Wetherspoons told disabled woman to leave Shrewsbury pub
A woman who suffered a brain injury seven years ago was asked to leave a JD Wetherspoons pub after staff mistook her disability for drunkenness.
Grace Currie was escorted out of The Shrewsbury Hotel by bouncers on Saturday night who told her she was too drunk, despite having only one drink.
Ms Currie, 24, said it was “appalling” and she was not even allowed back inside for her bag and coat.
The chain apologised for the mistake and the “misjudgement” of staff.
Ms Currie suffered life changing injuries after she was hit by a car in Baschurch in 2010.
“She had a less than 0.1% chance of making it to the hospital,” her mother Lorraine said, “let alone surviving”.
Netty Brook, Ms Currie’s assistant who was with her at the pub on Saturday night, said being asked to leave was “so degrading for Grace and so upsetting”.
“After seven years recovering, it’s such a huge thing for Grace to get to the bar and order her own drink,” she said. “That is massive. And for her to be treated the way she was, I just can’t imagine.
Ms Brook said Ms Currie being asked to leave has “made her feel like this is her fault”.
She said people should not need to “have something tattooed across your head saying you’re disabled… to be treated with dignity or respect”.
The family has asked for assurance from Wetherspoons that their staff “have the training in disability awareness that they clearly need”.
A spokesperson for the pub chain said the manager realised “there had been a misjudgement”.
“We apologise to Grace for the mistake and hope that this incident will help our staff manage future similar scenarios with better understanding.”
