Restaurant wrote 'Happy wheelchair Birthday' on a disabled woman’s cake. Their explanation somehow made things worse
Sinibaldi's friends and family were furious at the 'Happy Birthday! Wheelchair' message, but the birthday girl was just 'baffled'
Nobody wants to be identified by their disabilities or health challenges. On June 20, New Jersey singer and songwriter Antonia Sinibaldi was celebrating her 29th birthday at Blu On The Hudson in Weehawken with her friends and family. What was supposed to be a fun night turned sour when the restaurant staff brought out her birthday dessert, CBS New York reported. Everyone at the table went quiet when they saw what was written on Sinibaldi's plate. When they asked the management to explain, it just got worse and worse. The video shared by the news outlet has since gotten over 646,000 views, 11,000 likes, and 4,840 comments.
More drinks?
Antonia Sinibaldi was in a car accident when she was 2 years old and was diagnosed with cervical spinal injury. Since then, she has depended on a ventilator and a motorized wheelchair every day. On her birthday, she told the news outlet that she ordered the same thing as her cousin, but when it arrived, "It took me by surprise. I shouldn't be reminded of something that I already know," she said, referring to the birthday message. While her friends and family were furious at the "Happy Birthday! Wheelchair" message, Sinibaldi was just "baffled." They called management for an explanation, but all they did was offer more drinks for the table.
Explanation made it worse
Finally, a spokesperson for the restaurant reached out to CBS News New York, expressing how sad they were over the incident. They explained that the word 'wheelchair' was used "as a reference to identify where a birthday dessert with a candle should be delivered." However, it was misunderstood and written on the plate. They continued, "There was absolutely no malicious or disrespectful intent behind the notation." They admit that an apology would not undo the hurt they've caused Sinibaldi and her family, but they promised to do better going forward. When asked what she would like to say to the restaurant, Sinibaldi said, "Don't bring my disability [up] in every sentence, is what people, they should know."
Rampant discrimination
A 2024 CDC report revealed that there were 1 in 4 U.S. adults with a disability. This makes up 27% of the population. Gordon Hartman, the chairman of the board of Morgan's Inclusion Initiative, said, "We’ve come a long way in spotlighting inclusion, yet we need to continue looking for opportunities to make this a more inclusive nation for individuals with special needs. All of us – whether we have a personal connection to this issue or not – can become advocates for inclusion." Some of the most common places where people with disabilities get discriminated against are restaurants (30%), malls and stores (27%), and public transport (24%), as per a One Poll survey. Unfortunately, for Antonia Sinibaldi, a birthday celebration became an unwelcome reminder of exactly that.
Shouldn't be working with the public
People in the comment section were appalled that it even happened to Sinibaldi in the first place. @LetItRide-07 wrote, "If it wasn't malicious, then the person who wrote it is too stupid to work with the public." @atlantafoodiereviews added, "As a pastry chef, this is unacceptable and never should have been written on her plate or left the kitchen with the server delivering it to her table. Horrible."
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