Dr. Priya Pubjabi, a Family Practitioner and Internist in the Philly area, refused medical care to a patient accompanied by her husband with a seeing eye guide dog.
Dr. Priya Punjabi asked Joe Cichonski and his black-Labrador-retriever mix, Hero, to leave the waiting room because the animal might scare other patients. (newsworks.org)
A properly trained and behaved guide dog, is protected by Federal Law, to accompany a blind person everywhere they need to be, whether it’s a church, restaurant, store or a doctor’s office. Joe Cichonski goes on to explain the important role guide dogs play in the life of a blind person.
“They are a part of our body. He’s my eyes,’” said Joe Cichonski. (myfoxphilly.com)
More specifically, refusing access to a person with a guide dog is a “violation of their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act,” explains Executive Director of Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Ann Marie Spinden.
See Dr. Priya Punjabi’s responses about this incident on Vitals.com
I am writing to you as a blind woman, a member of a proud Indian-American family, and as a guide dog handler of 20 years.
This is to express my deep concern about the actions of a member of your staff, Dr. Priya Punjabi. I sincerely hope that measures will be taken to educate this individual with regard to her legal obligations and regarding her ethical obligations.
It is now widely publicized that she has proudly kept herself willfully ignorant of US Civil Rights law. Her denial of service to the wife of a blind man who uses a trained service dog for independent mobility is totally unacceptable and it is illegal.
My experience, and the experience of my entire family, has consistently been of equal, fair and ethical treatment, especially from fellow members of our Indian-American community and medical professionals. Every single doctor, lawyer, businessman/businesswoman and educator (of all faiths) that I have dealt with (accompanied by my guide dog) has treated me with dignity and respect.
However, thanks to Dr. Punjabi’s display of bigotry, Indian-Americans are being criticized as a group.
Dr. Punjabi’s unashamed denial of service to the couple with the guide dog is a disgrace to our Indian-American community and to the medical profession (a profession that several members of my family belong to).
Ignorance of the law is no excuse for indecent behavior towards others. Willful ignorance of the law is no protection from scrutiny of a person’s behavior. The fact is that it is the law– no disabled person assisted by a service dog may be denied service or access to any place where the public is granted service or admittance. This country has civil rights law to protect its inhabitants from the prejudices and ignorance of other inhabitants.
That same dedication to civil rights is what makes life all the better for all of us.
Dr. Punjabi must be educated about appropriate behavior and she must take the lead in educating any of her patients who might harbor prejudice or ignorance. That is the ethical thing to do. It is the lawful thing to do, It is common sense good business practice. It is the right thing to do.
Thank you for your attention in this matter.
Dr. Priya Punjabi Refused Care to Patient With Guide Dog #guidedogs http://t.co/ehMPy7L
Dr. Priya Punjabi Refused Care to Patient With Guide Dog: Dr. Priya Pubjabi, a Family Practitioner and Internist… http://t.co/7QAmqzc
Dr. Priya Punjabi Refused Care to Patient With Guide Dog: Dr. Priya Pubjabi, a Family Practitioner and Internist… http://t.co/Mwhmg18
Dr. Priya Punjabi Refused Care to Patient With Guide Dog: Dr. Priya Pubjabi, a Family Practitioner and Internist… http://t.co/d3ZDtoF
Dr. Priya Punjabi Refused Care to Patient With Guide Dog: Dr. Priya Pubjabi, a Family Practitioner and Internist… http://t.co/TcigiIH
Dr. Priya Punjabi Refused Care to Patient With Guide Dog http://t.co/7UkVkMs
Dr. Priya Punjabi Refused Care to Patient With Guide Dog http://t.co/LMJy8GM
This doctor is the most inconsiderate and greedy doctor I have ever met in my life! I have been to her a few times and will never go to her again. She will run unnecessary tests on you just to get more money from the insurance company. She does not care about her patients, she only cares about getting their money. DO NOT GO TO HER!!!