of a restaurant for not 'looking blind'.
TikToker Paul took to the video sharing platform on Wednesday (May 8) to share his far from pleasant experience at a Seattle-based restaurant.
He'd gone into the eatery alongside his guide dog Mr. Maple, when someone approached Paul to tell him that they have a 'no pets allowed' policy and that only service dogs were allowed.
When he reassured the guy who worked at the restaurant that Mr. Maple was in fact a service dog, they questioned if he was an 'emotional support dog'.
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"I showed [the guide dog harness] to the guy and said I'm blind, and he said 'you don't look blind'," Paul went on to explain.
"I said a lot of people in the blind community still have some functional vision."
The restaurant worker then asked why he was looking directly at him if he's blind, to which Paul said was because he was 'a pinhole of vision'.
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The man proceeded to tell Paul that 'this isn't my first rodeo' as he further shared his skepticism over his disability.
Offering to come back with Mr. Maple's paperwork to prove he was a service dog, the guy then threatened to call the police if he set foot in the restaurant again.
"I'm speechless," Paul concluded the viral video that's been viewed 9.4 million times.
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While he didn't name the restaurant in question (despite many people's calls to do so), Paul has since had a meeting with the manager of the establishment to discuss the ordeal.
He insisted that he wasn't interesting in pressing charges against the employee or getting them fired, and has now had 'a sincere apology' from them.
Paul has also received a gift card from the establishment to go back there.
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People on TikTok have since applauded Paul for the way he handled the situation.
One person said: "Very classy response. It takes a strong, confident person to give an offending party the chance to make it right and be educational at the same time. Masterclass."
"I am always blown away by the grace with which you handle everything life throws at you. I'm glad that this turned out as well as it did," gushed another.
A third also penned: "As someone with an invisible disability, thank you for having that meeting."
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If you have been the victim of discrimination, you can report it via the US Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division here. In an emergency, always call 911.