Legally blind woman accuses venue of service dog refusal

A Toowoomba venue has come under fire after video footage shows a staff member asking a legally blind guest to leave as they “do not allow service dogs” with or without prior notification. Now one of the venue’s owners has hit back.

A legally blind woman who requires a seeing eye dog has gone viral after a Toowoomba hotel attempted to kick her out of the venue with a staff member saying they “do not allow service dogs” with or without prior notification.

After travelling from Brisbane to Toowoomba on June 2, Janice Whittle entered The National Hotel and checked into the venue’s hotel with her guide dog Keegan, but was soon asked to leave.

Filming part of the verbal conflict on her phone, the footage shows a female staff member stating the venue “do not allow service dogs” and requesting Ms Whittle to pack her bags.

The staff member said “you have to ask the place you’re staying at” to bring a service animal and if she had, the venue “would have refunded” the booking.

In the video, Ms Whittle offers to provide her documentation or speak directly to the manager but the staff member declined both offers.

Toowoomba venue The National Hotel has come under fire after asking hotel guest Janice Whittle who is legally blind and her guide dog Keegan to leave.

Ms Whittle said while she did not want to resort to filming the incident, she felt she needed evidence for people to take her seriously.

“In the past when I’ve reported or told friends about these events, they say ‘there’s no way that happened’ so I feel like I need to record it to be believed,” she said.

“Keegan and I have travelled to just about every state this year and when it comes to (issues with service dogs) I can honestly say we get the most trouble in Queensland.”

Despite the staff member offering Ms Whittle to stay at the Russell St hotel after two attempts of making her leave, the disability advocate said she did not feel comfortable spending the night there and booked alternative accommodation.

One of the owners of The National Hotel, Grant Wheeler, disagreed with the timeline of the events and stated the booking would not have been cancelled if staff were alerted that a guide dog would be staying.

He also said, despite Friday’s incident, that the venue had never turned away a patron for having a guide dog.

“The National Hotel, has always been under our ownership, an inclusive and inviting venue for all people with disabilities and this will continue to be the case,” Mr Wheeler said.

“When the woman checked into the accommodation she didn’t have the animal with her and didn’t notify my staff of this matter,” Mr Wheeler said.

“The staff member, who yes made a mistake, is a 23-year-old kid who thought she was doing what is in the company policy by not allowing animals to stay.

“Once she had ascertained she had made a mistake she apologised to the woman in question and informed her she would be allowed to stay.

“The woman refused our offer to stay which is her right and was informed that when she applied for the refund online that she’d receive it in full.”

He said as a result of the footage which has circulated online, the young staff member had been threatened by the public.

Ms Whittle did not threaten the staff member, and says she did not encourage others to engage in this behaviour.

Born with Epilepsy, Ms Whittle was later diagnosed with an acquired brain injury and lost her vision as a result of brain surgery complications.

Since 2021, Keegan has been by her side however Ms Whittle who is legally blind, said the pair have still experienced similar responses from businesses across the country.

Under the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs (GHAD) Act, fines up to $14,375 can be imposed on individuals while corporations may face fines up to $71,875 in breach of the legislation with maximum penalties set to rise from July 1.

According GHAD Act, certified guide dogs with their approved handlers have the right to enter public spaces including restaurants, hotels, retail stores, taxis, theatres, concert halls, private rentals and holiday accommodation.

The law prohibits these types of businesses from refusing entry to individuals living with disabilities who are accompanied by a certified guide dog.

A Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services spokeswoman said the department did not discuss individual cases but complaints could result in providing education to the business involved or conducting an investigation.

The spokeswoman said individuals were also not obligated to alert the venue they were bringing a guide dog ahead of time but the animal must be wearing its harness – a policy Ms Whittle said was followed.

The National Hotel on Russell St in the Toowoomba CBD. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Mr Wheeler said the incident on Friday night was a rare occurrence which he believed should have been handled privately.

“(Ms Whittle) claims to be a justice warrior for disability, however no concern has been given to my staff member’s wellbeing,” he said.

“We’d ask that the public acknowledge that this young person made a mistake and apologised for her mistake – that doesn’t mean she should be harassed and threatened with violence (by random people online).

“The hotel stands behind our staff and will assist with any ongoing support they might need to move past this event.

“I am also considered legally blind by federal standards.”

Toowoomba venue The National Hotel has come under fire after asking hotel guest Janice Whittle who is legally blind and her guide dog Keegan to leave.

Once a social person, Ms Whittle said she now feared leaving the house because of instances like this.

“It’s at the point where this is a daily occurrence and where Keegan and I will just stay home because I just can’t do it anymore,” she said.

“I’m emotionally drained by it – the amount of stress and embarrassment this has caused me is horrible … it feels like if you have a service dog you’re not welcome.

“I’m constantly on edge waiting for someone to take a shot at me and no matter how many times I try to explain, (the staff) just don’t listen.”

The disability advocate said the reason she posted the video on social media was to raise awareness.

“A lot of people tell me to just pack my bags and walk out but I can’t do that,” Ms Whittle said.

“If I do that nothing will change and these venues will just continue doing this and hurting others.

“I want this to be a lesson for businesses – I want them to go ‘wow, we will never do that again’.”

Mr Wheeler said staff had since been offered training in the space to prevent a similar situation from arising.