[NABS-L] 12-year-old with disabilities kicked out of movietheater my reaction
Ali
aliherky at gmail.com
Sat Aug 11 22:42:39 UTC 2018
Just out of curiosity, can those in the cry room hear the movie?
Ali
----- Original Message -----
From: Emily Schlenker via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Fri, 10 Aug 2018 18:53:55 -0500
Subject: Re: [NABS-L] 12-year-old with disabilities kicked out of
movietheater my reaction
Well, our local theaters have what they call a cry room for small
children who are loud. This might be an option, I don’t mean
this suggestion to offend people. There are just some patrons who
are louder than others.
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 10, 2018, at 6:46 PM, Roger Newell via NABS-L
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
Chris, I would generally agree that "separate but equal"
treatment is
detrimental to both the blind person and broader society, but I
believe that it is an option worth considering in this case.
1. The child's breathing was so loud that it actually caused
distress
to other patrons. If the breathing could be heard clearly during
loud
portions of the movie, it sounds like it is a physicological
issue, or
perhaps it is the result of a cognitive disability so severe
that the
child could not be taught how to channel her excitement in
another
way, though of course we don't know this as it was not described
in
the article; conversely, it could be that the parents and
teachers of
the child have very low expectations.
2. I have heard of movie theaters offering separate screenings
(at
least in my country) to people with autism and other conditions
that
would inhibit the ability of their families/caregivers or other
theater-goers to enjoy the movie. I feel that this is warranted
in
this case because it would have been the least restrictive
environment
for the girl or their family, allowing them to enjoy the movie
without
additional stress.
Now I must emphatically state that a separate screening of the
movie
is definitely not ideal in all circumstances--blind people have
the
right to integrate into society so that we can enjoy the same
benefits
as our sighted counterparts while simultaneously raising the
expectations and altering the beliefs of society; but we must
also
respect that this is not achievable in all circumstances. Again
I will
ask the question: if the child was found to have no other way to
channel her excitement and you, a paying customer, were seated
next to
her in a full movie theater, what would you do? We cannot
definitively
state what should have happened in this case because we simply
have
far too little information, but I think it is worthy to think
about
how blind people with significant disabilities in addition to
their
blindness should participate in society.
I am interested in reading other's thoughts on this and weeing
how the
story develops from here.
On 8/11/18, Chris Nusbaum via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
Hello All:
This is certainly an interesting case of apparent discrimination
which
still
raises questions about where we should draw the line between
insisting on
equal access to public accommodations and respecting the rights
of the
public with whom we share those accommodations. At first glance,
it would
seem that the decision of the manager to kick the family out is
an
overreaction at best and outright discrimination at worst.
Moreover, I
think
that the complaint from the moviegoer was also an inconsiderate
overreaction, particularly given the fact that it was plain to
see that the
girl has multiple disabilities which impact her life and
behavior. In my
opinion, there were many courses of action he could have taken
which would
have avoided the situation we are now discussing: He could have
moved
seats,
asked to be seated closer to the speakers, or asked for one of
the
theatre's
amplification devices.
On the other hand, I think it is important for us to recognize
that equal
access is a two-way street. When we participate in blindness
training
programs or seminars, we often spend a lot of time focusing on
social
skills
so we can ensure that we are conducting ourselves in a way which
makes us
appear competent and presentable, thereby causing others in
society to be
more disposed toward giving us the access we seek. I'm sure that
many of
us,
including myself, have dealt with "blindisms" in our
childhood--those
quirky
behaviors like hand shaking or eye poking which are supposedly
done out of
habit in order to provide stimulation which would otherwise come
visually.
For my part, I was often frustrated by my parents' repeated
correction of
me
whenever they saw me doing a "blindism," but I'm thankful for it
now
because
it has allowed me to better fit into various social circles. In
that vain,
I
wonder if there is anything the girl's parents could do to teach
her to
normalize her breathing? Are there other ways in which she could
express
her
emotions without disturbing those around her? If her
disabilities prevent
her from changing this behavior, there is nothing left for the
family to do
but to educate and fight for acceptance. However, I think these
questions
are something worth considering.
Finally, Roger, it seems that you are saying that the family's
refusal of
the manager's alternatives was unreasonable. If I'm
misunderstanding you, I
apologize. I would point out, however, that the manager's
options, while
allowing the family to see the movie, were indicative of a
"separate but
equal" approach. I daresay that most of us would balk at the
idea that,
because of our blindness, we must schedule a private screening
with the
theatre during which we are the only people allowed to see a
movie while
cut
off from the rest of the moviegoing public. Though the problem
in this case
was not directly related to the girl's blindness, why should she
be forced
to cut herself off from the public just because someone was
annoyed by the
sound of her breathing? Perhaps this is going out on a dangerous
limb, but
I
don't see much of a difference between that approach and the
approach which
the Jim Crow south used to justify their "separate but equal"
treatment of
African-Americans in the wake of 1950s-era early integration
laws. This
family, in my view, is asking not for special treatment, but for
equal
treatment. They are using this as an opportunity to educate the
public in
the hope that the situation they have endured will not happen to
anyone
else. If that is what they are asking for, I would think that we
in the NFB
should find common cause with them.
Just my thoughts,
Chris
-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Armando
Vias via
NABS-L
Sent: Thursday, August 9, 2018 6:41 AM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Cc: Armando Vias <a.vias at outlook.com
Subject: [NABS-L] 12-year-old with disabilities kicked out of
movie theater
my reaction
Here is my reaction. So a 12-year-old with a disability got
kicked out of a
movie theater! All because she was breathing! A man was sitting
in front of
her. The man then complained to the manager of the theater! The
parents and
the child were told to leave. I believe that this clearly
violates the
Americans withDisabilities Act. I believe that all employees
must receive
training regarding accommodating people with disabilities. You
can read the
article by clicking the link below. This happened in West
Virginia.
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Special-needs-girls-family-asked
-to-leave-t
heater-because-of-loud-breathing-490316211.html
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for Windows
10
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