1/5 craig m. 4 months ago on Google • 6 reviews
DISCRIMINATION
AT
ITS
FINEST.
Last
weekend,
my
wife
and
I
took
our
4
kids
to
the
Homer
Glen
Home
Depot
to
participate
in
their
in-store
kids’
workshop
for
a
family
outing.
Upon
arriving,
it
was
extremely
busy
and
there
was
limited
space
for
us.
We
found
an
area
that
had
enough
space
for
us
to
set
up
to
start
our
project.
Our
youngest
daughter
who
is
just
under
two
was
secured
in
her
stroller
as
she
suffers
from
hypotonia
(low
tone)
due
to
a
structural
anomaly
with
her
brain.
Due
to
this,
she
is
not
able
to
stand
unassisted
or
walk.
One
of
HD’s
associates
approached
my
wife
and
told
her
that
our
daughter
was
not
allowed
to
be
there.
My
wife
thought
that
he
was
referring
to
her
being
in
the
way
of
customers
being
able
to
move
around.
She
had
asked
him
to
help
her
move
things
around
so
she
could
move
our
daughter
out
of
the
way.
He
responded
by
stating
she
was
not
allowed
to
be
here
and
needed
to
leave
the
area.
My
wife
tried
explaining
that
our
daughter
has
special
needs
and
cannot
stand,
let
alone
walk,
which
is
why
she
was
in
the
stroller.
He
stated
yet
again
that
she
needed
to
leave.
My
wife
questioned
what
would
happen
should
she
be
in
a
wheelchair
in
which
he
stated
she
would
be
asked
to
leave
the
area.
After
realizing
what
was
occurring,
I
asked
him
what
he
would
have
done
if
he
was
in
our
shoes
and
to
my
surprise,
he
stated
that
he
would
“follow
the
rules.”
I
immediately
asked
to
speak
to
the
manager/supervisor
of
the
store.
I
explained
to
Doreen
what
had
just
occurred
between
me,
my
wife,
and
their
associate.
Doreen
stated
that
he
was
incorrect
and
accommodations
for
our
daughter
should
have
been
made.
After
leaving
the
store,
we
called
corporate
and
filed
a
formal
complaint
with
Home
Depot.
Jose
was
very
understanding
and
validated
our
feelings
and
frustrations
based
off
what
we
had
experienced.
Later
that
afternoon,
the
Assistant
Manager
of
the
Homer
Glen
Home
Depot
called
and
spoke
to
my
wife
and
me.
She
shared
that
they
would
be
addressing
this
associate’s
behavior
and
could
not
go
into
detail
as
to
what
the
conversation
would
consist
of.
She
then
proceeds
to
say
that
he
should
have
“made
room
for
you
(us)
in
the
back.”
Here
are
my
thoughts
on
this
situation-SHAME
on
Home
Depot
(specifically
the
Homer
Glen
location)
and
SHAME
on
that
Assistant
Manager
for
expressing
that
placing
children
or
customers
with
special
needs/disabilities
in
the
back
is
a
sufficient
response
in
addressing
the
fact
that
our
19mo
child
had
been
discriminated
against.
After
taking
some
time
to
reflect
on
this
situation,
I
am
angered
at
the
fact
that
the
store
is
not
proactively
making
accommodations
for
children/customers
with
special
needs
and/or
disabilities.
Instead,
they
are
being
reactive,
and
the
optics
are
not
good.
After
our
conversation
with
her,
my
perception
is
my
daughter
is
an
afterthought.
Should
she
or
another
child
had
shown
up
in
a
wheelchair
or
other
assistive
device,
the
tables
and
how
they
were
set
up
would
have
not
allowed
for
her
to
participate
which
is
extremely
disheartening.
What
I
would
expect
from
Home
Depot
moving
forward
is
to
take
proactively
actions
for
every
workshop
and
make
accommodations
for
children
or
customers
with
special
needs
vs
piecemealing
something
together
and
shoving
someone
in
the
back.
Additionally,
I
was
them
to
amend
their
policy
and
procedures
related
to
workshops
within
their
stores
to
make
this
population
of
customers
feel
welcome!
Education
on
laws
that
protect
individuals
with
disabilities
and
sensitivity
training
should
be
provided
to
ALL
their
associates,
not
just
this
one
individual.
There
are
small,
yet
meaningful
ways
that
they
can
assist
children/customers
with
disabilities
such
as
listening
to
the
customers
and
asking
what
they
need
that
would
be
most
helpful
for
what
they
are
trying
to
achieve.
Under
Title
III
of
the
Americans
with
Disabilities
Act,
all
public
accommodations
in
IL
must
provide
auxiliary
aids
and
services
and
modify
their
policies
when
necessary
to
accommodate
customers
with
disabilities.
