The wheelchair-bound woman was booked into Dragon Nails on Peach Street for a pampering but was turned away with her carer.
The carer, who doesn’t want to be named, said: “The manager stood shaking her head at the lady before refusing to allow her an appointment, based on the fact that the lady is a wheelchair user.
“I telephoned the shop and was told by the manager that, as she was afraid of disabled people, she could not offer appointments to anybody with a disability.
“She went on to say that she cannot be forced to work with anybody with a disability because she is scared. Apparently this fully explains her blatant discrimination.” The manager, Sophia Kurti, said she was frightened by previous experiences.
She said: “I said to her I don’t want to do it because I have already got bad experiences about this.
“When I do disabled people’s nails they sit opposite me and they spit in my face. I get scared.” She said a gang of six disabled people had once attacked her and her sister in a Reading nail salon.
Melissa Paulden, a Wokingham resident, is the marketing manager and boccia coach for Sportsable, a grassroots centre for paralympic development.
She said: “On the whole most of the businesses are fantastic. Zappas hairdressers, just across the road, in particular are so welcoming to my daughter, who is disabled and in a wheelchair. They treat her with the same respect and kindness that they would any customer.
“The attitude of Dragon Nails disgusts me. I will be telling as many people as I can to use another company when looking to get beauty treatments. And personally, I feel that the council should be made aware of the attitude of Dragon Nails and therefore not renew their lease.”
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