Humiliated
Blind father with his guide dog is forced to stand on train after NO ONE gives up a seat
A BLIND man was reduced to tears on a train after commuters ignored his pleas for a seat while his guide dog slid around the floor and had her tail trodden on.
Amit Patel – who lost his sight in 2012 – said he was left humiliated as he tried to find something to hold on to after his request for help went unanswered.
The 37-year-old father of one told his followers on social media it was a ‘daily occurrence’ to have his pleas for a seat ignored on public transport.
He said he had walked with his guide dog Kika to the end of the platform to board a Southeastern train in the designated disabled section on Tuesday.
But despite giving labrador Kika the verbal command ‘find a seat’, not one passenger moved to allow him to sit down on the 25-minute journey from New Eltham to Waterloo East.
Mr Patel was unable even to find a pole to hold on to and nearly fell several times while Kika had her tail trodden on.
The former doctor wrote on Twitter: ‘People can be so selfish – they pretend they can’t see or hear when I ask if there’s a seat available. It’s so humiliat- ing when I struggle to find something to hold on to and keep Kika safe at the same time, this is when you’ll see a tear running down my face. Life is difficult enough.’ In a later message, he added: ‘Unfortunately being ignored when asking for a seat is a daily occurrence for us.
‘I was very upset yesterday as the floor on the train was slippery, Kika kept sliding and she was obviously distressed. She looks after me every day and I felt useless. One small act of kindness could have turned this situation around completely.’
The former A&E doctor was working as a locum in London hospitals when he started losing his sight in 2012, 18 months after he and his wife married.
Despite six cornea transplants in Britain and two in America, doctors were unable to save his sight and each transplant was rejected by his body.
He was diagnosed with keratoconus – a condition which changes the shape of the cornea – during his final year of medical school by his flatmate who is an optician. It was a series of burst blood vessels which caused the unexpected loss of sight within 48 hours. Last month, Mr Patel filmed an aggressive commuter trying to barge past him on an escalator at London Bridge tube station. The angry middle-aged man demanded Mr Patel move his guide dog out of the way, in scenes captured on Kika’s collar-mounted video camera.
Mr Patel fitted the camera to record the discrimination he faces each day but cannot see. It is checked by his wife Seema.
A Southeastern spokesman said yesterday: ‘We would hope that people use their judgment and give up seats to passengers who may have a greater need, and we’re sorry to hear that Mr Patel experienced an awkward journey on this occasion. We’re already rolling out clearer Priority Seat signage on the trains that don’t already have it to make it more visible.
‘As well as Priority Seats, we offer Priority Seating cards and Priority Seat badges that our passengers can show to another passenger sitting in a priority seat, without causing a fuss or having to explain themselves’.