A man with Aspergers syndrome has been awarded £25,000 in a landmark legal case after being denied access to a ride at Winter Wonderland.
Jonah Specter, 34, was on a day out with his carer as part of a recovery programme after being discharged from a psychiatric hospital.
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He had been in the hospital for two years suffering from schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression and Gauchers disease, a genetic disorder, reports The Times.
His mother had bought the tickets to Hyde Parks Winter Wonderland in 2016 for him and his brother Marc, one of his registered carers.
She had purchased them on the disabled access scheme which provided proof of his disability.
But when they arrived, they were told they did not bring the correct tickets.
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PWR Events, who operate Winter Wonderland, say they did not produce both tickets they were issued and did not have the correct disabled access tickets when they wanted to ride on the ferris wheel.
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They also asked him for proof of his disability.
He said: They were looking at me, giving me weird looks, a head-to-toe scan, saying “there is nothing wrong with him”.
That would never happen with someone in a wheelchair.
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After a delay of 50 minutes they were allowed onto the wheel, but but this time Mr Specter had become distressed and claims the incident has set his recovery back by six months.
The win is the first successful case for discrimination over disabled access to an entertainment venue involving autism.
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He decided to sue the company after it refused to give him a refund and complimentary tickets, and argued that they failed to make reasonable adjustments because of his mental illness.
A spokesperson for PWR Events said: [We] worked very hard to accommodate Mr Specter and his carer.
His tickets were sent to him on the day of purchase, and then re-sent to him onsite on the day of his visit upon request.
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