<DIV>Chas,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>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.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It is was my job to protect the business, the people around them, and the disabilities person, all of them. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>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. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>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.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>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.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>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. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>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. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I think this is a misunderstanding, not a intentional hateful act by anyone. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Best,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Donovan<BR><BR><B><I>Chasuk <chasuk@gmail.com></I></B> wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">On 3/26/07, Robbie <CALEBSOMEONE@YAHOO.COM>wrote:<BR><BR>> Tom and Dan went to Archie's on the Square for breakfast last Sunday March 18, 2007,<BR>>
when they were being escorted to their table, there was a gentleman who<BR>> appeared to be the cook, talking to a couple . Dan stopped and tapped him on<BR>> the shoulder, and began signing to him he was<BR>> there to eat with Tom and was excited about being there.<BR><BR>What is the nature of Dan's disability? Does it preclude<BR>understanding that it is impolite to interrupt a conversation? At this<BR>point, might not it have been appropriate for Tom to intervene,<BR>perhaps leading Dan away until the conversation was finished? Again,<BR>I don't know the nature of Dan's disability, other than that it<BR>apparently includes deafness. If his disability is limited to<BR>deafness, then he should have understood the rudeness of his behavior<BR>without requiring any input from Tom.<BR><BR>> She asked him to hold, went and got the owner, and it turned out that the<BR>> same person involved above was in fact the owner [the cook who had them<BR>>
leave].<BR><BR>The cook had them leave? Really? This is not obvious from the<BR>earlier description:<BR><BR>> Tom and Dan left and went and had breakfast at The Breakfast Club.<BR><BR>> Tom went over the incident with this gentleman expressing how rudely<BR>> Dan was treated this morning. The gentleman said<BR>> "your friend was the one who was rude, for all I know he was drunk!" Tom<BR>> said he was not drunk, he has a disability,<BR><BR>I have read no recounting of rudeness, at least not on the owner's<BR>part. Unless I am supposed to interpret this as rudeness:<BR><BR>> When the gentleman ended his conversation with the coulpe (sic) he then proceeded to tell Tom "this is bad for my business my friend."<BR><BR>So, you are the manager of a restaurant. You are accosted by a drunk.<BR>Yes, we know that Dan is not a drunk, but that's how the situation<BR>reasonably appeared to you at the time. You truthfully indicate to<BR>the drunk's companion that "This
is bad for my business, my friend,"<BR>whereupon the drunk and his companion decide to dine elsewhere. The<BR>companion later phones you and threatens to write a letter to the<BR>editor. The situation further deteriorates, until finally some<BR>hothead who knows only half of the story self-righteously rabblerouses<BR>against you.<BR><BR>Is this what passes for justice in Moscow?<BR><BR>=======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR>http://www.fsr.net <BR>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>=======================================================<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><p> 
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