I felt that this didn’t belong in any other forum, so I’m putting it here.
I’ve been attending a beauty school for esthetics (skin care), for a while now. Last week I decided to withdraw, because the school itself discriminated against me. Nearly every day I would leave in terrible pain and tears because “I did not meet the schools standards,” (the words of the student affairs representative). I’ve had instructors standing over me while I’m crying in pain while working on clients (and I felt HORRIBLE for them), and later being chastised for not being able to again, meet the school’s standards. I never asked for anything excessive. A small example of this would be while giving a facial I asked to remain seated in my sliding stool while performing a hand/arm and foot massage (which is given NO differently sitting or standing). I was informed that I even though the school is aware of my handicap and my struggles, I could not be accommodated because the sound the wheels make while moving is “annoying.” Annoying trumps my rights as a handicapped student. However, SEVERAL of the other non handicapped students in my school have done the same thing and have never been approached for it. They have even refused to allow me to bring in a more comfortable chair during classroom hours (their chairs are uncomfortable for everyone, and exacerbate my back pain) because other students might try to “pull,” the same thing. Uh.. pull being legally handicapped? Apparently so.
I am absolutely disgusted with my treatment there. They humiliated me and made me feel ashamed of being handicapped. And that was their intent.
Now, I’m fighting back. I filed a complaint with my state’s civil rights commission, contacted a lawyer, the state board of cosmetology, and contacted the school’s corporate office (it’s a concept school). However, the corporate office refuses to return or answer my phone calls. Needless to say, I’m peeved.
What do you think? What else should I do? My dignity has been trampled on and I NEED justice.
What the efff.... they said sound of the wheel chair is annoying, ?
!#%&$@
Is it a private concept school ?
Sue them fookers. :@
Cleveland is about 8 hours away from New York. It's in Ohio.
I'm not in a wheelchair, but I could be. I just can't stand for more than 2 minutes without debilitating pain. We sit on stools when we perform facials and the sound of those wheels moving is whats "annoying."
I don't know what the law is like in cleveland, but in UK everyone HAS to accomodate people with disabilities and u could certainly sue and win easily if u received that kind of treatment here.
Who is fighting your case for u, and what do they say about your chances of winning? Also keep a copy of every email or letter u send to the school and use it as evidence.
MS, Yes, the disabilities act guarantees that people with a disability will be accomodated. So you very well may have a case here. But what will make it break it is what the school was told and shown about your disability. Did you provide them with any evidence or proof of your disability? If you simply told them that you have a bad back, for example, then they are not obligated to provide you with any kind of accomodation. But if you gave them documentation from your doc, if you have handicapped parking permit etc then they are very much at fault here.
I wish you the best of luck with this!