A restaurant owner reminded Filipinos of disabilities that are not obvious to the eye after a food customer shared that he had a Person With Disability (PWD) ID with him.
A Reddit user who identified as running a restaurant said that a video of a food business reminded them of hearing something from a staff member, who said, “Hindi naman mukhang PWD.”
The video was from Spud City, where a male customer received a huge discount on his order as a gimmick by the business.
The customer then asked if he could present his PWD ID.
PWDs are entitled to a 20% discount when purchasing food, drinks and other consumables served by establishments.
Meanwhile, the Redditor used the video as an opportunity to remind other business owners about disabilities that are not visible after being reminded of what a staff member said before.
“It’s an easy assumption to make, especially when someone looks physically able-bodied. But not every disability is visible, and appearance alone really doesn’t tell us much,” the Reddit user said on Monday, October 5.
“At the same time, establishments also deal with concerns about fake PWD IDs, so I understand why staff can become cautious. I think the better approach is simply to verify what needs to be verified without making assumptions about the person,” the user added.
“Sharing this because it made me reflect on how we handle these situations in our own business too,” the Redditor said.
Shared with consent: Not every PWD looks disabled
by
u/Dink_Throuple420 in
pinoy
The post has garnered 1,500 upvotes and 550 comments from other users, with some airing their own or others’ experiences as a PWD that is not obvious or seen.
“Ayoko nga gamitin PWD ko sa mga public transpo. Ang sama kasi ng tingin ng konduktor, t**g*na. Parang ang laki ng kasalanan ko,” a Reddit user commented.
“I have PWD ID, orthopedic disability. I normally use it but not all the time, like, I don’t use it for kiosks or street food stores like the one on the video. If I think the establishment seldom gets customers or struggling, I also don’t use it,” another Redditor said.
“Dami ko kilalang PWD, ‘yung iba, ayaw gamitin PWD ID nila, ‘yung iba, ayaw kumuha ng ID, reason nila, takot silang i-judge ng tao,” commented a different user.
The law provides that PWDs are entitled to a 20% discount on the purchase of certain goods and services from all establishments, provided they present their PWD ID as verification.
The Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of Persons with Disability defines PWDs as individuals with long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments that may hinder them from fully and effectively participating in society on an equal basis with others.
The Department of Health said there are seven categories of disabilities, namely: Psychosocial and behavioral disabilities, chronic illness with disabilities, learning (cognitive or intellectual) disabilities, mental disabilities, visual or seeing disabilities, orthopedic or moving disabilities and communication deficits.
