Africa-Press – Uganda. A recreaction centre in Kampala is the spotlight for allegedly discriminating against a client after one of their staff ejected an autistic child from their swimming pool.
Mr Moses Owera, a supervisor at Planet Water Park, is said to have told one Ms Brenda Kabibi, the mother of the child with autism to leave the swimming pool after other parents allegedly approached him and complained.
It’s said that on July 1, Ms Kabibi visited the park to have fun with her five children one of whom is autistic and non-verbal.
She said it was all fun as it has always been until one of the staff asked her to remove her autistic child from the swimming pool.
“Two hours into swimming a supervisor named Moses Owera came over to me and asked us to leave. I asked why, he said some parents had said they were not comfortable with their children near mine because she’s not healthy. My heart split in that moment,” Ms Kabibi is quoted as saying.
Ms Kabibi said Owera allegedly asked her to leave the premises and promised to refund her money so that he does not lose other clients.
“This wasn’t my first time at the Planet water park. We have always had great services from the staff, the pool attendants are so excellent and they are aware that this was an autistic child and she could swim on her own. I had never interfaced with Owera. I only interfaced with the waiters and the life guards in the pool who are good at their job,” Kabibi reportedly added.
Mr Abiaz Rwamwiri, the public relations manager at Uganda National Drugs Authority, on his twitter account condemned discrimination of children with autism calling it an inhumane behavior.
“This disturbing story is of a friend of ours, a mother of an autistic child who has done an incredible job. As a parent, I add my voice to condemn this inhumane behavior of the management of Planet Water Park. I have been taking there my children for swimming and have stopped with immediate effect. I will mobilize other parents to boycott this place that is not inclusive,” his tweet read.
When contacted about the issue, Mr Owera admitted to having told Ms Kabibi, to leave the swimming pool after some parents reportedly approached him with complaints.
“On that fateful day, I was approached by several parents complaining that the child was having a melt-down and I politely reached out to her mother requesting her to assist the daughter during the melt-down. At first, I calmed down parents that were complaining but once the sixth parent approached me, I decided to politely reach out to the mother to assist her daughter during the melt-down,” Mr Owera told Monitor.
Mr Owera said his actions were not meant to offend Ms Kabibi or her family and asked members of the public to forgive him.
“I sincerely apologize to Kabibi. I didn’t mean to be offensive or discriminative to her children. I am a father of seven, one of my children is a special needs child. I know what it takes to raise children with special abilities,” Mr Owera said.
The apology came after a family member took to social media to express her displeasure. The staff allegedly claimed that other clients were scared to swim with the autistic child for fear of contracting the illness.
Ms Kabibi’s message caught the attention of the public especially on social media with some wondering how autism spreads through body contact.
Centre for Disease Control, describes Autism Spectrum Disorder as a developmental disability that results in social, behavioural and communication challenges and can be caused by factors ranging from genetic to environmental. Scientists are not certain of a single cause of autism.
Data from Uganda National Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) shows that 88 in every 10,000 people in Uganda are living with autism.
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