ATLANTA — A blind man traveling for work in Atlanta found himself stuck in a hotel elevator because the location was not following disability regulations. He turned to TikTok to document his experience.
Mario Bonds, an actor and motivational speaker, was staying at the Hampton Inn Suites on West Peachtree Street NE– when he discovered he could not use any of the elevator's controls.
In an interview with 11Alive, Bonds said he was going to the hotel lobby on the 20th floor to pick up food he ordered– when he became stuck on the elevator for 10 minutes.
The now-viral video posted to Bonds' TikTok page shows him explaining how most of the elevator's controls are on a touch screen and that a keypad is provided underneath. Braille, a system of touch reading and writing for people who are blind, was not, Bonds said.
Bonds was born with Morning Glory Syndrome, a degenerative eye disease, and he lost sight by the time he was nine years old. Although he has lived with a visual disability all his life, he'd never felt more blind than at that moment.
"Being stuck on an elevator in that spiral, I felt more blind than I ever had. I felt disabled and blocked. No one should feel that way," Bonds said.
Eventually, after pushing random buttons, Bonds found a way out but ended up on the wrong floor. He gave up on getting his food and found someone working the hotel's valet to bring him to his room.
"At some point, I decided it was so frustrating and humiliating that I decided to forget the food. I just wanted to go back to my room," Bonds said.
That's when he discovered his room key wasn't working. Bonds called the front desk, where someone came upstairs to assist him.
Following his experience in the elevator, Bonds said hotel staff was "extremely insensitive" once he made his complaint known.
"The operations manager at the hotel told us that they didn't build the hotel and felt attacked. I'm a very gracious man. I want things to be inclusive, and all I was looking for was empathy and a way to let the corporate office know that they have a safety hazard," Bonds said.
The general manager, he described, was apologetic later on but at first, made him feel attacked.
Ultimately, Bonds said he wants the Hampton Inn to make improvements and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1988.
According to the ADA, no person shall be subjected to discrimination based on handicap in employment practices, transportation services, broadcasts and public accommodations.
Bonds said he will never forget the elevator experience.
"One of the things that I live with now is anxiety that didn't exist before around elevators," he explained.
In a statement to 11Alive, a spokesperson from Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Midtown said the following:
The hotel is aware of these reported concerns. Providing a hospitable, welcoming environment is the essence of our business, and it is our policy to comply with all ADA regulations. We immediately took the necessary steps to investigate further, including a consultation with our elevator company regarding potential updates to our equipment. We are also conducting additional training to provide a more seamless guest experience for individuals in need of accessibility accommodations.