[nfbwatlk] Target thinks blindness is a laughing matter:

[Jedi]

Kay,

I think it's silly that the manager would think a gift certificate would
keep you happy. In any case, let us Bellinghamsters know if there's anything
we can do to help.

Respectfully,
Jedi

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of noaprlfoo at aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 7:51 PM
To: nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nfbwatlk] Target thinks blindness is a laughing matter:

????? On Saturday I went into the North gate Target store to do some
shopping, and afterward I went to their restaurant to get a bite. I asked
the woman to please read me the menu as I could not see well enough to read
it. She looked at me, then up at the menu, and?at back at me. She began to
laugh very loudly? "Ha Ha Ha". ?I was shocked and I just stared at her. When
I asked her why she laughed at me she replied? "Well, the menu is so big,
Why don't you tell me what you want". When I repeated, "you laughed at me" ,
she said?"Not really". I was embarrassed, and shocked, I turned and walked
away to find a manager.???
????? Another associate got a manager right away without asking me any
questions. A young man came over to me "Can I help you?". I told?him that
one of his associates had laughed at me. He asked me where and how it
happened. I told him how she laughed and declined to read me the menu. His
response was "I'm sorry that happened to you, I will have a talk with her".
I replied " You'll have a talk with her?". "Yes, I will talk with her".?
I?said "don't you have sensitivity training here?" he replied "No we're too
cheap". He again assured me that he would have a talk with her. When I asked
him what that meant, he told me that all he could do was talk to her. That
he could not be physical with her, could not talk to her?in front of others,
doc her wages, or shorten her hours, none of which I had asked about.?He
showed no understanding for the distress I was under. I realized that
talking?with him would not get me anywhere, nor would it affect change. When
asked he provided me with!
 store and corporate contact information, as well as his first name and the
associates first name. He told me that if I talked "to corporate long
enough" that I would probably get a gift certificate.?He then said "It's to
bad I can't talk to her in front of you.....a kind of eye for an eye type of
thing". I told him it wasn't about that.
???????What I wanted to do was to prevent further incidents and to make
people aware so that others with disabilities would not be embarrassed when
asking for basic assistance. I left with the impression that Target, or at
least the North gate Target, believes that it is alright to laugh at
reasonable requests?from customers with disabilities and to make them?feel
they cause trouble and inconvenience. The Target store displays the Pizza
Hut logo, and serves Pizza Hut products, I wonder how Pizza Hut would feel
about having it's name associated with the behavior of these Target
employees,?do you think I should contact Pizza Hut?as well?. I welcome any
suggestions or comments on how to pursue this.

Kay Burrows, Secretary Seattle chapter???
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