Deaf Woman Expresses Dismay After Nearly Being Removed from Priority Lane Because Her Disability Was Not Visible
A deaf woman expressed her frustration after she was nearly asked to leave the priority lane because her condition was not immediately visible.
Recently, a Threads user known as Gigisquietworld shared her experience of nearly being told to leave the priority lane after being mistaken for a regular customer. The post quickly went viral and received reactions online.
The woman opened up about her experience supermarket. She was lining up at the priority lane, focusing on budgeting and mentally calculating the total cost of the items in her basket. Since she knew she was in the correct line, she did not pay attention to the people around her.
While waiting, a store manager approached her and told her to leave the lane. This came after a pregnant customer reportedly complained, thinking she was just an ordinary shopper who was ignoring others.
The situation caught her off guard, as she did not hear anyone calling her attention. To clear the misunderstanding, she showed her PWD ID and used sign language to explain that she is deaf. Upon realizing this, the pregnant customer stepped back and moved to the end of the line.
The deaf woman explained that her condition is not always obvious to others. Aside from being deaf, she also lives with hydrocephalus, a condition linked to a past brain tumor. It affects her balance and makes it difficult for her to stand for long periods, which is why she relies on priority lanes when needed.
The PWD customer admitted that in the past, she often felt shy about using priority lanes, especially when she was still adjusting to her condition. Over time, she learned to overcome that feeling and stand up for her needs.
Here is the full post:
“One time, nakapila ako sa priority lane sa Puregold. Tapos I was busy doing mental math sa mga nasa basket ko, budgeting, di ko pinapansin mga tao sa pila kasi nasa correct lane naman ako. Until lumapit ang manager nila pinapaalis ako sa lane, nagsumbong daw ang buntis (galit siya) kasi di ko siya pinapansin hahaha I probably didn’t hear you ate sorry. So ayun I proceeded to show my ID tapos nag sign na deaf ako, umatras rin si ate buntis at pumunta sa end ng pila. invisible disability.”
In another post, a PWD voter frustrated after being asked to sign waiver due to broken vote counting machine
The social media users expressed their reactions to the post:
