SEATTLE — Paul Castle is a Seattle artist and influencer known for his light-hearted social media videos. He and his guide dog, Mr. Maple, have gained a huge following; more than 1.4 million on Instagram.
But this week, the pair is going viral for another reason. Castle went to social media to document the discrimination they faced at a Seattle restaurant. Castle says he and his guide dog were walking into a restaurant when a waiter intervened.
“He said, ‘Do you see any dogs in this restaurant?’,” recalled Castle. “I said, ‘honestly no I’m blind. There could be.’ "
He says the interaction didn’t stop there, as he tried to explain that Mr. Maple was a service dog.
“I said, ‘No, he’s a guide dog and I’m blind.’ And then he looked at me and said, ‘You don’t look blind.’ "
Despite that waiter’s perception, Castle is in fact, legally blind. And legally, service dogs like Mr. Maple can’t be denied entry.
“The law states that if you’re using a service dog, that you have equal access. So, when somebody is denied access, they’re actually breaking the law,” says Chris Benninger of the organization ‘Guide Dogs for the Blind’.
Castle says the waiter held firm, threatening to call the police if they returned.
“And I was, at this point, just completely speechless,” says Castle.
Perhaps the most shocking part of this experience is learning that it happens more often than one might think.
“This is happening so frequently, that people are questioning whether they should get a guide dog or not,” says Benninger.
She points to a recent study by the organization. It found that more than 83 percent of those surveyed had been denied service to rideshares because of their guide dogs. Many say they’d been denied service multiple times.
Castle tells KIRO 7; he’s experienced that too.
“I’ve had Uber drivers just drive away as soon as they saw my dog. So, it all speaks to a bigger issue. But it’s not about so much reprimanding people as educating them,” says Castle.
Castle is choosing not to name the restaurant that denied him service, telling KIRO 7 that he has been able to speak to the waiter and the manager since his encounter. He says he’s forgiving of the situation and is grateful he could use a negative experience to educate others.