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

Sat Aug 11 23:08:17 UTC 2018

The whole point of the room is you still get to enjoy the movie without your loud child interrupting anyone. I actually think something like this might work, but I am sure that my suggestion will still attend some people.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 11, 2018, at 6:00 PM, Roger Newell via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> NABS-L mailing list
>> NABS-L at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
>> info for
>> NABS-L:
>> 
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/cnusbaumnfb%4
>> 0gmail.com
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> NABS-L mailing list
>> NABS-L at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
>> info for
>> NABS-L:
>> 
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/inscriptioele
>> ctronicaaustralia%40gmail.com
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> NABS-L mailing list
>> NABS-L at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
>> info for NABS-L:
>> 
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/eschlenker%40
>> cox.net
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> NABS-L mailing list
>> NABS-L at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
>> for NABS-L:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/aliherky%40gm
>> ail.com
>> 
>> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> NABS-L mailing list
> NABS-L at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NABS-L:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/eschlenker%40cox.net