Disabled man not lovin' it after snubs at McDonald's
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- Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 17:59:34 -0500
SignOnSanDiego.com, CA, USA
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Disabled man not lovin' it after snubs at McDonald's
By GERRY BRAUN
ONLY IN SAN DIEGO
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@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071111-9999-1m11braun.html
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