[Blindtlk] Fw: [nagdu] San Diego, CA: Denial of Access at McDonalds

[Aziza]

Read this guys, I found it both urksome and amusing, and in the end it works 
out.
AC
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Greg Benavidez" <elpicoso at verizon.net>
To: "Aziza Canos" <acwaterreader09 at gmail.com>; "Denise Cardenas" 
<fire-stringqueen at hotmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2007 5:54 PM
Subject: Fw: [nagdu] San Diego, CA: Denial of Access at McDonalds


>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Randy" <randal.cummings at comcast.net>
> To: "ERA TRICE" <et501 at verizon.net>
> Cc: "Greg Benavidez" <elpicoso at verizon.net>; "Niki Robinson" 
> <niki.robinson at sbcglobal.net>; <ECWogan at aol.com>
> Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2007 4:37 PM
> Subject: Fw: [nagdu] San Diego, CA: Denial of Access at McDonalds
>
>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Laurie Mehta" <lauriemehta at yahoo.com>
>> To: "K9Scoop list" <k9scoop at yahoogroups.com>
>> Cc: "NAGDU group" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>; "GDUI-friends List" 
>> <gdui-friends at yahoogroups.com>
>> Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2007 4:31 PM
>> Subject: [nagdu] San Diego, CA: Denial of Access at McDonalds
>>
>>
>> To quote the following article, the author
>> rationalizes the denial of service by saying,
>> "Her stubbornness may be explained, in part, by the
>> fact that Carlson doesn't act like he's blind."
>>
>> /sigh/
>>
>> Here's the article from San Diego:
>>
>> GERRY BRAUN    ONLY IN SAN DIEGO
>> Disabled man not lovin' it after snubs at McDonald's
>>
>> UNION-TRIBUNE
>>
>> November 11, 2007
>>
>> As he headed to work Thursday morning, something odd
>> happened to Mark Carlson.
>>
>> He felt an urge to eat an Egg McMuffin.
>>
>> So Carlson headed into the McDonald's restaurant
>> across the street from his office.
>>
>> When he reached the counter, another odd thing
>> happened.
>>
>> He was refused service.
>>
>> "I'm sorry, your pet can't be in here," Carlson
>> recalls the young lady behind the counter telling him.
>>
>> She was referring to Musket, the 7-year-old yellow
>> Labrador retriever that is Carlson's guide dog and
>> wears a guide dog's distinctive leather harness with
>> a stiff handle.
>>
>> Carlson explained Musket's purpose, but the young lady
>> did not believe him. She offered to serve Carlson, but
>> only if he and Musket went out on the patio.
>>
>> So he showed her Musket's Guide Dog Identification
>> Card and followed that with a laminated card spelling
>> out his rights.
>>
>> It begins: "California law guarantees a blind person
>> the legal right to be accompanied by a specially
>> trained guide dog in all public accommodations . .
>> . "
>>
>> She wasn't buying it for a minute. "You'll have to
>> step outside. I have other customers to serve," she
>> told him.
>>
>> Her stubbornness may be explained, in part, by the
>> fact that Carlson doesn't act like he's blind. He has
>> retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease
>> that allows him to make out shapes but not details. He
>> can recognize a head, for instance, though he won't
>> see the face.
>>
>> And when he asked to speak to a manager, his eyes
>> likely darted around the McDonald's, looking for the
>> shape of another employee.
>>
>> The manager came and listened, but still, no sale.
>>
>> Carlson was told to read the sign outside, which, if
>> he could have read it, would only have made him
>> angrier.
>>
>> It says, "No pets. We welcome assistance dogs."
>>
>> So Carlson went to work hungry Thursday.
>>
>> At this point, I should explain what Carlson does for
>> living. He works for Access to Independence, which is
>> dedicated to helping people with disabilities
>> live independently.
>>
>> The organization, formerly known as the Access Center,
>> has been located on University Avenue across from the
>> McDonald's for most of the past 30 years.
>>
>> And part of Carlson's job is working with people who
>> use service animals, educating them about their rights
>> and advocating for them.
>>
>> Would you like fries with that irony?
>>
>> "They picked the wrong person," Carlson told me. "This
>> was like mugging a cop."
>>
>> Back at his office, Carlson talked with his
>> colleagues, consulted with a lawyer and then tracked
>> down Dana Swanson, the restaurant supervisor for the
>> McDonald's.
>> Swanson apologized repeatedly and assured him that the
>> problem would be rectified.
>>
>> That afternoon, Carlson and Musket returned to the
>> McDonald's to get the names of the manager and the
>> young lady behind the counter. By then, the shifts
>> had changed and an entirely different crew was
>> working.
>>
>> The new crew told Carlson to take his dog outside.
>>
>> "It was like a bad movie. Unbelievable," he told me.
>> "The obvious hostility and outright
>> digging-your-heels-in obstinacy of these people blew
>> my mind. I've
>> heard about it before but never encountered it."
>>
>> He finally got the names he wanted - the first names
>> only - but not until he had summoned four of his
>> colleagues from across the street and two San Diego
>> police officers.
>>
>> On Friday morning, Carlson and Musket made a third
>> trip to McDonald's, with far different results.
>>
>> They were greeted warmly at the door by the owner,
>> Ernie Sandoval, as well as Swanson and Kevin Kereluik,
>> the director of operations for Sandoval's 15
>> restaurants.
>>
>> I was there, too, and when I introduced myself,
>> Sandoval, Swanson and Kereluik fell silent and looked
>> as if they'd eaten a bad meal.
>>
>> But soon enough, they got around to the purpose of the
>> meeting: apologizing profusely and assuring Carlson
>> that the employees were all being trained in
>> the legal rights of people with disabilities.
>>
>> What else can we do? Sandoval asked.
>>
>> "I'm going to give you guys room to run in, but I want
>> to see results. I don't ever want this to happen to
>> anyone again," Carlson told them.
>>
>> "I'm not one of those people who sue to make money,"
>> he added, which no doubt relieved them greatly. "I
>> detest people who do that. They give people with
>> disabilities a bad name."
>>
>> And so Sandoval promised that his restaurants would
>> work closely with longtime neighbor Access to
>> Independence to further its programs. By the end of
>> the
>> day, three officials with McDonald's had called to
>> inquire how they could be helpful.
>>
>> "I'm having a very good day," Carlson said.
>>
>> I reminded him that in three visits, he hadn't eaten a
>> thing. That was OK by him. "I think I lost my taste
>> for that McMuffin," he said.
>>
>> Gerry Braun: (619) 542-4563;
>> gerry.braun at uniontrib.com
>>
>> Find this article at:
>> http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071111-9999-1m11braun.html
>>
>> © Copyright 2007 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. ? A
>> Copley Newspaper Site
>>
>>
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>