Well, it is hard navigating the world in pain and with the memory capacity of an amoeba.
Coffee helps with energy and concentration further Chewy aids in navigating to this coffee calamity store. Sadly, Starbucks is a place I can no longer visit.
Snooty store employees ( all teens or early twenties) have taken to giving me the hairy eyeball. They let me know that no mistakes with the dog are tolerated. Moreover, I have sinned.
I dropped the leash at the mockingbird Dallas store while counting change and grabbing the hot venti coffee. A mortal sin became a venial one because I stepped on Chewy's chain immediately.
A tsk-tsking female barista with a shaved head and hairy legs (An armpit patch was seen but only fleetingly) smarmily corrected me with a taunting leash lesson. "No, that's not holding the leash. You've been warned before why can't you listen."
Oh, oh a reprisal was in order. "Do you think you are special with the hair and all? You are not legally protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Now that's special. I pointed to myself.
The pain, mood liability, and consistent harassment can be too much.
I decided to call the Starbucks office and explain the situation and ask for help.
The following is the text conversation. I certainly hope this leads to a new understanding and inclusion of the disabled.
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7/7/2019
To Starbucks employees whom it may concern here is a text I recieved after I complained about maltreatment at Starbucks.
Hi Daniel,
I received your concern about your experience at our Mockingbird Station store. I am sorry your experience in our store was not positive, and I look forward to connecting with you.
Thank you,
Marsh
Marsha King, District Manager
Oaklawn | Park Cities | Uptown | Love Field
C:214-213-5109
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” Jimi Hendrix
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Thank you for your quick reply Marsha,
Please a helpful reminder when speaking to the disabled: Clear and slow diction is needed. I have been dialing your number having misheard one number in your verbal message. That was corrected when I read it in your text. Good for you to communicate in several ways.
Well, I have had a service dog for 11 years, since my vehicular accident, which rendered me with a final diagnosis of chronic intractable pain and (still unbelievable to me) a diagnosis of dementia and seizure disorder. Unfortunately, I had to retire early from my Family Medicine Practice of but remain as a disability advocate who trains dogs for dementia patients and lectures on brain injuries and prescribing service dogs.
However, since I have no visible scars on my head, most of the public does not know I have disabilities. Moreover, that is one purpose of a service animal! Chewy, with his vest, says, “Hey, this person may need a bit more help than a normal customer.”
Going about my day is overcoming my problems and moving ahead with my life. I try not to present myself as a sick person, so I answer the numerous questions about service animals and try to be a model and advocate for the disabled.
Can you see a but coming?
However, my concentration is minimal, and I confuse easily. Five years ago, my memory was nonexistent at 3 minutes. Yes. After 3 minutes, I had to reset my mind to figure out where I was and what I was doing. After considerable effort, I am much improved. However, I still have trouble tracking where my dog moves. Thus, try as I might, his leash is dropped when asked to count change and hold a cup of coffee.
Simple problem.
Remind me, and I do my best to get back on track. Moreover, it happens more than a would like, but all I can do is improve.
So, when a Mockingbird Station (Dallas, TX.) barista smarmily lambasts me for not holding the leash and continues to lecture me on service dog etiquette, I get a bit riled. (You can't miss her, ironically, she has shaved her head bald, not cancer, teen identity quest? It seems she wants to be unique.) However, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, I am in a specially protected class. My anger is not at a particular rebuke but at the number of times this keeps happening in Starbucks. Once is a fluke, but a pattern is a more significant corporate misunderstanding. Perhaps similar to your Philadelphia African American debacle, the exclusion of a selected class.
How would I know? I am an expert in this field. Please see the book be low.
Also, if you have time, see the chapter entitled -- Scarbucks (not misspelled).
It covers being misunderstood by a Starbucks barista. Déjà vu.
So, the rules a service animal has to be controlled and not a nuisance. There’s little chance of this as my adorable dog, see pic, is 17 lbs. also, completely charming. Verbal commands are lawful; a leash does not have to be involved. How does a quadriplegic wheelchair patient hold a leash? I know. I teach the vets at the VA downtown hospital.
In summary, I hope you see the problem is not one of leach holding but a misunderstanding of the disabling condition. A solution?
That a memo can be circulated stating the definition of REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION.
A reasonable accommodation is assistance or changes to a position or workplace to enable an employee to do his or her job despite having a disability. Under the ADA, employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities, unless doing so would pose an undue hardship.
Yes, that's a legal definition of Starbucks obligation for the disabled. And a general notice that customers with a service animal should be treated with particular concern as they can have: Mood instability, chronic detracting pain, inabilities to move appropriately (I bump into chairs and drop the leash), failure to hear correctly, inability to understand the social situation, and the list goes on.
A little kindness and understanding are not too much to expect.
Having many years of experience in disability medicine both as a physician and patient, I would be glad to help in any manner possible.
I look forward to your response.
Dr. Daniel Herlihy
PS: I will be forwarding this text to all local Starbucks managers, #BoycottStarbucks, #DumpStarbucks, the four Traumatic brain support groups I attend, the Center for Brain Health Dallas), The College of Complexes and several other public forums.
For comments, please submit to BrainBlown.org or brainblown.org@gmail.com
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