[Wasagdu] When social media goes stupid

[Kaye Kipp]

That's sad.  The employee honestly didn't know and she apologized.  People
ought to let it go.

 

Kaye

 

From: WASAGDU [mailto:wasagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Becky
Frankeberger via WASAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2015 10:06 AM
To: 'Washington Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Becky Frankeberger
Subject: [Wasagdu] When social media goes stupid

 

Social media can be a real problem, grumble, or it can be a blessing. Before
you get all hot and bothered, stop and think first before you post.

 

  BEREA, Ohio - A Baldwin Wallace College student who is blind said she
was told to leave popular Dick's Bakery in Berea because of her guide
dog, and the
incident has fueled angry comments on social media.

Sophomore Gabriella Drago, 19, keeps her guide dog Freesia by her side
at all times, including during a stop for a donut with a friend at
Dick's Bakery
Monday. She said bakery employee Carol Pearce, 74, told her the dog
was not permitted inside, even after Gabriella explained that Freesia
is a service
dog, and it is illegal to ban the dog from the business.

"At first, it was really shocking because that's never really happened
to me before," Gabriella told Fox 8 News.  "I wasn't sure how to
handle it. There
were just a lot of emotions. It was one of those things where I wasn't
expecting that to happen."

Gabriella's father called Pearce to explain the situation afterward,
who then called Gabriella to apologize.

"She sounded sincere in her apology. She said I didn't look like I was
blind. I'm not sure how a blind person is supposed to look, but I took
it with a
grain of salt," Gabriella said, adding that she accepted the apology.

Afterward, Gabriella's mother posted about the incident on Facebook.
Jaclyn Drago's post encouraged people to stop patronizing Dick's
Bakery and to explain
the Americans with Disabilities Act laws to Pearce. It went viral and
was shared nearly 10,000 times within 24 hours. Hundreds of people
left comments
of outrage, and many inundated Dick's Bakery with phone calls and
negative reviews online.

Pearce, visibly distraught over the incident, called it a mistake.

"I could never hurt anybody like that," she said, with tears in her
eyes. "I just want to tell you I'm so sorry; I'm so sorry. And there's
no excuse, but
believe me from my heart, I'd do anything if I could make that up to [her]."

Pearce said she has worked at the bakery for 60 years and didn't
realize Gabriella was blind. She said she thought the girl was
"horsing around."

"All I saw was a big dog and said, 'that dog can't come in here'
because my boss would kill me, but I didn't know she was blind,"
Pearce said. "If they
want me to quit, I understand. But it definitely was a mistake. It
wasn't something I did as a wisecrack, believe me, I'm not that type
of person."

The co-owners of Dick's Bakery said Pearce's actions are not
representative of their business.

"We have a track record of understanding people with special needs,
and we stand by that," co-owner Rick Baker said.

Baker said Dick's Bakery embraces people with special needs, including
an employee and relatives.

"I'd like to extend our sincere apology to the BW student who felt
unwelcome here yesterday," Baker said. "We value our customers, and
yesterday we fell
short of that."

Bakery co-owner Andy Baker told Fox 8 News that Pearce "will be
retiring." A statement posted on Facebook from the bakery Tuesday
afternoon said she was
terminated.

Afterward, the Drago family asked the public to give Dick's Bakery
another chance and to stop calling the bakery and writing negative
reviews. Gabriella's
father, Rob Drago, said the incident seemed to be a case of lack of
education versus intolerance. They also asked that Pearce not be
fired.

Gabriella said she just wants businesses to understand that, under
ADA, service dogs must be allowed anywhere the public is. The only
questions staff can
ask when it's not obvious what service an animal provides are whether
the dog is a service animal required because of a disability and what
work the dog
been has been trained to perform.

"I definitely don't want it to reflect incredibly negatively on them
as a small business," she said. "I just want it to be something
they're aware of,
with the hope it won't happen again with their business or any other
business."

 

 

Becky Frankeberger

Butterfly Knitting

-           Ponchos

-           Afghans

-           Shawls

-           Custom Knitting

360-426-8389

becky at butterflyknitting.com

 

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