What to Do If You Were Denied Service Because of Your Blindness

It is unlawful for a business to deny you service because of your blindness or low vision, including denying you service because you need an assistive device, a service animal, or any other type of accommodation. Title III of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination in places of “public accommodation,” which includes any business that provides goods or services to the public. What that means is that, under the ADA, you cannot be denied service because of your blindness or low vision in a restaurant, retail store, hotel or motel, medical facility, movie theater, gym, recreational facility, educational facility, and more.

We know that being denied service because of blindness or low vision, or another disability, can be embarrassing even though it should not be. You might feel a sense of shame even though the business owner is the party behaving shamefully, and you may feel helpless because you do not know what to do. What can you do? In short, you can work with a Palm Beach Gardens ADA violation lawyer to file a claim and to hold the business accountable.

Know Your Rights: Being Denied Service for Blindness is an ADA Violation 

Denying service to a person who is blind or has low vision is an ADA violation. While we know how degrading and humiliating it can be to be denied service because of your disability, or due to an accommodation you need because of your disability, it is important to remember that you may be able to file a complaint.

There have been numerous recent incidents of blind individuals being denied service at local establishments. For example, a report from WDAM News discussed an ADA claim filed in 2024 by a legally blind woman who was denied entry to a restaurant because she had her service dog. More recently, in September 2025, the Miami Herald reported that a blind woman filed an ADA claim after being denied Uber rides at least 12 separate times because she had a service dog. According to the ADA, public and private businesses that are considered public accommodations “must permit service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas where members of the public are allowed to go.”

File an ADA Complaint 

If you were denied service, you may be able to file an ADA complaint. The agency where you will file your complaint will depend on the type of business that denied you service. In most cases, the complaint will need to be filed with the federal Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.

This is a process that an experienced ADA violation lawyer in South Florida can help you with from start to finish.

Contact a Palm Beach Gardens ADA Violation Attorney for Help Today 

If you were denied service at any type of business in Palm Beach Gardens or the South Florida area more broadly, it is critical to seek legal advice. Businesses should be held accountable for ADA violations, and our firm can help you. One of the experienced Palm Beach Gardens ADA violation attorneys at Sconzo Law Office can speak with you today about your experience and can help you to take crucial action. Contact us today for more information about how we can help you.

Sources:

kplctv.com/2024/06/12/legally-blind-woman-family-denied-entry-restaurant-over-service-dog/

miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article312118692.html

ada.gov/resources/?filters=

ada.gov/file-a-complaint/