A paralyzed Black woman is outraged at a gas station employee in Louisville, Kentucky, who refused her service in an apparent violation of federal law.
Zakiya Wright says she went to Thorntons gas station on 2007 Brownsboro Road on July 9 with her young son and a white female employee refused to pump Wright’s gas.
In the video, Wright, who is wheelchair-bound, says the two had a brief exchange of words before the employee went back inside the store and refused to help her. She goes by the name of @wintermarie5 on TikTok, and the video she posted about the incident received 2.8 million views.
“I’m at 2007 Brownsboro Road and I am trying to get gas. My son is in the car with me, and, like, I cannot physically f*****g walk. If you know me then you know I’m in a wheelchair, I use assistance, and have hand controls. The lady just told me ‘I don’t know how to pump gas,’” said Wright in the video.
She then stated that she told the employee it was “self-explanatory,” but she still refused.
“She gon’ holler, ‘If you driving then you can walk, right?’ And I am trying to explain to her that I cannot walk. I’m paralyzed. She gone holler, ‘How you driving?’ Once again, I’m using assistance and how does that even f*****g matter? It’s a whole wheelchair sign on this gas pump, and that means if I need assistance you supposed to help me,” shouted Wright in the video as tears roll down her face.
The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that self-service gas stations make accommodations for disabled customers who cannot pump their own gas. The regulation reads in part:
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires self-serve gas stations to provide equal access to their customers with disabilities. If necessary to provide access, gas stations must :
- Provide refueling assistance upon the request of an individual with a disability. A service station or convenience store is not required to provide such service at any time that it is operating on a remote control basis with a single employee, but is encouraged to do so, if feasible.
- Let patrons know (e.g., through appropriate signs) that customers with disabilities can obtain refueling assistance by either honking or otherwise signaling an employee.
- Provide the refueling assistance without any charge beyond the self-serve price.
