Close X
Monday, December 2, 2024
ADVT 
National

WATCH: Indian-Origin Blind Man Puts Camera On Dog To Film Discrimination In London

Darpan News Desk, 06 Jan, 2017 01:21 PM
    A 37-year-old Indian-origin blind man in the UK has fitted his guide dog with a camera in a bid to highlight the discrimination and abuse he faces daily while travelling around London.
     
    Amit Patel lost his eyesight five years ago to an eye disease known as keratoconus.
     
     
    He gets around London with the help of his guide dog, Kika, to whom Mr Patel recently attached a GoPro camera to film the discrimination he faces every day from fellow Londoners.
     
    "The city is a scary place. It's like someone put you in the middle of Trafalgar Square, turned you in a circle and said 'find your way home'," Mr Patel was quoted as saying by BBC.
     
     
    The footage captured by his canine guide has not always shown a city willing to help him.
     
    "The video came out of necessity. Kika was getting hit by peoples' bags and she was getting a lot of abuse. A woman stopped me one day and had a go at me for holding everyone up and said I should apologise, which was a real shock," he said.
     
    The former doctor found a solution - attach a GoPro to Kika's harness and film every journey.
     
    Mr Patel's wife, Seema, can then review the footage if it is felt there was something amiss about that day.
     
    When alterations were made to a London train station the camera came into its own.
     
    "I asked for help and no one came. The video shows lots of staff standing around me and this one guy looking over many times," Mr Patel said.
     
    "Eventually when the staff member actually came to me the first thing he said was 'sorry I didn't see you' and that really bugged me," he said.
     
    The footage was sent to Network Rail giving Mr Patel the "valuable evidence" needed to lodge a formal complaint about an incident he could not see.
     
    The video had an impact and Network Rail investigated before giving further training to its staff.
     
    Mr Patel learned he had keratoconus - a condition which changes the shape of the cornea - in the final year of medical school.
     
    Lenses to push the corneas back into shape stopped working and six cornea transplants were rejected by his body until he was told "no more".
    "There are taxi drivers who will see you and won't stop. You phone the company and they say they didn't see you, but you look at the footage and see them having looked at you and driving right past," he said.
     
    Other incidents, Mr Patel said highlight a lack of thought - especially on London's Underground.
     
    "People assume, because I have a guide dog, I can walk around them but they make us walk near the tracks or I can say to Kika 'find me a seat' and I'll put my hand down on one and someone will sit on it and refuse to get up," he said.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    N.S. Woman Wins Damages From 'Trusted' Man Who Sexually Assaulted Her

    A Nova Scotia woman has won $160,000 in damages from a once-trusted man more than twice her age who sexually assaulted her.

    N.S. Woman Wins Damages From 'Trusted' Man Who Sexually Assaulted Her

    Additional Sites Aimed At Preventing Drug Overdoses Open Around B.C.

    Additional Sites Aimed At Preventing Drug Overdoses Open Around B.C.
    VANCOUVER — More overdose prevention sites are opening around British Columbia as health officials try to contain a growing overdose crisis.

    Additional Sites Aimed At Preventing Drug Overdoses Open Around B.C.

    Emma, Olivia, Oliver and Ethan favoured names for B.C. babies

    Emma, Olivia, Oliver and Ethan favoured names for B.C. babies
    VICTORIA — Oliver has climbed to the front of list for names of baby boys in British Columbia for the first time.

    Emma, Olivia, Oliver and Ethan favoured names for B.C. babies

    Man In Critical Condition After Early-Morning Shootout With Montreal Police

    Man In Critical Condition After Early-Morning Shootout With Montreal Police
    MONTREAL — A man is in critical condition after being struck with at least one bullet during an early-morning confrontation with Montreal police.

    Man In Critical Condition After Early-Morning Shootout With Montreal Police

    Justin Trudeau Wishes Canadians Happy New Year

    Justin Trudeau Wishes Canadians Happy New Year
      Trudeau's New Year's message released Saturday said he will focus on what brings people together.

    Justin Trudeau Wishes Canadians Happy New Year

    Canadians Face Some Tax Changes In The New Year After A Busy 2016

    Canadians Face Some Tax Changes In The New Year After A Busy 2016
     Canadians will ring in the new year with a number of tax changes that will affect the bottom line of federal and provincial governments. Here's a look at some of them:

    Canadians Face Some Tax Changes In The New Year After A Busy 2016