The demonstration will be held on Thursday 28th February at 8:30pm, outside “Deaf and Dumb”, Grovesnor Street, Manchester
Protesters will be taking to the streets this Thursday to demonstrate against a new Manchester bar, “Deaf and Dumb”. The name has sparked outrage amongst locals due to its use of the term ‘dumb’, an extremely offensive label that dates back to an era when deaf people were considered mentally subnormal.
The bar is situated on Grovesnor Street on the former site of DADI, the “Adult Deaf and Dumb Institute”. The building is grade II listed and is an important part of Manchester’s heritage. Eleanor Bullen, who works with deaf learners said:
“The Deaf community of Manchester have only just found out about this. People are incredibly offended, angry and upset. They can't believe that people can be this insensitive. We will not just take this.”
The bar has already been inundated with complaints via email and their Facebook group. Trof management, who run a chain of Manchester venues, have responded by saying that they are aware of the offensive nature of the phrase however they have chosen to continue with the use of the name, despite growing pressure to do otherwise.
There are concerns over whether the name of the bar violates the Disability Discrimination Act, a law designed to protect customers and employees against discrimination. Protesters are calling for the bar to remove the phrase “Deaf and Dumb” from the bar’s name and all promotional material. Many locals have agreed to boycott the bar until this occurs.
The demonstration will be held on Thursday 28th February at 8:30pm, outside “Deaf and Dumb”, Grovesnor Street
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