Store kicks out disabled woman driving scooter

[jolinar of malkshor]

Afflicted with muscular dystrophy, a woman is fuming a Calgary store owner ordered her to leave his shop because she was in a motorized scooter. Beth Neufeld said she went into Island Foods in Eau Claire Market last weekend to buy some chips when she was confronted by owner Al Samnani. "He came up to me and he said 'You have to get out of here with that,'" the 40-year-old said yesterday, referring to the scooter she relies on for mobility. Shocked, Beth said she put the chips down and left the store to find her husband, Vic Neufeld.

Samnani said he asked Beth to leave because her scooter couldn't fit through his narrow aisles, adding he offered to assist her with making her purchase.
"Nobody can move around in my store in a wheelchair," said Samnani, adding his two-foot wide aisles also can't accommodate baby strollers.

Samnani admitted it was "a delicate situation," but said he was concerned about merchandise toppling off shelves. "She was forcing her way in," he said. "It was a matter of common sense."

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/...41206-sun.html

It's hard to comment on this without knowing what really happened. She says she was just trying to get some snacks and the store owner booted her out for no real reason. The store owner claims that she was trying to drive her scooter down the aisles and she wasn't fitting through. He also says he asked if he could get what she wanted.

Now, the truth probably is somehwere in the middle. If he just didn't like her in there because she was taking up space....then he would not be justified in asking her to leave. If she cam ramming in there trying to manouver through tight spaces, with no real concern about what she was doing.....then I could see him asking her to wait at the front of the store and he could get what she needed. Who knows what happened, it could be a little of both. But I have seen a lot of these people on scooters driving around like they own the road.

[Fire]

His store should be better organized to handle wheelchairs/scooters. Isn't that against some law for not being handicapped accessible?

[MrMastodonFarm]

If it's that unholy women who frequents the UofC campus with her scooter, then it's probably her fault.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by Fire

His store should be better organized to handle wheelchairs/scooters. Isn't that against some law for not being handicapped accessible?

I don't think there is laws stating how wide the aisles need to be in a store. Have you been to those dollar stores in the downtown mall. One person can barely fit down those aisles.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Fire

His store should be better organized to handle wheelchairs/scooters. Isn't that against some law for not being handicapped accessible?

Oh please... What's next, braille on all the price stickers?

[Jayems]

So, he says she was trying to barge her way in...

What if she does 'scoot' through the aisles, and all the cans of chip dip from the top shelf fall on her head, now she can sue the place out of buisness.

If the guy offered to help her with whatever she wanted so long as she didn't go knocking crap off the shelves, well, I think thats fair.

If she was kicked out for no reason, which it doesn't sound like she was kicked out at all, then there is a problem. (Edit: Well, it does say she was asked to leave, but in the same sentence, he said he would help her... wtf ? )

Vic added "I don't want him getting away with this."

Thats right... sue him, file your human rights complaint... that will solve everything... in the mean time, that money you've taken from his livelyhood is now going to demolish his family buisness and have a chain reaction just because someone asked you not to go down an aisle.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by Jayems

So, he says she was trying to barge her way in...

What if she does 'scoot' through the aisles, and all the cans of chip dip from the top shelf fall on her head, now she can sue the place out of buisness.

If the guy offered to help her with whatever she wanted so long as she didn't go knocking crap off the shelves, well, I think thats fair.

If she was kicked out for no reason, which it doesn't sound like she was kicked out at all, then there is a problem.

Vic added "I don't want him getting away with this."

Thats right... sue him, file your human rights complaint... that will solve everything... in the mean time, that money you've taken from his livelyhood is now going to demolish his family buisness and have a chain reaction just because someone asked you not to go down an aisle.

I agree....if what the guys said is true....he is basically stuck in a no win situation. Let her in and have a possible law suit....don't letter her in and you have a human rights complaint.

[Pagal4321]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

If it's that unholy women who frequents the UofC campus with her scooter, then it's probably her fault.

What's funny is I was thinking the SAME thing when opening this thread....

[transplant99]

Shop owners, and all businesses, should do everything they can to accomodate the disabled...though Im not sure anyone is saying anything different.

This story has something missing....either she was about to knock stuff over and was asked to stop and let someone else get her items, or the shop owner was scared she would impede other customers and prevent him from making a couple more bucks.

If it's the former, this shouldnt even be a story, if it's the latter then he should be ashamed and investigated for human rights violations.

[eazyduzzit]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Oh please... What's next, braille on all the price stickers?

No kidding.

I also agree with Jayems.

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Oh please... What's next, braille on all the price stickers?

hardly even a remotely close comparison

[peter12]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

If it's that unholy women who frequents the UofC campus with her scooter, then it's probably her fault.

Is that the one who drives against the flow of people in Mac Hall and tries to play chicken with students walking towards her?

I've tried to call her bluff and just keep going, but she really means business.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by peter12

Is that the one who drives against the flow of people in Mac Hall and tries to play chicken with students walking towards her?

I've tried to call her bluff and just keep going, but she really means business.

One and the same I'm sure. No one who has ever stepped foot on the UofC campus doesn't have a story about her. She has a scooter and that gives her the right of way. Myself and a friend were caught behind her on a residential road just east of the University one day. Clear day, no snow, nothing stopping her from driving close to the sidewalk... she was in the middle of the lane... going slower then the top speed of the scooter.

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Clear day, no snow, nothing stopping her from driving close to the sidewalk... she was in the middle of the lane... going slower then the top speed of the scooter.

sometimes i have to drive down the middle of the road because the intersection only has a curb cut on one out of three corners..

and sometimes I'm just drunk!

[JackJack]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

hardly even a remotely close comparison

Sure is! A great comparison actually.

Why would businesses start to cater/accomodate to the very few number of people with wheelchairs and scooters? How economically feasible is that?

The majority of the population doesn't require any extraordinary accomodations in terms of aisle space, so wheres the logic by all of a sudden making it a law?

Braille on price tags is a wonderful analogy

[Flame On]

I don't know where the truth is but it's possible for anyone to be rude and obnoxious, even the physically impaired. It's also a right of a private business to refuse service, which it sounds like he more than tried to accomodate.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by JackJack

The majority of the population doesn't require any extraordinary accomodations in terms of aisle space, so wheres the logic by all of a sudden making it a law?

All of a sudden?

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

sometimes i have to drive down the middle of the road because the intersection only has a curb cut on one out of three corners..
!

If it was anyone else in a wheelchair because that lady, I wouldn't have cared, or gave it a second though.

You should punch her at your next wheelchair meeting.

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by JackJack

Sure is! A great comparison actually.

Why would businesses start to cater/accomodate to the very few number of people with wheelchairs and scooters? How economically feasible is that?

The majority of the population doesn't require any extraordinary accomodations in terms of aisle space, so wheres the logic by all of a sudden making it a law?

Braille on price tags is a wonderful analogy

well then they might as well stop putting in elevators, curb cuts and ramps... majority of the people don't need them anyways... screw the disabled, ship em off to the mental institute!

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by Flame On

I don't know where the truth is but it's possible for anyone to be rude and obnoxious, even the physically impaired.

It's also possible for anyone to discriminate against someone, even a store owner. that being said, we can only speculate how it really played out.