[nfbwatlk] Target thinks blindness is a laughing matter:

[Bennett]

Hi Kay,

I am sorry you had to go through such an ordeal.  The story is not 
unfamiliar to me, as a variation of it happened to me while travelling on 
Amtrack.  I asked the attendant in the beastro(sp) what was available for 
breakfast.  He said "well we have alot of stuff, what do you want?"  I asked 
"I'm not sure, what do you have."  He said, tell me what you want, and I'll 
tell you whether we have it. I tried to explain that I wanted the same 
opportunity to browse the menu that other passengers have.  He just wouldn't 
understand.  Finally, in frustration, I said, I want Peking duck.  Or, if 
that wasn't possible, how about dove under glass.  He said something like, 
don't be funny.  I couldn't make him understand, and finally ordered a bagel 
and cream cheese.  I left feeling extremely humiliated, and regret now not 
complaining.

While I didn't get laughed at, the feeling of anger, etc was there.  I would 
definitely complain to any and every corporate sponsor you can identify. 
And, while I was at it, I'd probably think about writing an article for "The 
Monitor."

Then, if/when you go to that Target the next time, take a copy of what you 
wrote to that manager, explaining that the article has been sent for 
possible ublishing in a national magazine.

The power of organization!!!

Keep on, keeping on.


/s/

Ben
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <noaprlfoo at aol.com>
To: <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 7:50 PM
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???
> ________________________________________________________________________
> More new features than ever.  Check out the new AOL Mail ! - 
> http://webmail.aol.com
>


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


> _______________________________________________
> nfbwatlk mailing list
> nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbwatlk
>