Jolanta Kramarz, a blind person, has been using a guide dog for several years. Because of the dog, she has not been allowed to enter various public institutions, stores or restaurants. She has also been asked to leave the subway and city buses, despite the existence of the Warsaw City Council resolution, which excludes guide dogs from under all restrictions. (14-MAY-08)

Written by Agnieszka Chmielecka/ HRH Warsaw
Photo of a guide dog: Wikipedia
Source: Gazeta Wyborcza-Stoleczna

On 24 November 2007, Jolanta Kramarz went shopping to one of the shopping centers in Warsaw. However, she was refused entry and one of the Carrefour security guards advised for her friend to do her shopping for her, because she is not allowed to enter the store with a dog. Jolanta Kramarz showed the security guard an appendix to the Warsaw City Council resolution, which excludes guide dogs from under all restrictions. In reply however she heard that the store is private property. She tape-recorded the entire conversation and eventually did not do the planned shopping. According to Kramarz, in Poland this case is not an isolated one and blind persons with guide dogs are being discriminated against.

Following actions
Jolanta Kramarz turned to the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights for assistance. After consultations with lawyers, she decided to bring an action against the supermarket chain Carrefour for discrimination due to disability. The lawsuit was delivered to the Regional Court in Warsaw on Friday, May 9, 2008. Jolanta Kramarz claims compensation, which would be paid onto the bank account of a foundation that trains guide dogs.

Carrefour representatives say that in this case the law is not unequivocal and they turned to the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (GIS) asking it to take a position on this situation and to specify, which of the binding regulations the supermarket chain should follow. According to them, healthcare regulations prohibit people with animals from entering stores that sell food products. The representatives also assure that at present, when a blind person comes to the store, an employee assists him/her in doing the shopping. At that time the dog is placed in a separate room. So far, the GIS has not replied to the supermarket chain’s questions.

– I know that I will have to devote a lot of time to these proceedings, but I want this to be my contribution to helping change people’s mentality. I want others to begin taking disabled individuals into account – said Jolanta Kramarz.

This is not the first such story in the media
A couple of days ago the daily Gazeta Wyborcza described a similar story: regarding the head of the disabled individuals department at Warsaw University – Pawel Wdowik (and his guide dog Paige). He was inter alia asked to leave McDonalds, a hospital, where he wanted to visit a friend, or a plane right before taking-off for the United States, where… he was scheduled to receive an award for providing disabled individuals with more equal access to education at universities.