[Vision2020] Archies on the Square

[Donovan Arnold]

Chas,
   
  I too can see both sides having a point. I have worked with adults with disabilities that shoplift and physically assault others. I cannot blame a store for banning a disabled person who steals from his store because it is bad for business.
   
  It is was my job to protect the business, the people around them, and the disabilities person, all of them. 
   
  On the other hand, I encountered people in the community that were hostel, rude, inconsiderate, judgmental, discriminating, and hateful to these people, especially ones with emotionally and behavioral disabilities. 
   
  I don't think a person with only being deaf would legally be able to obtain a personal aide. I also don't think that a person that signs is always deaf, but maybe only unable to speak.
   
  A person that was only deaf, would not walk up to a total stranger and start signing, as they would comprehend that MOST random people don't know sign language.
   
  My thinking, is that the Tom did not ensure that Dan was behaving appropriately in the social context of the situation and that Archie is not particularly understanding or observant. 
   
  But remember, this is just one side of a second hand story, the wife, not Tom. I have met Tom Hopper, and he a great guy with a heart of gold. 
   
  I think this is a misunderstanding, not a intentional hateful act by anyone. 
   
  Best,
   
  Donovan

Chasuk <chasuk at gmail.com> wrote:
  On 3/26/07, Robbie wrote:

> Tom and Dan went to Archie's on the Square for breakfast last Sunday March 18, 2007,
> when they were being escorted to their table, there was a gentleman who
> appeared to be the cook, talking to a couple . Dan stopped and tapped him on
> the shoulder, and began signing to him he was
> there to eat with Tom and was excited about being there.

What is the nature of Dan's disability? Does it preclude
understanding that it is impolite to interrupt a conversation? At this
point, might not it have been appropriate for Tom to intervene,
perhaps leading Dan away until the conversation was finished? Again,
I don't know the nature of Dan's disability, other than that it
apparently includes deafness. If his disability is limited to
deafness, then he should have understood the rudeness of his behavior
without requiring any input from Tom.

> She asked him to hold, went and got the owner, and it turned out that the
> same person involved above was in fact the owner [the cook who had them
> leave].

The cook had them leave? Really? This is not obvious from the
earlier description:

> Tom and Dan left and went and had breakfast at The Breakfast Club.

> Tom went over the incident with this gentleman expressing how rudely
> Dan was treated this morning. The gentleman said
> "your friend was the one who was rude, for all I know he was drunk!" Tom
> said he was not drunk, he has a disability,

I have read no recounting of rudeness, at least not on the owner's
part. Unless I am supposed to interpret this as rudeness:

> When the gentleman ended his conversation with the coulpe (sic) he then proceeded to tell Tom "this is bad for my business my friend."

So, you are the manager of a restaurant. You are accosted by a drunk.
Yes, we know that Dan is not a drunk, but that's how the situation
reasonably appeared to you at the time. You truthfully indicate to
the drunk's companion that "This is bad for my business, my friend,"
whereupon the drunk and his companion decide to dine elsewhere. The
companion later phones you and threatens to write a letter to the
editor. The situation further deteriorates, until finally some
hothead who knows only half of the story self-righteously rabblerouses
against you.

Is this what passes for justice in Moscow?

=======================================================
List services made available by First Step Internet, 
serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. 
http://www.fsr.net 
mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
=======================================================


 
---------------------------------
Bored stiff? Loosen up...
Download and play hundreds of games for free on Yahoo! Games.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20070326/e412e360/attachment-0001.html