A Rockford, IL woman with no arms is suing McDonald’s, claiming that employees refused to serve her food because she has no arms and was too “disgusting” to serve.
She says McDonald’s offered her a $10 gift certificate as compensation.
From WREX (emphasis ours):
Dawn Larson was born with Holt-Oram Syndrome, a genetic disorder which causes abnormalities in the hands, arms, and heart. Her tiny hands are about 6 inches from her shoulders, so she does most things with her feet.Dawn says her disability’s never stopped her from leading a normal life. “I do everyday things like everyday people.” But on November 3rd, she says that changed. Larson pulled up to the McDonald’s drive through on Kishwaukee Street and ordered food for her and her sons. She drove to the first window, gave the cashier her credit card with her foot, and pulled up to get her food. Dawn says, “The first girl said, ‘Girl, you ain’t got no arms’ and the manager said she couldn’t hand me her food and she just kept sticking to the fact that I didn’t have no arms and she was disgusted by it. I had the right to eat my dinner and feed my kids and they took that away from me.”
Dawn complained to McDonald’s and says they offered her a $10 gift certificate in response to her complain. She’s now suing. “That’s saying McDonald’s condones and urges people to treat the handicapped that way. I don’t want that message to come across. I want to fight for my rights and my kids rights and have these things changed,” she says.
At what point did someone at McDonald’s read a complaint this awful and say, “Know what? Humiliated over a cheeseburger? $10 ought to do it.”
Rockford Woman Sues McDonald’s After Allegedly Being Denied Food [WREX via BoingBoing] (Thanks, gleenyc!)
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@hoo_foot: “If the McDonald’s employees were disgusted by her, then why didn’t they just hand the food to the kids in her car?”
Ah yes, perfect solution. So if I’m a white employee and have to serve food to a black woman, we’re cool as long as she’s accompanied by a white person with whom I can complete the transaction. I mean, I shouldn’t have to deal with black people if I am disgusted by black people in general, right? I mean, yuck. That’s not right to force me to serve them.
@Greeper: Someone being refused service at a major chain due to a disability IS news.
@SuburbanSocialite: Yeah, they missed the point entirely didn’t they?
“They wouldn’t give me my food after paying.”
“Here’s 10 dollars so you can try again.”
“What?!?!”
@hoo_foot: If the employee would actually call her disgusting I doubt that they would bother finding some other way of giving them their food.
On the multiple driving comments above:
I’m guessing this lady drives better than half of the asshats I see on the road daily.
Yes, she was treated very poorly. And it was ridiculous that they would not hand her _her own food_!! But you know what, it wasn’t “McDonalds” who did it. McDonalds I’m sure has policies that state that you will make every effort to accomodate the handicapped. They aren’t the ones who should be sued.
It was an employee and a manager who were wrong. And they should lose their jobs. Personally, I don’t think she (the victim) deserves any more than that. For the PR boost McDonalds might give her free food for a year or something… still, why does she deserve it? Because someone made fun of her handicap? I’m sure it wasn’t the first time. Because she didn’t get her food? I’m willing to bet the $10 gift certificate covered that.
She’s just suing McDonalds because she wants to go after the corporation with deep pockets. I’m sure it’s not malicious–she’s probably a hard working mother who wants to be able to provide better for her kids. And McDonalds will probably settle, costing them relatively little, and give her a whole bunch of free food.
Wow, I go away for a little while and the morons take over.
@etinterrapax: @Eyebrows McGee: Well said
@alpha & @rkm12: I wasn’t saying people can’t become adept at using their feet to do most anything, but I simply do not believe we should EVER compromise on what you need to be able to do in order to drive. I respect and admire people who learn to overcome their handicaps, but it doesn’t mean I am comfortable with a blind person performing open heart surgery, a narcoleptic air traffic controller, or a handicapped person driving a half-ton 60kph exploding metal box on wheels.
I drive a standard, so all four limbs are in need. Left foot clutch, right foot gas/brake. Right arm shifts, controls wipers, lowers sun visor when needed, and assists steering on sharp/highspeed turns. Left arm does most of the steering plus controls headlights, signal lights (which most people forget exist) and operates the window. Drop it down to an automatic you can work without the left leg, but loosing either arm puts you in a situation where control over the steering is lost slightly and you now have no use of the wipers, lights, windows, sun visor, or anything else without having to let go of the wheel. I’m sorry, you must have two arms and at least one leg to drive in any manner I would call safe. Driving is not a right, most people forget that, and they really need to sit down and re-evaluate who gets a liscence these days.
All I’m saying is it’s not as if McD’s has a corporate policy and a sign saying “We will not serve you if you do not have hands”. It’s not some company wide policy to not serve handicapped people. One stupid asshat employee deserves to get fired and they owe her an apology and a free lunch. Not thousands of dollars.
@Wormfather: Shockingly enough people with all kinds of disabilities are married, have kids and “find people to have sex with” Maybe you should meet someone who isn’t able-bodied as shocking as that might be for you.
Wow. What insensitive asses at that McDonalds. If I worked there and a woman with no arms gave me a credit card or took her food with her foot, I’d think “How cool!” Talk about getting it done…
When this type of incident happens, and the business in question gets sued, I think that the public should know the name of the rude employee. We won’t unless the individual is named in the lawsuit.
The ONLY reason I think that people should know is to ensure, if this person comes to our companies for work, that s/he has had some kind of sensitivity training.
If an employee embezzles and is arrested, future employers would know; I’d be surprised if this kind of incident would come up with even a PAY background check.
I wouldn’t want to work with her. then again, does that make me prejudiced because I don’t want to work with someone who’s known to make fun of people with physical handicaps and who could, conceivably, cost an employer millions of dollars?
A $10 gift certificate? I would’ve offered her a long sleeved shirt.
I’m presuming that this woman took a driving test, and passed, which should be good enough for her, since it’s obviously good enough for those of us with four limbs.
I’m honestly stunned by the ignorance in so many comments here. Cringing over feet? Really? Most people’s feet are probably cleaner than their hands. Grow up.
@savagesaladin: Wow. You’re a callous m’fer arentcha?
I stopped going to McDonald’s years ago in protest for the way in which they treated a friend of mine. McVerdict anyone?
On the topic of the employee’s rudeness and the manager’s severe brain deficiency, this lady deserves more than $10 off their suicidal food, but any legal action should be taken against the two asshats at the drivethrough. This is not McDonalds’ fault and it would be nice to see employees being held responsible for their actions. Doubt she’d get nearly as much out of them (probably why she sued McD’s instead), but it is questionable if her embarrasment is worth more than one or two grand.
@tvh2k: “Because someone made fun of her handicap?”
When I’ve taught college students, and a misunderstanding crops up again and again, I’ve sometimes found it’s easiest just to repeat the same words, over and over, and eventually they get it. So, for the 90 millionth time, this case has absolutely nothing to do with “making fun of” or “humilating” a person with disabilities. It has to do with refusing service to them, based on the fact of the disability alone, and without a single reasonable justification for doing so. That’s called discrimination, and constitutes a violation of their civil rights. The very fact that a number of you cannot comprehend how this is no different from refusing service because of a person’s race is, quite frankly, simply making me more convinced that this is a more indidious and serious problem than people realize, and therefore all the more reason why there should be a large lawsuit to set a precedent (or confirm a precedent, since this isn’t the first example of such a case).
In even simpler terms: civil rights violations are no joke. It was a long and costly road before racial discrimination was rooted out of company policy and behavior in the U.S. We’re clearly still on that road with respect to disabilities. It’s not about “hurt feelings”, which I’m sure this woman is strong enough to not give a shit about after all she’s been through in her life. It’s about getting her her goddamn food when she asks for it, like any other human being.
@toddkravos:
Calloused? Yes. M’fer? What?
@silenuswise: I’ll reiterate my point since you’re obviously not reading what I’m saying. I agree it would be a civil rights matter if this happened to many disabled persons at McDonalds across the country. In the 60′s, service was denied to blacks in “white restaurants” across the board. This is one woman at 2 restaurants. Where are all the other disabled people joining this woman in a class-action suit saying they’ve been discriminated against also? Granted McDonalds corporate could have been more sensitive to the issue and fired those responsible, but I can’t see giving an individual millions of dollars to make up for a couple of individuals’ stupidity. Yes, technically her civil rights were violated because it’s illegal to discriminate on the basis of disability. Yes, she could sue. But I wouldn’t award the woman a dime for her trouble, maybe just her legal costs and reforming McDonalds policy of immediately firing idiotic employees and managers.
@Gloria: Honestly, I think most people are going to be a little surprised if someone hands you money with their foot. And they may not even be able to hide that surprise (which is why I can excuse “Girl, you ain’t got no arms” although it was definately rude). But no excuse for the refusual of service.
Eh…as long as people are allowed to think their individual beliefs have the same value as proven facts, this kind of ignorant bullshit will continue.
@delphi_ote: “if your job is customer service and you treat a customer this way, you should not have a job.”
You’re absolutely right my friend, I was simply highlighting the MC Donald’s way in my last response to you. It wasn’t with sarcasm. That is actually how they handle their employees.
@adrock75:
Are you for real with this shit? Are you actually still here saying the same thing over and over again? You are quite the glutton for punishment my friend.
She does actually have arms. If you look real closely you’ll see that they’re really cute baby arms!
@savagesaladin: Yes, dude, we got it the first time–you’re attempting a joke. Hey, maybe you can try yet again in a Borat voice (to match your wild and wacky avatar!)–I’m sure it can only get more hilarious the more your repeat it. That works for my 4-year-old nephew, at least, when he makes up knock-knock jokes.
@Thrust: It’s funny, than that I can drive without any legs and do it pretty well. By that I mean I’ve never been in an accident or gotten a ticket.
I know it’s different for everyone, but I suggest before deciding that the handicapped are shitty dirvers that you do some research and meet people like myself and others who drive and live our lives. Education is key here. Saying we’re not safe drivers because you’re not aware of how it’s done is ignorance at best.
@rkm12: I never once said handicapped people are BAD drivers. I said it scares the shit out of me to think of them being out on the road, and I did say it was my opinion that a handicapped person may not be as safe behind the wheel as a non-challenged person. There is a big difference between me saying “I don’t think it’s safe” and “It is not safe”. The only two statements I made in the “it is” instead of “I believe” are;
I don’t know what wierd contraption allows her to steer and accelerate, but it cannot be as safe, accurate, or responsive as even a single hand – I would count this as a viable statement as there is not a single method I can visualize that would allow her the physical push-pull power arms have on a steering wheel, that could be opperated simultaneously with traffic signals and accelerator/brakes. Drive-by-wire engineering could make it POSSIBLE to operate all the above mentioned items, but I have not seen any proof on the safeness of DbW.
The other statement was Driving is not a right, most people forget that, which is a proven fact. At least the not being a right part, not the forgetting.
Also RKM12, if you are parapalegic as mentioned above, your lack of leg use is a lot less debilitating than a lack of arms, at least insofar as driving is concerned. You only have to compensate for a lack of gas/brake action from below, where she has to compensate for steering, signals, wipers, and a lot more. While my opinions on handicapped driving haven’t changed, at least in my opinion, you would be less of a risk behind the wheel than her.
I’m surprised they took the credit card off her foot in the first place. My first thought would be that she was handing me something with an unshod foot she’d just probably had on the floor of her car. I wonder if she Purells her feet or something?
Wow. When I first read this, I was disgusted, too… at the behaviour of the McD’s employees.
Now, having read all 125 current comments, I’m also disgusted by a handful of truly heartless Consumerist readers. It may shock a few of you to know that people are people, even if they aren’t able-bodied, and no one deserves the kind of humiliation this woman encountered. The comment about her love life is possibly the cruelest, most puerile thing I’ve ever seen on this site, and if the person who wrote it isn’t in junior high school, I’m shocked, and s/he should be ashamed and embarrassed. Someone who loves someone who is differently abled certainly shouldn’t be.
Perhaps if, heaven forbid, any of the cruel and callous commenters ever find themselves disabled, their eyes will be opened. They certainly aren’t without their flaws right now, and I must say I find anyone striving to live a life of respect and dignity much more appealing than they could ever be with such attitudes. The woman in the posted story may not be traditionally ‘beautiful,’ but I’d certainly rather be involved with someone who isn’t beautiful on the outside than someone who is so inwardly revolting as a few of these commenters… no matter how they look.
I think it’s hilarious that the manager thought this woman’s FEET were dirtier than HER hands (you know, the ones touching the bills in the cash register that have passed through how many hands, up noses, in soggy back pockets of sweaty joggers, etc.).
I find it interesting that so many people can even begin to think that, if ‘unchecked’ by laws and legislation, that ANY company, ANYWHERE in the USA could even possibly survive if they adopted a sexist/racist/discriminating mandate.
Let us look at the comments here. All are in favor of the idea that this is NOT good behavior on behalf of the McDonalds employees. They humiliated that woman, and were discriminatory towards her. If perhaps McDonalds Corporate decided to put out a press release in response to the ordeal stating “We support the actions of our McEmployee and will continue to condone this behavior as our corporate policy” do you think McDonalds would even have 10% of the volume they had the previous day?
If any of you are truly angry about McDonalds in general… JUST DON’T GO THERE. How many of you posted here saying that McDonalds needs to be sued, yet still eat there? Well, if a lawsuit comes through, it will just mean an increase in the prices, or perhaps a decrease in the raises to their employees. I’m sure neither of those are appealing to anyone of the Billions of people that get meals there.
I am of the opinion, to let people go ahead and refuse service. Let them show their true colors if you will. If people out there are so closed minded and bigoted, they will simply NOT survive in business. I know I for one would not eat at a restaurant that refuses service based on uncontrollable individual situations or circumstances.
The government has only ever done exactly what most people wanted. Had it been ungoverned, nearly the same result would have occurred in terms of equality. I also believe, had it not been coerced, people would be less at odds with each other in general now regarding racial matters. Any law that places two people in different categories based on race, officially creates different categories that carry through to the individual level. It silly actually to think that laws and government have done anything valuable in reducing racism.
I’ve not eaten at McDonalds in 12 years after I was humiliated at the restaurant by their idiot employee, and an inept manager. I’ve voted with my dollars, and I believe it has been quite significant over the years, especially since my Army Unit no longer visits McD’s on bus back from training. It’s probably cost the corporation over $100k over the years. That’s good enough for me.
And Finally… again… shame on anyone here who thinks the lawsuit should carry through, yet still eats there. You are paying that lawsuit and being a hypocrite. You need to vote with your dollars.
I am just as sickened by those of you who feel this is no big deal as I am by the worthless human beings who committed this act. What do you think should happen?! Oh, sorry we humiliated you in front of your kids and didn’t give your the food you paid for. Yeah, that should do it…please! The fact that McDonald’s offered her a $10 gift certificate boils my blood. That person, his/her staff, the idiot who served her, and the manager of the offending McDonald’s should have been canned immediately. That would have been a start…but just a start. The fact that this occurred demonstrates that McDonald’s has a poor employee training program and obviously has no criteria for manager. I will personally never by another fry from McDonalds until I see a formal apology in print. It’s absolutely a shame that the people in that town don’t boycott that restaurant. Large corporations like this only respond when it hurts their pocket. That town should make it hurt. I wonder if this is how the Ronald McDonald House raises funds?