The EEOC says a young man who can't hear or speak applied online in 2012 to work at the McDonald's in Belton, Mo. He had previous experience as a cook and cleanup team member at a McDonald's restaurant in another state.
A lawsuit filed by the EEOC says that when the restaurant manager learned the applicant needed a sign language interpreter for his interview, she canceled the interview, even though the applicant's sister volunteered to interpret.
Just two hours into the New Year, Jonathan Ramos arrived at the McDonald's drive-through window. His frustration in trying to place an order is evident in the use of his car horn, something, he himself, doesn't hear. It struck a nerve with one of the employees.
Video captured an employee’s response: "You can leave or I'm going to call police. Do you get that one?"
Ramos has been in Columbus for less than a year and has ordered at the McDonald’s before. He’s Deaf. Chicken pox took his hearing when he was a little boy. He doesn't read lips.
After exchanging texts and emails, WOWT 6 News met with Ramos outside the restaurant. We used a legal pad to write down any follow-up questions and answers during the interview.
He said he wanted to order a #9 - 3 or 5 piece Chicken Selects. He explained he usually types the information on his phone and then shows the order to the employee.
Because of his disability, he felt the workers were ignoring him by leaving the window.
After this exchange, Ramos said the employees need a serious lesson in dealing with hearing- impaired customers.
The owners of this McDonald's told WOWT it was a matter of misunderstanding and miscommunication. They said that earlier in the video when workers left the window on New Year's Day, they weren't discriminating against Jonathan, but getting a pen and paper to get the order.
From Jonathan Ramos' cellphone video, workers wrote this note: "You need to leave or we will call the police."
Employees did call police, saying that he refused to move forward in the drive through.
The owners tell WOWT 6 News that his minute-long video is only part of the story; that their own driver-though security cameras paint a different picture of Ramos disrupting a busy drive-through by honking his horn for nine minutes before turning his own video recorder on. Ramos disputes that account.
When asked if he thought it was all a misunderstanding, Ramos shrugged his shoulders. Ramos went on to explain that there’s no excuse for how he was treated. He plans to sue for discrimination.
I, Jonathan, am he declared sue to McDonald's Columbus, Nebraska.
For the restaurant's part, owners admit tempers flared but that neither side communicated well. They said Deaf customers usually bypass the speaker and go straight to the window to hand them a piece of paper with the order.
After the incident, the McDonald’s now keeps a pad and pen near the drive-through window in order to better communicate with the Deaf community.
Ramos hopes he's opened some eyes for every worker when it comes to dealing with those with a disability. He wishes more drive-through restaurants would add cameras near the ordering speaker so the Deaf community could easier communicate with the employees.
The McDonald's owners in Columbus say Jonathan Ramos is welcome at the restaurant any time.
Declared lawsuit for discrimination of Deaf driver going through a drive thru at a McDonald's in Nebraska.
COLUMBUS, NE -- Here is the video with hardcoded subtitles with what is being heard for the Deaf people to understand what is being said. Hearing people are welcome to verify or correct what is being shown.
This is a video captured by Jonathan Ramos as he made a drive through at a McDonalds located in Columbus, Nebraska during January 2nd. He is Deaf and wanted to make an order.
Normally Deaf people would drive past the speakers straight to the window then hand over a written note or display the order off the screen of a smartphone. The cashier would put in the order for the next window to deliver the order.
Jonathan says that prior to the recording, he displayed his order on his phone to the window then begun the recording after this person has not returned to the window after a while. He has stated that there were problems between him and that particular McDonald since last June.
After the end of the video, a police officer appeared and issued a ticket to Jonathan and warned him that he is not to be allowed to return to McDonald or be cited for trespassing.
In a way, it is a discrimination because Jonathan is being singled out as someone who is Deaf. It does appear in this video that the employees were being extremely rude to a Deaf person by yelling at him while being aware that the driver is deaf.
I, Jonathan, am he declared sue to McDonald's Columbus, Nebraska.
If it is proven that Jonathan has been disruptive (as not shown in the video) before the recording begun, then he is at fault and is treated as someone who is being disruptive to a private property and it was within the location's rights to refuse service and have the police to escort this person away.
Deaf News: McDonald's charged by EEOC after canceling interview for Deaf job-seeker in the state of Missouri.
KANSAS CITY -- McDonald’s Corporation has been charged with disability discrimination by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for refusing to provide a sign language interpreter for a Deaf employee candidate.
Ricky Washington, who is Deaf, applied online for a job at a McDonald’s restaurant in Belton, Missouri, in June 2012. When the Belton restaurant manager learned Mr. Washington needed a sign language interpreter for his job interview, she canceled the interview and never rescheduled it, despite Mr. Washington’s sister volunteering to act as the interpreter, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a statement issued Monday.
Mr. Washington indicated on his application that he attended Kansas School for the Deaf and that he also had previous job experience working as a cook and clean-up team member at a McDonald's restaurant in Louisiana in 2009.
Restaurant management continued to interview and hire new workers after Mr. Washington made several attempts to schedule an interview, according to the agency.
After first attempting to reach a prelitigation settlement through its conciliation process, the EEOC charged Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald’s Corporation. and McDonald’s Restaurants of Missouri Inc. in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to accommodate and hire a Deaf applicant.
“Removing obstacles in the hiring process for people with disabilities is a national priority for EEOC,” said James R. Neely Jr., EEOC’s St. Louis district director. “All employers, but especially large ones, should join with the agency to make sure everyone has equal access to the employment process.”
The Belton restaurant where Mr. Washington applied for work is owned and operated by McDonald’s Corp., the statement said.
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BELTON, MO -- (AP) McDonald's will pay a $56,500 settlement after a southeast Missouri restaurant manager refused to interview a Deaf job applicant.
