A physically handicapped Malaysian man has recently gone viral over the local social media space, after he claims that the manager of a local gym had asked him to leave as their premises were ‘too dangerous’ for people like him. The exchange between wheelchair-bound Mr Afiq Azman, his friend, and the gym’s person-in-charge was documented on camera and subsequently shared to his Twitter account, where it caught the attention of netizens.
Malaysian person with disability told to leave gym premises
In the 41-second clip, a man wearing blue could be heard attempting to clarify with the gym manager as to whether it was part of the gym’s rules and regulations that persons with disabilities were not allowed on their property due to their alleged higher risk of injury.
“We are worried that it may be dangerous,”
“Yes [it’s in the rules], but my staff failed to inform them about it,” she explained.
She adds that the gym membership paid for by the employers of both men were different from that of regular members, and said that she would discuss the matter with their company directly.
In speaking with Wau Post concerning the incident, the 29-year-old explained that the gym was part of a sports centre that housed a number of other facilities, such as futsal fields and badminton courts. Prior to joining, he made a point of surveying their premises and ironically saw a lot of appeal in their disabled-friendly features, such as dedicated parking for disabled persons as well as wheelchair ramps for added accessibility.
“Their staff were really great too. From what I could see, their gym was a great fit for people with my condition,” he said.
What’s more, the gym was also conveniently located close to his home at Bandar Tasik Mutiara, Penang, which prompted him to sign-up. Afiq points out that his gym membership was paid for by his company as part of his renumeration benefits, and that he has been exercising there for a period of four months without any incident until Wednesday (March 1st, 2023).
“At around 7.00pm, a woman approached me. I didn’t realise she was the manager.
Then she proceeded to ask me ‘Why are you in here?’
So I explained to her ‘Oh, I’m here to work out.’
She followed up by wanting to know why I was using a wheelchair. So I explained my condition to her from A-to-Z.”
Was paralysed from the waist down due to Multiple Sclerosis
He shares that he became physically disabled in 2017 after suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. Due to the disease, Afiq began losing feeling in his legs before gradually becoming paralysed from the waist down.
With that said, he is still remains independent and is capable of taking care of himself on his own.
Afiq then demanded to know who she was and why he was being asked about his disability. Telling him that she was the gym’s manager, she said she was surprised by how a person in a wheelchair was using their gym facilities.
“She adds that for the time she has been working there, she has never once encountered persons with disabilities going to the gym and felt that it was very dangerous.
If anything untoward incidents occur, she feared that it may affect the reputation of their gym.”
She then suggested that Afiq find another gym that was better suited to his physical condition.
“I told her that this was the best gym that I have experienced so far, and when I used their equipment, I don’t use it casually.
I use it according to my physical capabilities. If I’m not physically capable of using it, I won’t. I don’t want to take any risks either. And sometimes, other gym members here would offer me assistance. So for me, there isn’t an issue where safety is concerned.”
Manager did not show him the rules and regulations of the gym
He points out that other gyms will also pose similar hazards to disabled individuals all the same. While he did ask to be shown the gym’s rules and regulations that state physically disabled individuals were not allowed to enter their premises, the manager simply continued to defend herself without indicating any specific company policies regarding persons with disabilities.
“I felt very disappointed, because throughout my life, I have never seen gyms turn away people who are physically disabled.”
In fact, he adds that upon registering with the gym, he had checked with their staff if persons with disabilities could use their gym, to which he was told that it was not a problem.
At this point in time, Afiq’s case has caught the attention of local politician and community activist YB Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Mohd Radzi, whose staff had contacted him earlier regarding his experience and will be looking into the matter.
We have reached out to the gym for a statement on the matter.
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