Legally blind man was denied entry to restaurant by staff — then manager's response left him amazed

There are tons of misconceptions etched in the minds of many people when it comes to understanding the disability spectrum. For them, if a person doesn't appear to be disabled, they probably don't suffer from any disability. Paul Castle, a popular illustrator and content creator, was also subjected to mistreatment just because he didn't look like a blind person. Castle, who goes by @matthewandpaul on TikTok, is legally blind. He had faced several criticisms about his appearance in the past but things went too far when he visited a Seattle restaurant in 2024. Castle had his guide dog, Mr. Maple, with him as well. 

In a TikTok video, Castle shared what unfolded after he arrived at the restaurant, where an employee refused to believe he was blind and Mr. Maple was a real service dog. "I'm blind and I just got kicked out of a restaurant in Seattle," Castle said at the beginning of his video. He had walked in with his dog when a restaurant employee rushed to the door to stop him. The employee told Castle that the establishment didn't allow any dogs. Castle tried to explain that he was blind but the employee was having none of it. The employee told Castle that he didn't "look blind" as it appeared to him that Castle was staring right at him.

"I said that a lot of people in the blind community still have some functional vision," Castle continued, recalling the incident in his video. "It's like, I have a pinhole of vision." The employee told Castle that it wasn't his first rodeo dealing with people like him and warned him not to step foot in the restaurant with his dog. Castle offered to come back and show Mr. Maple's paperwork but the employee closed the conversation by threatening to call the police. Castle did not disclose the name of the restaurant but he uploaded a second video detailing how the manager of the restaurant made the situation better with his thoughtful response. 

The manager at the restaurant reached out to Castle and offered a heartfelt apology, according to CBS News. The man revealed that he went back to meet the manager, explaining that he had no intentions to press charges against the employee. "I just want people to understand the spectrum of blindness," Castle continued in his second video. "I want people to understand the importance of service animals." He also learned that the employee had an ugly encounter with another patron, who came in with an untrained dog, the same day Castle showed up at the restaurant. That was the reason why the employee was bitter towards Castle. Thankfully, Castle received a genuine apology from the same employee later on and received a gift card from the restaurant.

In his interview with CBS News, Castle opened up about his condition, retinitis pigmentosa. The rare disease caused loss of vision over time, leaving him 90% blind. "People underestimate the blind community and our ability to use other senses," Castle told the outlet, adding that the manager promised to train their staff more efficiently. "Just because sight is gone and in my case, mostly gone, does not mean that I am not alert and aware of my surroundings. I can do things very well."

He concluded that he did not blame anyone for not knowing about laws related to service animals or about rare forms of blindness. People in the comments also voiced their support for Castle and his service dog. @kayjbot commented, "Thank you for acknowledging that disabilities have different severities and look different for each person!" @attitudeaddie3 quipped, "My mom teaches the blind and visually impaired. She argues with people all the time about different kinds of blindness." @jerbear_t added, "Handled like a gentleman! That was sweet of you! Kindness always goes a long way!"

You can follow Matthew and Paul (@matthewandpaul) on TikTok for more videos on lifestyle and disabilities.