I’ve been getting a rash of new comments on the Steak ‘n Shake incident at my old blog site. All of the recent messages have the same comment: Deaf and hard of hearing people are not welcomed at the drive-thru. Go inside!
Here are some of the messages that were left:
Employee said… Karen,
I do regret that this situation happened to you. There have been many misjudgements of character here in my branch of service also. I have encountered many unsuccessful people in the food industry. I personally apologize for anything that was done for you and hope that our company does everything that you hope to get from them. I hope that you will find heart and be able to visit Steak and Shake in the future. Maybe just avoid the one with the bad management?8:13 AM 
Anonymous said… I’m Hearing Impaired Too, but my
take is a little different than yours.The last thing I want is special
treatment, law or no law.
I would park the car and walk in
and give my order.
Because you had no problem communicating at the window , he saw no reason why you couldn’t do
it over the speaker and neither
can I.7:04 PM Anonymous said… Karen,
I feel for your situation and of course this could have and should have been handled more appropriately.I would like to point out that you spoke several times about the ADA and reasonable accomadation. You even threatened the associate with this.I have nothing against folks with disabilities and even agree that certain accomadations need to be made but consider this.Would it have not been reasonable for you to just go inside to order? There is nothing wrong with trying to meet these challenges of communication half away but for some reason you make it sound as if going inside to place the order was unreasonable and out of the question.The whole thing sounds silly for both sides. I wish you the best!9:48 PM Anonymous said… GET OUT OF THE CAR AND GO INSIDE 12:11 PM Anonymous said… next time just go in and order.
Have we gone back to the days of separate water fountains, where certain people were allowed to drink out of THOSE water fountains and other people were regulated to another one? Those comments reveal the same attitudes, that drive-thrus are reserved for a special class of people. If you’re deaf or hard of hearing, you get your little fanny out of the car and walk inside. No drive-thru service for you.
Not only do we have to fight for physical access at the drive-thru, we have to deal with attitude barriers as well.
And by the way, Anonymous, it’s not called “special” treatment. It’s called equal treatment.
Comments
19 responses to “Deaf and Hard of Hearing People at the Drive-Thru–Go Inside!”
Oh brother, here we go again, back to square one!
What’s wrong with the drive-thrus services learning to accomodate deaf/hoh customers with special services instead of telling us to go inside and order?!
Can’t they do it?? It’s not impossible!
What about physically-challenged people? Is it okay to tell them to stay in the car and simply make a phone call to do transactions instead of going inside any building whether it be a post office, bank, etc., if there is no ramp access??
Ridiculous!
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We Deaf should not be required to go inside if we don’t want to. If Hearing people have the option to stay in their cars and get their food, then I want the same option. I remember one time I had my child sleeping in the back in his/her car seat and I wanted to get something. If I had to take him/her out, then she/he would have woken up, and I wanted him/her to get his/her nap. So it would have been unreasonable to ask and require me to go inside when Hearing people can let their children sleep and get their food.
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Sheesh! I can’t believe that people don’t see how simple it is to take an order at the drive-through window. I have normal hearing and couldn’t understand one single word at the Arby’s speaker I stopped at the other day. Did I park my car, get both kids out of their carseats and walk inside to place an order? Nope! I shouted that the speaker was too staticky to listen through and rolled right up to the window to place my order. No big deal. Really!
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Ignore this cowardice Anonymous, This person did not reveal who he/or she was. It was no biggie deal .
I always thought the name “Anonymous” is a cowardice person as same as Audism.
I treat Anonymous person like a ghost like I dont even seen them. I am no Ghost Whisper.
You have people who supports you and forget those stupid anonymous.
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This is ridiculous. Those that say you should walk in… does that mean if the walk in is closed, but the drive thru is open, that deaf people can’t get food then?
I don’t expect any special treatment. I expect fair and equal treatment. I’m not giving any Steak and Shake special treatment by walking in so they can meet their drive-thru quotas.
Anonymous who is hearing impaired: did you even read the whole story? If Karen went up to the speaker, how would she know someone was even there and ready to take the order? How would she know the cost and which window to drive up to? How would she know if they even have her order right?
What about deaf and disabled? Do you really think it’s better to inconvenience them to get out of the car and go into the restaurant, when all it takes is a minute of someone’s time to take an order and bring it to the window like any other hearing customer can do?
I guess I shouldn’t be asking for interpreters when I go to class, or when I make a phone call, I shouldn’t use relay, because God forbid, I’d be getting “special treatment”.
One more thing, Deaf or any disabled have a right to access any drive thru fast food restaurants because some of disabled person have younger CHILDREN under 5 years old as well like other normal hearing people. It was NOT easy to bring two or more kids inside of fast food and request “take out” meal. IT WAS RIDILCOUS!
Wow, the person who wrote at 7:04PM. Okay, fine, you prefer to go inside to order, whatever. But to suggest that you “see no reason” why a deaf person can’t order at a speaker…WTF? What are you supposed to do, just park in front of the speaker and yell at it until you hope they’ve heard you, and then drive through? What if you AREN’T a skilled oral communicator? Should you just make some noise, maybe honk your horn, until they come out and yell at you for causing a disturbance?
We don’t have Steak-N-Shake drive-thru around here, or I would definitely try this out myself to see what they do. Either that or I would not patronize them because of what they did to you!
I have 5 years old twins, am deaf, I always go drive thru many times with no problem. I use my blackberry and text what I want to order. Drive-thru employee are very happy to have easy communication with that. Once a while I did order drive -thru in a small down where no deaf people live. They may either refuse to serve or force us to go inside or give me free food and rush me off. All of those happened I did get my way and get respect. Am not mad at fast food resturant for not serve us because they never have experience dealing with that kind of communication. I can understand about fast food in a small town or rural town but big city, no excuse.
As a late deafened mother of 2 young children I have experienced these things as hearing AND deaf. I cannot believe a supposedly hearing impaired person would tell other deaf people they shouldn’t ask for “special treatment!” It is not special, only reasonable. Why would I park, lug out the stroller, and take both kids in and out in the amount of time I could have just pulled up and ordered? I live in a big town so I have never personally had a problem, but if I did I would let everyone in my way have it!
No matter what you think of McDs… give ’em credit because they have you give your order in a window to a person! At least, the ones near me.
However, I’ve learned how to order at Sonic. It was so uncomfortable the first few times, but I got the hang of it. Sometimes I must have my Sonic RX drink and had to bite the bullet to order it myself.
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I agree with so many of these comments posted….it amazes me that people see EQUAL access as “special”….how ridiculous!! WAKE UP people, we are all entitled to equal treatment! Why should a deaf person have to go inside and not get the convenience of drive-thru service?? I bet if those stupid “anonymous” posters had to get their butts out of the car in a snow or rain storm, or lug kids into the restaurant they’d be singing a different tune. It just goes to show how many IGNORANT people there are in the world!
Wow! I am shocked that someone would feel that just because you are deaf you can’t use a drive thru. Besides not being given access you were treated very poorly. Something that anyone would be offended by. Honestly, what is the difference if they take your order at the speaker or at the window? I am not deaf but would be upset if this happened to me. I have older children now who can get themselves in and out of their seats but I still use the drive thru most of the time. I don’t feel anyone needs to get there whole family out of the car when there is a drive thru!!!! I think that you are doing the right thing in trying to get shake and steak to understand this. You are trying to educate not argue. Obviously this establishment has fallen short in customer service ro all.
What confuses me is why these commenters take personal offense by a deaf or hard-of-hearing person expecting reasonable accommodations and equal access at a drive-thru.
How often are they affected by it? I’d imagine almost never – and if they were … what an extra minute or two to wait in line?
Ridiculous.
Ok I have to chuckle over the comments—first of all, we deaf are people too. Some of us have various reasons for wanting to use the drive-thru’s. For me, I have found it a lot quicker to go through the drive-thru and I for the most part (or a very good hearing aid day) am able to place my order…if I can’t understand them, I simply tell them I can’t understand and please let me pull up to the window. In most cases, they are very accommodating. Now, many times, with having only one McD’s in a small town that is booming, the line would be very long. I usually drive by to peek inside the window and see if any lines at the counter. Then I would park and run in. And I’m out.
I’ve never had problems with ordering in the drive through. sometimes I just pull up to the window and tell them what I want. If they say anything about why didn’t i use the speaker, I say, I’m deaf. I can’t hear. And I’ve never encountered bad service.
I moved into a small town few years ago that never had deaf people before. My husband and I took them by surprise and now they pretty much know us.
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I’ve been reading about this incident for quite some time now.
Seems to me like yourself and all of your readers have the wrong idea.
The manager didn’t not serve you because you were deaf. He didn’t serve you because you were rude to him when you finally got to the window.
If he had refused to serve you because you were deaf, then you and all of your readers would be making valid points.
However, after what I’ve read, I believe that he told you when you pulled up to the window that he didn’t know you were deaf, but nonetheless, he wasn’t going to serve you because you acted so rudely to him.
So it’s fine that everyone on your blog keeps posting support to you about how unaccomodating Steak n Shake is, but I wish they would bring the focus back to what it really is: not about the deaf being denied service, but a manager poorly handling a rude customer.
@Random,
When I gave my order, I was not rude. I stated my order calmly and very matter-of-factly. “I didn’t order back there because I can’t hear. I’d like two milkshakes, one vanilla and one chocolate.”
I was asked to go around and use the speaker. I refused to do that. I explained about the ADA, explained that I had a disability that prevented me from physically using the speaker and even showed my hearing aids.
I was denied service because I could not do what the manager expected me to do to get service. That is discrimination.
Of course I was upset and dismayed at this denial of service– I was trying to get equal treatment and access of service that people with normal hearing get every day.
This is not a case of a rude customer– it’s the manager’s discrimination and refusal of service that lead to this situation.
People can choose to say “how can I help you?” or “why should I help you?” it is completely up to them. People exempt themselves from proper behavior for many reasons–sadly disability discrimination is one of them.
When people choose to be ungracious they frequently blame the person who needed their help–this way they don’t need to change or feel bad…
Those of us who are watching are not fooled at all.
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Just came across this story:
http://www.abajournal.com/news/deaf_woman_says_mcdonalds_denied_her_drive_thru_service/
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Wow you guys are idiots. I work the drive thru at taco bell and I hate he retards who say huh wait what huh duhhhhhhhhhhhh. That pissese off. Now that I’m on a rant I also hate the slow ass people who can’t find there purse and or money for the order. You are on a timer. People don’t realize that we employees are being timed for your stupid asses hard of hearing ness. The people who have a tendancy to shout at the top of there lungs losses me the hell off. Stfu. Also I have nothing against deaf people. They can order in the dt. Usually they write what they want on paper though.