Deaf? Want Taco Bell? You’re Order May be Refused at the Window
Shaken, ticked off & sad is where my most recent trip to Taco Bell left me. I haven’t been feeling well at all this weekend, my latest Fibromyalgia flare began late Friday night. I ran to the store today just to grab a few things quickly, and decided to stop at a near by Taco Bell on the way home. I didn’t have The Mister with me, so I quickly jotted down my order, and pulled into the drive thru. There was no one else there so I figured this should be quick and painless.
As I pulled up the attendant began with the usual welcoming spill, I waited until she stopped speaking then politely said, “Hi I’m gonna pull up to the window to place my order.” The attendant said “no”, I’d have to place my order there at the speaker. I then mentioned to her that I am deaf, and would need to place it at the window. She then told me that I either place it at the speaker or come inside. I drove away.
Out of all the chains that I’ve visited over the past 3 1/2 years since my deafness, I have NEVER had someone refuse to take my order. When I’m alone, or even just with the kids, it helps a great deal to be able to read the lips of the attendant as they take my order. I don’t need a loud volume, I need clarity and lip reading along with my hearing aid is how I get it. My first ASL instructor gave me the tip of writing down my order, as this can eliminate the need for order call backs.
Do I feel discriminated against? Absolutely. Hearing customers have the opportunity to use drive thru, why not me. A hearing adult isn’t always going to accompany me, and shouldn’t have to. I AM CAPABLE. I have a chronic pain disorder that is flared up at the time, so coming inside wasn’t gonna happen, and should not have been necessary anyway. I reported the incident to Taco Bell, and will await there reply.
Yes, it’s discrimination. The DeafRead bloggers occasionally post similar experiences at drive-ins, which are often manned by inadequately trained, minimum-wage teenagers. Most training doesn’t cover special situations like this.
Take it up with the store manager and send a copy to their district manager’s office. Use the “discrimination” word and mention the ADA act. Cite other situations such as Karen Putz and Carvel drive-ins.
Here where there is a large population of deaf people, drive-ins will accept written notes at the window.
Yes it’s discrimination. You have the same right as anyone else.
Dianrez:
Here’s the thing: 10 to 20 percent of the American population is a person with a disability, or deaf, or both. This means that situations like this one should not BE considered as “special situations” — they should be considered routine. Perhaps not daily or even weekly, but still sufficiently routine to be incorporated into even the basic/minimal level of training that a teenager on a minimum wage job is likely to get.
I know I’m preaching to the choir here. It’s just that it tends to push buttons for me when people claim their excuse for not already having a protocol in place to deal with how they’re going to equalize access for deaf people, or people with disabilities generally (I’m both Deaf and also have disabilities) is somehow so “special” or “rare” or “unexpected” that they cannot have been expected to already have a plan in place. Ridiculous.
Hi Dianrez, thanks for stopping by! I made a complaint on there website. Do you still think I should take the additional steps that you outlined?
@Andrea S., You get EXACTLY where I’m coming from. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
@Lisa, I feel the same way. I just KNEW by me giving my reasons for needing to place it at the window…that would make all the difference. But it didn’t.
Here we go again! Sigh! I had the drive thru closed in my face two years ago. I suggest you connect with Patrick Hughes at http://www.inclusionsolutions.com
send a letter to corporate office and they will retrain their staff, it happens to me on regular basis so i send letter to corporate explaining and i usually get a gift certiftcate back and a letter saying they will retrain their staff again..
sometimes the store manager would call me and apologize and invite me to test them again… it usually works!
Years ago, a Burger King told me to drive around to the back of the line of cars to pick up my order. I drove away instead and wrote a polite but obviously miffed letter to the store manager.
Never received a reply.
Later I learned that restaurant franchises are supervised by rotating managers, while the real responsibility is on the district manager who may have control of several restaurants. Website complaints may not be seen by the district manager, but by a distant corporate headquarters who usually focus only on PR or advertising and not on complaints.
Consider the district manager as the owner or a representative of the owners. Usually they will be local and more concerned about the customer, especially if you point out that there are many people in the community who would patronize restaurants more if they could access the drive-in.
Anonymous & Dianrez that’s exactly what I needed to know! Thank you
Thanks Karen! I’ll check into it. It means a lot to have support from you all
~Lj
Karen Putz,
I have a question for you, Karen I was kept wonder all the time that Deaf and Blind person cannot see anything sight without braille for menu. I wonder fast service as Ivars is one of my best service. He gave us a 10 per cent off because I interpreted to my Deaf-Blind guide for menu. he say they do not have a braille menu for a person, etc.
What do you think and what is your suggestion and learn something about http://www.inclusionsolutions.com
Margaret
Karen,
I forgot to additional to say something about in Seattle do have a Deaf – Blind service in Seattle. I think there is so huge many restaurant in Seattle and want to improve the deaf-blind to not left them out without menu. Seattle do have average 100- 150 Deaf- Blind people lives in Everett and Seattle or out of Seattle. About 4 thousand deaf and hard of hearing lives wide of this area.
Deaf Pixie,
Inclusion Solutions is trying very hard to get the restaurant industry to make changes. The best way sometimes is to make an appt. to sit down with the owner/manager of the restaurant and make them aware of the local needs. Connect the restaurant with Inclusion Solutions. Connect them with local resources that can print braille menus. We have to take action and work together with the restaurant industry to make changes happen.
I feel you 100 percent!! I am in your shoe. The question is not all deaf willing to share your idea. What you need to do, go to your home state and get more than thousand deaf sign their name and tell them to spread to their friend and friend can spread to their friend before you send to the Manager or coroporate office. This something we as deaf need to let everyone else know about it. I also want you to send to DOJ, your congess and senate get their attention on this matter and I don’t care if it don’t belong to them but let them be aware of us and they might have family like us
Normally, I came up to the window, honking my horn, the crew screamed at me. I said, “HEY” back then wrote a note: I am deaf I would like to order: For my 3 years old daughter, Happy Meal, hamburger/small coke. I handed it out as they pointed at the speaker. I signed, “my ears are broken” I again wrote: “Would you like me to take a picture of you and your crew plus the name of the resturant then take it to the news station and explain how discriminating y’all are against me due to my deafness?” with a big white teeth smile – probably one of them noticed lipstick stuck on my one of my teeth laughing? I did doublecheck my teeth on my rear mirror. Ha ha It turned out they cooperated me well! HuggyAngels
Hi L.J.
Wanted to let you know I can relate to everything you’ve been through. I advocate for people with hearing loss. (Deaf, HOH, Deaf/Blind, etc…)
Experienced a lot negativity from places like you described and have reported their “ignorance” to proper authorities. Nothing like bad public relations for their business when news media gets a hold of this.
While i don’t live in Louisiana, i do have contacts you can use. Hopefully these website can help.
wishing you all the best… “Papabear in Ohio.
e-mail: Dad5039647@aol.com
http://deafservices.net
http://dss.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?md=pagebuilder&tmp=home&nid=115&pnid=12&pid=68&catid=0