A blind man claims he was removed from a gym after being accused of staring at a woman, sparking debate over the misunderstanding.
A blind man named Toby Addison recently shared a troubling experience he had at a gym, where he was accused of staring at a woman.
This incident highlights the challenges that visually impaired individuals often face in everyday situations.
The man lost most of his vision
Toby Addison, now 21, lost most of his vision when he was just 11 years old. He has only 4 percent of his sight remaining.
Despite his visual impairment, Toby is determined to lead a normal life.
He is an athlete and works hard to stay in shape, which is why he prioritizes going to the gym.
Blind man reveals he was thrown out of a gym for staring at a woman
While working out at a new gym, Toby found himself in an awkward situation.
He was doing his exercises when a woman accused him of staring at her inappropriately.
Toby explained that he was just looking straight ahead, as he often does due to his limited vision.
He did not realize that someone was nearby or that his gaze could be perceived differently.
“So I was just staring straight ahead and unfortunately there was a woman doing some exercises.
I don’t know what she was doing, whether it was some squats or whatever, where you may be in a more vulnerable position maybe and don’t want to be stared at,” he recounted.
The confrontation between blind man and the woman
The woman approached Toby and confronted him about his behavior.
She asked him why he was staring at her and told him to stop being creepy.
“She came over to me, and I didn’t know she was talking to me at first because I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m just doing my thing,” he said.
“She said something along the lines of ‘Why do you keep staring at me? Stop. Don’t be so creepy,'” he continued.
Toby, confused by her accusation, tried to explain that he was blind.
He even pointed to his cane, which was folded in his lap, hoping to clarify the misunderstanding.
However, the woman did not accept his explanation.
She seemed to think that his cane was a prop used to disguise his actions. As a result, she escalated the situation by involving the gym staff.
“I was like ‘Oh no sorry, I’m blind’. I had my cane with me, it was folded up in my lap but she wasn’t having any of it,” he said.
The gym staff’s response
The gym staff responded to the woman’s complaints by asking Toby to leave. This decision left him feeling upset and frustrated.
He had come to the gym to work out, not to be accused of wrongdoing.
The experience was disheartening, as his regular gym always welcomed and understood him.
The significant impact on Toby
This incident had a significant impact on Toby’s confidence.
Being accused of inappropriate behavior made him feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.
It also highlighted a broader issue of how people with disabilities can be misunderstood in public spaces.
Toby expressed the need for better training for gym staff to help them understand how to assist visually impaired individuals.
Social media reactions
One user wrote: I’m not blind but get small seizures and have moments where I freeze in time and am staring at a void and have been accused of staring at people
The second user said: How simple it is to APOLOGIZE and even have a chuckle about how things aren’t always what they seem.
The pride it takes to deny someone’s disability and then get them kicked out is stunning. Poor dude.
The third user commented: It looks like an unfortunate misunderstanding, but at the moment of seeing his cane she should have just left it.
Another user said: Sucks because they’re people that make videos faking to be blind.
Someone wrote: No he needs to sue her not the gym they don’t control what others do especially if not employees but then still gym itself is not responsible for any kind of other’s ignorance