Blind Man With Guide Dog Allegedly Forced To Stand On Train As Passengers Refused To Give Up Their Seats

Nov 22, 2019 by apost team

When you see someone with a physical impairment in a public setting, what do you do? If you're like most people, you get up from your seat and offer it to the person in need. What happened to Jonathan Attenborough would soon send a shockwave through the entire public transit system in Scotland.

Jonathan Attenborough is your typical 30-year-old man who loves to get out and about, despite his physical limitations. In an interview with Edinburgh Live, he stated that he boarded a ScotRail train located between Edinburgh and Perth to enjoy a nice eventful day with the aid of his guide dog. Although Attenborough is legally blind, he moves gracefully through life with the assistance of his friend.

apost.com

Not wanting to take up unnecessary space in the already crowded train, Jonathan began asking passengers if there were any remaining seats available for him and his dog. Despite his plea for assistance, his question fell on deaf ears. Instead of offering up their seats for Jonathan and his guide dog, they ignored him and acted as though he wasn't there.

Attenborough was forced to stand the entire duration of his trip in absolute dismay. He explained to The Sun that being a blind individual, standing for extended periods can cause vertigo, instability and the potential to fall over.

After the trip had concluded, Jonathan began to send tweets to the company expressing his concerns about how the railway deals with disabled passengers. Although Attenborough thought his opinion would go unnoticed, it caught the attention of ScotRail.

In response to the ordeal, a spokesman from ScotRail explained to The Sun, "We're currently rolling out mandatory training outlined in the ORR Assisted Travel Policy. All new staff, including senior and key managers, will receive this as part of their induction."

To Jonathan's amazement, his experience would go on to help disabled and visually impaired passengers that use public transportation as a means of travel. He also received support on social media such as one man who said, "Shame on every one of those passengers. You shouldn't even have had to ask."

Do we, as a society, dare to be brave? This story illustrates that although you may be a good, charitable person in private, you need to be bold in public. When you see injustice in the world, you must lend a helping hand and correct the errors you see before you. Doing so will allow you to experience peace of mind and improve the quality of life for others.