Blind Man Says He Was Kicked Out Of The Gym For Staring At A Woman

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A woman accused a blind man of staring at her, and the gym staff afterward asked him to leave.

Toby Addison, a football player, had begun to lose his vision when he reached 11 and by his early teens had lost 80% of it. About 4% of the 21-year-old's vision is still intact right now.

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When he was 17 years old, Addison went to a new gym for the first time. 

He claimed to be "minding his own business" during a workout when he overheard a woman say: “Oh, do you like the view?”

Addison explained the experience: “I don’t really know where I am looking a lot of the time unless I am talking to someone like I know that I’m talking to you so I am trying to look in your direction.”

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“So I was just staring straight ahead and unfortunately there was a woman doing some exercises. I don’t know what she was doing, whether it was some squats or whatever, where you may be in a more vulnerable position maybe and don’t want to be stared at.”

“She came over to me, and I didn't know she was talking to me at first because I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m just doing my thing.”

She did not believe him when he claimed to be blind, so she ordered the staff to kick him.

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He said: “She said something along the lines of ‘Why do you keep staring at me? Stop. Don’t be so creepy.”

“I was like ‘Oh no sorry, I’m blind’. I had my cane with me, it was folded up in my lap but she wasn’t having any of it.”

Addison admitted that he left the gym and never returned because he felt uneasy speaking up for himself.

“It was rough, it knocked my confidence a lot and made me feel like being blind is a problem, that it causes problems.”

As some people have been caught recording others as they exercise, Addison continued, there is now a culture of creeping at the gym.

He said that perhaps the woman believed that his cane was merely a "prop" that he was using to pervert women and use his blindness as an excuse.

Since then, Addison has built himself a sizable fan base on TikTok, updating frequently with his 255,000 followers and bringing attention to the difficulties and prejudices that blind people encounter every day.

By shedding light on his personal experiences, Addison aims to break down stereotypes and educate others about visual impairments. He hopes to foster empathy and understanding while encouraging society to be more inclusive and accommodating to individuals with disabilities.