Treatment of Deaf Couple at Wendy’s Drive Thru

Deaf News: Treatment of Deaf couple at Wendy's sparks outrage in Texas.



AUSTIN, TX -- TWC News: A local Deaf couple recently visited the Wendy's at 305 West Slaughter Lane in South Austin for food. They handed a note to the employee with their order at the window. But instead of immediately getting the fries and burgers they requested, they got a handwritten message.



They say an employee handed it to them after the fast food restaurant didn't get their order right.



The couple feels they were mistreated while trying to use the drive-thru.



Elisa Vita said the message left a bad taste in her mouth.



"They gave me the note and I felt very upset about that. I felt like they looked at me as less than other people, as inferior to other people and it was really not a good feeling,” said Vita.



Vita posted an image of the message on Facebook.



"It really hit a nerve with people," said Vita.



Thousands have weighed in online sharing similar experiences at fast food restaurants nationwide. Vita said she spoke with the manager of the South Austin Wendy's who gave her some free meal coupons and was incredibly apologetic about the situation.



She doesn't feel like enough was done to make it right.



"I deserve the right to the same service and obviously Wendy's needs to provide more in-depth training that explicitly says everyone deserves to access the drive-thru," said Vita.



A University of Texas professor said fast food worker or not, it's best to just follow a Deaf person's lead when they're trying to communicate with you.



"They [Deaf People] are skilled at working with and interacting with people with whom they don't share a common language. Try not to become frustrated if you're the clerk," said Richard Meier, the Department of Linguistics chair at UT.



Accessibility issues for the Deaf expand far beyond the drive-thru. Faculty within UT's ASL Program are beginning to research them further.



"One problem is there may not be interpreters readily available or the interpreter may be available through a video link," said Meier. "So our question is, how well is this working?"



Meier and his colleagues plan on specifically looking at healthcare first. With such a large Deaf community based in Austin, many believe it's the perfect place to conduct such research. Many say there can never be too much emphasis placed on improving accessibility as it benefits everyone, not just the Deaf.



SOURCE



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Deaf Woman Refused Service At Dunkin Donuts

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Massachusettsians show support after Deaf woman is refused service at Dunkin Donuts drive-thru.



FRAMINGHAM, MA -- A Deaf woman who was outraged by the way a Dunkin Donuts employee treated her is getting support from her community.



Jessica Sanzillo said she's a frequent customer at a Framingham Dunkin Donuts and uses a texting app to order through the drive-thru.



But when she drove up one day, she was refused service because she wouldn't use the speaker. On Sunday, Sanzillo and several others went through that drive-thru and ordered like a Deaf person would.



They hope this sends a message to others.

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"To see, to get them the experience of people that work at Dunkin Donuts. To know what it's like for when a Deaf person is going to come through the drive-thru and how to approach that better in the future,” Sanzillo told FOX25 through an interpreter Friday.



Hearing people and other who have Deaf families members came out to the rally as well.



"As a parent of a Deaf child, I would never want William to be excluded from anything and so thinking of him wanting to get a cup of coffee later in life and being told he couldn't go through the drive thru like everybody else really upset me,” one parent said.



Dunkin Donuts did apologize for that initial incident and said the employee involved has been fired.



SOURCE



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Deaf Woman Sues Taco Bell Over Drive-Thru

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Deaf New Jersey woman sues Taco Bell over drive-thru orders.



TRENTON, NJ -- A Deaf Atlantic City woman who primarily communicates in sign language is suing Taco Bell, saying she found it difficult, if not impossible, to order two tacos at the fast-food chain's drive-thru window.



Gina Cirrincione said in her federal lawsuit that on Jan. 11, she wrote her order on a slip of paper and handed it to an employee at the drive-thru pickup window at a Taco Bell in Pleasantville, New Jersey.



Her video of the exchange, provided to The Associated Press by her lawyer, showed an employee trying to explain that orders are placed at the start of the drive-thru.

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"I will do it this one time," he then said. "I want you to understand me, one time. After that, no more. After that, no more. Come inside. OK, is that fair?"



On March 15, Cirrincione said, she wrote her order on a slip of paper and handed it to a drive-thru employee at a Taco Bell in Atlantic City. The note was returned and the window was shut without the order or an explanation, she said. She said she entered the store and was ignored.



Also see more: Taco Bell Complains About Deaf Customers



Taco Bell's drive-thru system requires a customer to hear and speak, making it inaccessible to the Deaf in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, the lawsuit claims.



Taco Bell spokeswoman Laura Nedbal said in a statement Friday to the AP that the California-based company had not yet received the lawsuit so could not comment on it. However, she added, "Taco Bell has a fundamental policy to respect all of our customers and employees, and we are committed to maintaining an environment free of discrimination or harassment."



Cirrincione wants Taco Bell to develop a policy to consider the needs of Deaf customers and to train employees about their rights. She also is seeking punitive and compensatory damages.



"With today's technology and the sophistication of Taco Bell, there is no excuse that their drive-thrus cannot be accessible," said attorney Eric Baum of The Eisenberg & Baum Law Center For The Deaf and Hard of Hearing, who is representing Cirrincione.



SOURCE



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Taco Bell Complains About Deaf Customers

VIDEO: Taco Bell employee inadvertently leaves his drive thru microphone on and is captured complaining about Deaf customers.



According to the videographer from Springfield, Illinois - They left the microphone on and not only was he be (sic) insensitive to Deaf people he also was using foul language.



The Taco Bell staff did nothing when confronted and of coarse (sic) they screwed up our order. Taco Bell is obviously discriminating and failing to serve for Deaf customers as well. Note: no captioning, only audio.

Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants, they serve a variety of Tex-Mex foods including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "value menu" items. However, Taco Bell is failing to serve for Deaf customers which cannot to communaute through the microphone by drive-thru.



Responses has reacted to a video showing on Liveleak.com/#Comments



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