[Cagdu] FW: San Diego, CA: Denial of Access at McDonalds

Sun Nov 11 16:37:41 PST 2007

Subject: 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@ <mailto:gerry.braun%40uniontrib.com> uniontrib.com

Find this article at:
http://www.signonsa
<http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071111-9999-1m11braun.html>
ndiego.com/news/metro/20071111-9999-1m11braun.html

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