Mother is left furious after deaf daughter, eight, is ‘turned away’ from shop for not wearing a face mask
- Julie Muller, 41, and daughter Sadie-Grace were stopped at the store entrance
- She is exempt from wearing a mask as the pair need to lip read to communicate
- The worker at the Cotswold Outdoor shop in Newcastle said they needed proof
A mother was left furious after her deaf daughter, eight, was ‘turned away’ from a shop for not wearing a face mask.
Julie Muller, 41, and her daughter Sadie-Grace, were stopped by a worker at the entrance of a Cotswold Outdoor shop in Newcastle who asked where her masks was.
Ms Muller is exempt from wearing a face mask as the pair need to lip read to communicate with each other.
Julie Muller, 41, and her daughter Sadie-Grace, eight, pictured, were stopped by a worker at the entrance of a Cotswold Outdoor shop in Newcastle who asked where her masks was
The mother-of-three was then asked for proof of the disability and showed the worker the hearing implants on her daughter’s head.
But the employee allegedly said they needed ‘paper proof’ according to The Sun.
According to government guidelines ‘if you are providing assistance to someone who relies on lip-reading’ then you do not need to wear a face mask in shops.
The mother-of-three was then asked for proof of the disability and showed the worker the hearing implants on her daughter’s head
Children under the age of 11 and people with physical or mental illness are also exempt from wearing face coverings.
Ms Muller and her daughter were eventually let into the shop after initially being refused, but warned they wouldn’t be served without a mask.
Cotswold Outdoor claimed the mother and daughter were ‘welcomed’ inside but confirmed staff couldn’t provide ‘close-contact services’.
She has made a complaint and has vowed to ‘never set foot’ back in the store.
Cotswold Outdoor shop in Newcastle, pictured, claimed the mother and daughter were ‘welcomed’ inside but confirmed staff couldn’t provide ‘close-contact services’
Ms Muller added: ‘What was heartbreaking was Sadie asked her dad, ‘Am I not allowed in the shops because I’m deaf?’
‘I had to explain it was not because she’s deaf, it’s because I need the mask.’
Cotswold Outdoor said in a statement to the Metro: ‘With regard to this particular situation my understanding is that the customer, but not her daughter, was initially asked to wear a face covering when entering our Newcastle store.
Ms Muller is exempt from wearing a face mask as she needs to lip read to communicate with her daughter