On Monday 3 October, Caroline Cao (25) and Asker’s family friend Monica Johansen (62) wanted to have lunch together at the Sumo restaurant in Solli Plass in Oslo.
Johansen has been diagnosed with eye disease retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and has vision problems. The 62-year-old is therefore dependent on his furry companion Malo, an eight-year-old Labrador retriever.
However, as they made their way to the restaurant doors, the friends were stopped by the waiter. A girl informed us that, unfortunately, dogs were not allowed in the house.
Cao and Johansen chose to sit in the outdoor dining area.
– I tell the girl that she is not allowed to deny me access with a guide dog. I have a Nav chart as proof of this and would be happy to read it all the way through, explains Johansen.
You want better information
The 62-year-old clarifies to Dagbladet that she is not trying to “take over” neither the restaurant nor the waiter, but wants to appear in the media to enlighten and inform:
– I am very humble in this situation and do not need to arrest or criticize – but exactly this is extremely important to us who depend on a guide dog.
– He might be dead
Johansen is referring to what, in her opinion, is obviously rooted in insufficient training of new employees. And according to the 62-year-old, this applies not only to restaurants, but also to grocery stores, hotels and the taxi industry.
– Little information is provided during employee training. Those of us who use a guide dog are issued a Nav card in which the Norwegian Food Safety Authority wrote the paragraphs regarding the rights of a guide dog owner.
In the regulation to which Johansen refers, it says that “guide dogs can be taken to areas where customers normally have access. This is established in the food hygiene regulations”.
excuse me
After about ten minutes in the outdoor seating, the waiter returned with profound apologies.
– She said she talked to her boss and was very sorry she refused us entry. She further said we were welcome inside, Johansen says, and makes it clear that the waiter is not to blame for the incident.
The 62-year-old from Asker was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa disease 20 years ago and has had guide dog Malo for six years. However, she considers herself lucky, as she has a residual sight left.
– I’m not completely blind yet, so I probably have a freer daily life than others. Being able to travel around Oslo with Caroline, who is known on the streets, makes it much easier for me.
Shared on social media
After visiting Solli Plass restaurant, Caroline Cao decided to share the unfortunate experience on TikTok.
– Guide dogs have often been mistaken for a “common dog”. Knowledge, training and good management – that’s what it’s all about, Cao tells Dagbladet.
I WANT TO INFORM: Caroline Cao’s video has been viewed at the time of writing over 92,000 times in just over a day. Photo: private
sea View
The 25-year-old has long been unsure whether to actually post the video, but ultimately chose to publish it to spread important information.
– The daily life of the blind and partially sighted becomes more difficult than necessary with such ignorance. There are many young people who work in the service profession and they are the ones I meet through TikTok. If you are informed of the law, you will avoid ending up in such situations, says Cao, and adds:
– Ignorance in this way contributes to the stigmatization and exclusion of certain groups in society.
– Take note
Jan Abrahamsen, general manager of Sumo Solli Plass, explains to Dagbladet that he has been informed of the incident and points out that all guide dogs are welcome.
– We shouldn’t have a problem with guide dogs. I spoke to the waitress and she says she wasn’t sure which rules applied. She went to her manager, who was sitting upstairs, and was told that guide dogs were allowed, explains Abrahamsen.
– Is this information provided during employee training?
– Yes, it does. But someone here had to ask their manager, so my answer is clearly not one hundred percent yes, admits the CEO.
Abrahamsen would like to inform you that they always have a shift supervisor on duty who must have the necessary knowledge.
– Do you intend to inform all employees more clearly?
– Of course we will take note. We can go around with all the employees and send a joint message, so that everyone understands.
Found the ship that warned “Titanic”
– The industry must take it seriously
Per Inge Bjerknes, secretary general of the Norwegian Federation of the Blind, tells Dagbladet that, unfortunately, they constantly receive reports of incidents similar to those experienced by Johansen and Cao.
– It is rarely done with ill will, but it is a lack of knowledge on the part of the employees, which in turn leads to bad situations. You go out and have fun, and then you almost have to fight for permission, says the secretary general.
– Is there anything the Norwegian Blind Association can do to clarify the rules?
– Let’s try. We constantly have campaigns where we highlight the rights of guide dog users. It’s a kind of informational work that you never finish. We are trying to do our part, but we depend on the industry itself taking this seriously and including it in the training of new employees. They need to be aware of the rules decided by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, says Bjerknes.
