[NABS-L] 12-year-old with disabilities kicked out of movietheater my reaction

Sat Aug 11 23:00:25 UTC 2018

Yes, I believe they can.

On 8/12/18, Ali via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 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
>
>  Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986>
> for Windows
>  10
>
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