I was kicked out of bar because of my wheelchair

An 18-year-old woman from Oldham, Maddie Haining, recounted her experience of being asked to leave a nightclub in Manchester’s Gay Village after staff claimed her wheelchair posed a safety risk. The incident occurred on Saturday night when she and a friend arrived at Club Tropicana, only to be escorted out within minutes.

Maddie’s Account

She shared a video of the exchange on Instagram, highlighting the injustice of being removed from an establishment due to her disability. “It’s not okay to be ejected from bars because you are disabled and different,” she said. “If they can be in there, why shouldn’t we?”

“I asked, ‘how was I a safety risk?’ If I was a danger, they wouldn’t have let me in initially,” Maddie explained. “They wouldn’t explain their reasoning, then shifted the story to say I was a fire risk.”

During the confrontation, Maddie showed staff the 2010 Equality Act, arguing that wheelchair users cannot be excluded based on evacuation concerns. “You can’t make me leave because I’m in a wheelchair – this is discrimination,” she insisted.

Club Response

Club Tropicana confirmed an investigation is underway, though it said it had not been directly contacted by Maddie. “We have not been reached out to by the complainant but are aware of the incident,” the club stated. Manchester City Council is also examining the situation after she reported it to its licensing committee.

Legal Context

Under the Equality Act, venues are legally required to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled individuals. This includes measures like ramps and inclusive evacuation plans. Maddie noted that failing to make these adjustments constitutes discrimination, and refusing entry could be a violation of the law.

Despite her efforts, the manager remained unyielding, repeating his stance without acknowledging her argument. Maddie eventually left but requested staff names and contact details to file a formal complaint. “The whole thing was really embarrassing,” she said. “I was in a bar with my friends and kept getting security sent over.”

“It was infuriating because I showed them the law, and they hadn’t taken it seriously,” she added. “Being disabled for nearly five years, I know my rights.”

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