DISABILITY RIGHTS- TORONTO:

DEMONSTRATION IN SUPPORT OF DISABLED ACTIVIST THIS FRIDAY:

Molly has blogged last March on the subject of disabled rights activist Aaron Shelbourne and his dispute with the Toronto Everest Restaurant. The dispute is ongoing, and this Friday Aaron, his friends, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) and the disabled rights activist group DAMN2025 will be holding a demonstration in front of the Everest Restaurant to demand an apology and assurance that the discrimination will not be repeated. Here's the skivvy from OCAP.

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FRIDAY: SUPPORT DISABLED ACTIVIST BANNED FROM RESTAURANT‏:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 8TH

DEMONSTRATION: SUPPORT DISABLED ACTIVIST BANNED FROM RESTAURANT REFUSING TO SERVE WHEELCHAIR USERS

Friday, August 8th

11 am

Everest Restaurant

232 Queen St W (at John)

Support Aaron Shelbourne: demand that the Everest Restaurant publicly apologize to Aaron for banning him, drop its policy that wheelchair users are not welcome, and become physically accessible!

DAMN2025 calls for disabled people and supporters to join us on Fri Aug 8 at 11am in front of the Everest Restaurant at Queen & John,where Aaron and his supporters will publicly confront the broad systemic ableism that played out in the Everest Restaurant's repeated abuses against Aaron:

In mid-March, Aaron Shelbourne - a disability rights activist and a member of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) - went to the Everest Restaurant & Lounge with one of his assistants. Mr. Shelbourne has Cerebral Palsy and uses Alternative Augmentative Communication(AAC), which involves using his eyes to communicate and the facilitation of an assistant. They had a meal, and at one point he had to use the washroom. It was not accessible and he nicked the door with his wheelchair going in.

As Mr. Shelbourne and his communication assistant were leaving the restaurant, after paying for their meals, the restaurant manager pulled Mr. Shelbourne's assistant aside and informed her that they were not welcome back. She said that the restaurant was newly renovated and "wheelchairs" aren't welcome because they cause damage.

"I am a person," says Mr. Shelbourne. "The worker at the restaurant didn't even come to tell me all of this herself but went to my assistant instead. I was angry because I am a human being and I have rights."

On March 28th, with the help of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty(OCAP) and DAMN2025, Mr. Shelbourne returned to Everest Restaurant to seek redress, to send a loud message to management, its customers and the public that people who use wheelchairs have rights and this type of treatment is discriminatory and unacceptable! Mr. Shelbourne entered Everest asking to speak with restaurant manager Karma Sanchok who had previously told him they don't serve people in wheelchairs.

Mr. Shelbourne sought a public apology from Ms. Sanchok and the restaurant, and a promise that this kind of blatant discrimination would not continue. Ms. Sanchok refused to speak or engage with Aaron in any way, speaking only to his non-wheelchair-using supporters and quickly retreating behind the counter refusing to apologize or speak directly to Mr. Shelbourne as a fellow human being. Ms. Sanchok proceeded to call the police to forcibly remove Mr. Shelbourne and his supporters from the restaurant.

This Friday, August 8th, we are asking for allies to join Aaron, DAMN2025 and OCAP as we seek to confront Everest's blatant ableism and demand a public apology and renovations to make their space accessible.

Contact DAMN 2025 at (416) 889-3037 or damn2025@gmail.com for more information. **Ontario Coalition Against Poverty

10 Britain St. Toronto, ON M5A 1R6

416-925-6939

ocap@tao.ca

http://www.ocap.ca/ **

TORONTO:

EVEREST RESTAURANT BOYCOTT:

Seems like a time for follow-up as per the last post. A few days ago Molly blogged on the matter of the Everest Restaurant in Toronto and their attitude to one disabled man who was their customer. There is apparently a Facebook page devoted to the boycott of this restaurant. You can access it at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7660964958 .Be aware that you have to sign up for Facebook before you can access their pages. The following is the statement of the group administrator.

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A few weeks ago my friend Aaron Shelbounre went to Everest Restaurant for lunch, which was a usual event for him. The last time he went there, however, he accidentally scratched the bathroom door with his wheelchair. Overreacting, the manager approached Aaron's attendant and said they could never come back because of the scratch.

Apparently a paint job is more important than a persons civil rights.

Upset and humiliated by this experience, Aaron gathered together a group of friends and CBC radio to support him while he sought out an apology from the restaurant.Instead of that more verbal abuse was heaped upon him. Now they're saying that no people in wheelchairs can go to the restaurant and they refused to apologize.

This is blatant discrimination!

Would they ban a woman with a baby carriage if it had scratched the door? Would they ban someone who's purse accidentally scratched the door? A reasonable and sympathetic person would not have told Aaron he couldn't come back, but would have found a way to make their restaurant more accessible. It is a simple as protecting the door with a metal or rubber strip.

If you find discrimination as disgusting as I do, then please boycott Everest restaurant.

Thank You.

ONTARIO:

DISABILITY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS PICKET DISCRIMINATORY QUEEN ST. RESTAURANT:

The following is a press release from OCAP, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. It is about a recent picket of a Toronto restaurant that refuses to serve people in wheelchairs.

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Media Release: Disability Rights Activists Picket Discriminatory Queen St Restaurant‏

Media Release

- For Immediate Publication -

Disability Rights Activists Picket Discriminatory Queen St Restaurant

Friday, March 28, 2008

Aaron Shelbourne is a disability rights activist and a member of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP). He has Cerebral Palsy and uses Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC), which involves using his eyes to communicate and the facilitation of an assistant.

Mr. Shelbourne went to Everest Restaurant on Queen St today to demand an apology from management that has told him they don't serve customers in wheelchairs, and asked him never to come back. Mr. Shelbourne was joined by 20 supporters today. Mr. Shelbourne entered Everest asking to speak with restaurant manager Karma Sanchok who had previously told him they don't serve people in wheelchairs. Mr. Shelbourne sought a public apology from Ms.Sanchok and the restaurant, and a promise that this kind of blatant discrimination would not continue. Ms. Sanchok refused to speak or engage with Aaron in any way, speaking only to his non-wheelchair-bound supporters and quickly retreating behind the counter refusing to apologize or speak directly to Mr. Shelbourne as a fellow human being. Ms. Sanchok proceeded to call the police to forcibly remove Mr. Shelbourne and his supporters from the restaurant.

Mr. Shelbourne's simple, just request for an apology was rudely ignored.This is unacceptable, and Mr. Shelbourne is not prepared to allow this kind of discrimination to continue unchallenged. He calls on supporters, allies and members of the public – especially those using wheelchairs – to go to Everest Restaurant and demand an explanation from the management!

Mr. Shelbourne and his supporters and allies will be back at Everest en masse in the near future, to pursue Mr. Shelbourne's just request for an apology and to ensure that this restaurant does not discriminate against people with disabilities with impunity.

Background

Last week, Mr. Shelbourne went to Everest Restaurant & Lounge with one of his assistants. They had a meal, and at one point he had to use the washroom. It was not accessible and he nicked the door with his wheelchair going in.

As Mr. Shelbourne and his communication assistant were leaving the restaurant, after paying for their meals, the restaurant manager pulled Mr.Shelbourne's assistant aside and informed her that they were not welcome back. She said that the restaurant was newly renovated and wheelchairs aren't welcome because they cause damage.

"I am a person," says Mr. Shelbourne. "The worker at the restaurant didn't even come to tell me all of this herself but went to my assistant instead.I was angry because I am a human being and I have rights."

This Friday March 28th, with the help of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) and DAMN2025, Mr. Shelbourne returned to Everest Restaurant to seek redress, to send a loud message to management, its customers and the public that people who use wheelchairs have rights and this type of treatment is discriminatory and unacceptable!

Says Mr. Shelbourne: "I am demanding a public apology from the management of the restaurant. I want them to acknowledge that I am a person and that because I use a wheelchair, that doesn't make me any less of a person. If they don't like scratches on their bathroom doors they should make the washroom accessible!"