[Missouri-l] Clarification request of Geb-grads] Case to watch

[Sarah Calhoun]

Terry,
In the article regarding the law suit against McDonald's in California, I did not see where the guide dog came from Guiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB) in New York. There are three schools in California: Guide Dogs of America (GDA), Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) and Guide Dogs of the Desert International (GDD)  but no particular school is mentioned. If you have additional information, please let us know. Thanks!

Sarah Calhoun
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: From the IPHONE of Terrie L. Arnold 
  To: Missouri List ; Missouri Chat ; first-steps at googlegroups.com ; blind-chit-chat at yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2012 6:56 AM
  Subject: [Missouri-l] Fwd: [acb-l] [Geb-grads] Case to watch




  Terrie l.arnold



  Begin forwarded message:


  From: peter altschul <paltschul at centurytel.net>
  Date: March 2, 2012 3:18:25 PM CST
  To: Acb-l <acb-l at acb.org>
  Subject: [acb-l] [Geb-grads] Case to watch


  McDonald's Corp.  Sued For Discrimination Against Blind Customers Using Guide Dogs
  A blind woman who uses a guide dog, and her fiancée, filed a federal civil rights
  complaint today in the U.S.  District Court in Los Angeles, including class action
  allegations that McDonald's Corp.  fails to adequately train employees regarding the
  rights of people with disabilities using service animals.  The lawsuit was filed by
  the law firm Knauf Associates of Santa Monica.
  Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) March 01, 2012
  Today in the U.S.  District Court in Los Angeles, a blind woman who uses a guide dog,
  and her fiancée, filed a federal civil rights complaint against McDonald's Corp.
  including class action allegations on behalf of people with disabilities who use
  guide and service dogs, alleging that McDonald's has unlawfully discriminated against
  guide dog users and does not adequately train its employees regarding applicable
  laws.  The lawsuit was filed by the law firm Knauf Associates of Santa Monica, California.
  The complaint references news stories nationwide of McDonald's restaurants allegedly
  excluding people who use guide and service dogs from McDonald's restaurants, and
  seeks damages and an injunction requiring McDonald's Restaurants of California and
  McDonald's Corp.  to improve written policies and procedures and employee training,
  as well as unspecified monetary damages.
  The complaint alleges that the plaintiff, Cyrena Thomas of Los Angeles, and her fiancée,
  Larry Givens, attempted to dine at a McDonald's restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard
  in Los Angeles, with Thomas' guide dog, Suzie Q, and the couple's infant son.  Restaurant
  employees, including a manager, requested that Thomas remove the dog from the restaurant
  and allegedly threatened not to serve them unless they did so.
  According to the lawsuit, Thomas and Givens explained that Thomas is blind and uses
  a guide dog, but the McDonald's employees nevertheless insisted the dog remain outside
  the restaurant.  Thomas then left the restaurant upset and Givens attempted to educate
  the McDonald's employees to no avail.  Thomas and Givens ultimately ate at a nearby
  restaurant with the guide dog without incident.
  "This case is unusual because of the high level of ignorance of the employees - what
  they did patently violates federal and state law, and it indicates a complete lack
  of training by the owner of the restaurant, which in this case is McDonald's Corp.
  itself - it is not a franchised location," said Christopher Knauf, the plaintiffs'
  attorney.
  "Due to the number of media reports of similar instances nationwide, it appears that
  McDonald's does an inadequate job of training its employees on this issue, which
  is a very important one for the thousands of people with disabilities nationwide
  who use service animals in order to live independent lives," Knauf added.
  The complaint, brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the California
  Blind and Disabled Persons Act, among other statutes, also seeks unspecified monetary,
  including punitive damages.  Under one statute, the plaintiffs can each receive up
  to three times the damages found by a jury, with a minimum fine of $4,000.
  Knauf Associates is a private public interest law firm specializing in disability
  rights and special education law.  Michael Waterstone, Esq., a disability rights expert,
  is co-counsel on the case.
  U.S.  District Court case number: CV12-01763 SVW(MANx)
  #    #    #
  Contact Information
  Christopher Knauf
  ck at goodlaw.biz
  goodlaw.biz
            310-663-6236
  Christopher Knauf
  Knauf Associates
  goodlaw.biz
            310-663-6236
  Source:
  http://www.prweb.com/printer/9245403.htm

  Becky Barnes
  Manager, Consumer Outreach * Graduate Support
  Guiding Eyes for the Blind
  914-243-2210
  800-942-0149 ex.  2210
  bbarnes at guidingeyes.org
  www.guidingeyes.org
  Please be advised that should you have urgent matters pertaining to the
  health and or quality of work of your Guide dog, you should contact the Guiding Eyes
  training department as soon as possible.  Training staff will be able to offer professional
  support.
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  Geb-grads at lists.screenreview.org
  http://lists.screenreview.org/listinfo.cgi/geb-grads-screenreview
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