Have any of you ever experienced intolerance while out in public with your child? Maybe a clerk in a store or perhaps a fellow customer?
How did you handle it? I thought it would be interesting to share our stories.
Here’s mine. Last year while hunting for a van, I was at a car dealership, actually one of the largest in Ohio. I was explaining to the salesman my family’s situation and what we needed.
He stepped away for a fewinutes to crunch some numbers. To my left, there was a couple of sales people watching the news. One of them, a woman, was very opinionated. The story on the news was about a mother boycotting a restaurant for not allowing her Autistic child to enter the establishment because he might be to noisy. This wasn’t a fine dining restaurant by any means.
The owner of the restaurant made the comment on camera that “people with kids like that shouldn’t take their kids outside”. The mother of this little boy had a huge amount of support and was fighting for her sons right to eat in a public place. Personally, I completely supported this mothers efforts.
The one sales woman felt very strongly that “people Autistic kids should just stay at home”. She started blasting the mother of this little boy on tv. She was cursing and even dropped the f-bomb a few times as well.
The salesman that I was working with, wasn’t directly involved but did nothing to stop his coworker from insulting kids with Autism and their parents.
It took every last ounce of control to not let this woman have a piece of my mind, but we really needed that van. I ended up having to leave to go pick up the boys from school and I told him that I would call him when I got home.
I spoke with Lizze and what had happened and we decided that we wanted nothing to do with a company like this. I called and told the salesman what had happened and why I would never come back. I also met with the general manager a little later on because he wanted to make a donation to Gavin’s school.
However, that donation never happened and he later backed out of it by saying goes something about just having donated to Akron Children’s Hospital.
If you are wondering, the car dealership was Fred Martin Superstore.
I have never returned and I found our van a little while later. We all know how well that turned out. 🙂
My question to all of you is, what have you experienced in your life? Anything like this? If so what would you have donenor what did you do?
That’s rather ridiculous if you ask me! It’s really bad business for them, and I applaud you for listing the name of them. I wish people were more understanding.
(Found you from Autisable.)
Never in that fashion but I'm glad that, regardless of the fact that you needed this van, that you refused to do business with them.
My recent post It was scary….
This happens wayyyyyy more than we like. This is one area of my life where I am a work in progress… usually take a direct approach (…tell the person right then and there that my son has autism and maybe a few choice other words. Also, I have called managers and coorporate HQs, sent information and offered to come and speak with businesses…), no fist fights yet, but there have been a few times that I have thought to myself that the cops might be called at any moment. My approach for the New Year is something that I read in somewhere recently…channel Jack O. when responding to ignorance…I get the whole 'you can draw more flies with honey' but it's SO hard to do.
My recent post Entry Fifty-Nine: Living Parallel Lives
I just responded to another comment and shared that I have been told that boys should not have been born and that they will never amount to anything. A few choice words….oh I had more then words to share with them. Alas, I took the hire road. I never want to respond because if would draw my children\’s attention to what was said. I don\’t want to even dignify those words.
I feel you pain and frustration.
Thanks for sharing
as the offspring is now 18 too numerous to mention but the favourite has to be shopping checkout trauma when rather elegant “lady” observed that some people shouldn’t be allowed to breed..my oldest daughter launched into best middle class educated tones and followed “lady” from checkout questioning her very loudly on her expertise on ASD and associated disorders as she fled from store..usually best handled with small business card explaining ASD in all its glories and seeing people look guilt stricken when you do not engage or verbally explain and let them process..although i did once rip into young adults and hoped they would remember their nasty comments if they were ever pregnant..most of all “im Spartacus” approach or unfortunately there is no genetic reason for bloody rudeness x
I was actually told that my children should never have been born. I hear you. People….what\’s wrong with people anymore. Very sad. You have a great attitude, that\’s for sharing. 🙂