After September 18, 2015, Amit Patel no longer had to worry about bumping into obstacles or struggling to climb an escalator. Kika, his new guide dog, had become part of his family, and he could now commute better around the once familiar streets and subways of London.
But things took a turn for the worse when commuters started to hit Kika with umbrellas and bag, while treating Patel with indifference.
He couldn’t see the scenes, but Patel decided that others should. So, he fixed a Go-Pro camera to Kika’s back to document the ill-treatment and apathy.
In one of the videos (below), Patel and Kika are ignored by staff and commuters outside a closed tube station. After few minute, he is forced to call for help to get attention.
BBC reported how Patel had to present these videos as “valuable evidence” to lodge a formal complaint about the discrimination he couldn’t see.
His wife, Seema, would review the footage every time they stepped out to check whether something had gone wrong that day.
“Sometimes I get a train with my four-month-old son and I say quite loudly, ‘Kika, find me a seat’, but no one budges.”
— Patel to "The Mirror"
The former doctor was himself not aware of the problems visually impaired people face, as he lost his eyesight in 2012. According to this website, he now coaches new guide dog users.
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