A Liverpool-born Paralympic medallist was left stranded when a taxi he booked drove off after seeing him in a wheelchair.
Jack Hunter-Spivey, who grew up in Anfield and Widnes, was on his way to London for an appearance on Channel 4's The Last Leg when a private hire car cancelled on him in Sheffield where he lives.
He said this has happened multiple times in the two weeks since he returned from Tokyo after winning a bronze medal for table tennis at the Paralympic Games.
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The 26-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, told the ECHO : "It just highlights that I am different. Sometimes I forget that I'm disabled. I forget that I'm different from everyone else.
"I think for me, it's just really frustrating because they can't see that I'm the same as everyone else.
"The first two times we got back, I was going to appearances. I actually had my Paralympic medal in my bag, waiting to go to an appearance, and they just pulled away."
Another recent experience was in Liverpool, but Jack said this happens across the country and said it is a common experience for people with disabilities.
Jack told the ECHO : "The worst ones are normally flagging down black cabs on a night out. To a point where my girlfriend has to flag the taxi down and then I get in the taxi after she's flagged it down.
"Because if I do it, they don't really stop. So it's a bit frustrating."
Jack could call dedicated accessible taxis, but he would be waiting longer and have to book in advance for something he doesn't need, ruining the spontaneity of a night out or trip into town.
He told the ECHO : "I can use any taxi because my chair folds down. It literally takes about 30 seconds to put in the boot. I can get in the taxi myself. All I need help with is literally just putting the thing in the boot."
Taking a break from training until October, Jack has been travelling around the country celebrating with friends and family, making media appearances, and going to schools and businesses to inspire the next generation.
But incidents like this burst the Paralympic bubble.
He said: "It brings you back down to earth, doesn't it? Being in the Paralympics two weeks ago, coming back and things like that happening. For me, it's okay. I can brush it off. I travel around whatever.
"But if you're a disabled person struggling to get out of the house and taking your first steps in the world on your own, and something like this happens, it can really knock your confidence."
Jack spoke of how to change people's perceptions of people with disabilities so incidents like taxis driving off at the sight of a wheelchair stop happening.
He told the ECHO : "It's tough, because what they're not thinking of is that could be them tomorrow, that could be them that has an accident, and they could be in a wheelchair, or a family member or anything like that.
"And if that happened to them, they wouldn't like it at all.
"I think the perception of disabilities is getting so much better since the Paralympics, which has been incredible.
"Not just this year, but over the years, the Paralympic movement is getting bigger and bigger, and slowly things like this are getting stamped out, but it needs to speed up.
"Hopefully over time we can change the stigma around this, but it's difficult to change people's perceptions overnight."
