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

[T. Joseph Carter]

Color me amused.  I've grown to expect this sort of silliness, so I wasn't
as angry as maybe others would be.  Just amused.

On Sun, Nov 11, 2007 at 08:14:16PM -0800, Aziza wrote:
> 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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