Common Sense Solution to Drive-ins?
Sunday September 17, 2006
Last week, there was an article in the news about a protest against fast-food restaurants by the Fort Wayne, Indiana Deaf Advocacy Coalition. They were protesting the inaccessibility of the drive-through restaurants. (The Journal Gazette, September 9, 2006). Today, I found out about Inclusion Solutions, which markets a product called OrderAssist to help deaf and hard of hearing people at drive-through restaurants. It is a common-sense solution consisting of a large bell that deaf/hoh people can ring to alert staff inside a restaurant that they need assistance. Best of all, according to a news story about this product, it costs only $700. What a bargain considering how many potential customers could be gained by a drive-through restaurant that installed this product.
Comments
i have a pro when ordering at a drive thru i can ot hear what the inside person says like the totoal price etc. so i usually just order and drive on up to the pay window. i also have a pro. like in waiting ooms for dr hospital to call me in do not know when they are calling me i am deaf in one ear most hearing in the other is gone.jo
I understand the problem that people with disabilities have at fast food restraunts. And I understand the deaf having issues. But, as you said, regarding using common sense…Blind people should not be driving and going to fast food drive up windows!
I know this is a prob too. With all the feed backs on the machine, traffic going by , waiting to take order..you cannot always hear them . Some places Like Taco bell have signs that say you total …but not what you ordered so you dont know for sure they got iy correct either.
$700 for a BELL and a piece of paper? You’ve got to be kidding! I’m 90 % deaf in both ears so I go to the drive-thru places that have the board that shows what you’ve ordered and the total before you leave the order station. I just tell them what I want and if I hear anything that might be questions I just say that i’m deaf and I’ll read their lips when I get to the window. Common sense. I can’t/don’t patronize places that don’t acomodate me. a bell and a piece of paper, get real.
I am wondering. What’s wrong with getting off of your duffer and walking into the restaurant to order inside? This is what I have always done. But of course I was born before C.C., interpreters, tty’s, and cell phones for the deaf.
“What’s wrong with comming inside the store?”… It depends. I usually go inside the store, but sometimes *TIME* is a big factor… the drive-thru window is supposed to be faster, and some times the line is shorter. If I have no other things to to with my day, I would come into the store as usually.
LOL, I was born just right before when wireless phones were comming out… I do live in a fast paced world hehe. Maybe I should slow down and get into the store (and hopefully don’t get fired from a job by comming back late). Or make legislature order a maximum of people in fast foods by every 15 mins… Of course, this is a JOKE
)), no offense intended.
***This is a comment I left in another post. It is related to this one.***
“Errr, I don’t have a lot of time to read the previous ones, so if I’m repeating - sorry.
I’m hard of hearing since childhood and it has been very difficult for me to order in a drive-thru window. I solved this problem by just telling to the “board” (I hate talking to a wall!!) that I will come directly to the window to order. Sometimes it flows nicely. Other times I get a manager. Why do they call the manager??? I can order just fine verbally and I don’t need any manager. Couldn’t they wait for me to arrive and then decide if the manager is needed?
When I order inside the store I have no problem as I’m face to face to the employee. Sure, I just ask for the same thing every time hehe, so I know how the employees call the items I order. (For example, I ask in a robotic manner for a Italian chicken parmesan, hold the cheese, extra sauce, fries no mashed, regular cola, no dessert, dinning in. By giving all the info they need I get no question asked.) But when I’m going to a cafeteria, filled of crazy people asking and telling, I just write down what I want before going into the cafeteria.
I’m happy to read that the first post is from a Wendy’s cashier, since I worked once in Wendy’s putting together the sandwiches and other items (assembling line). I loved that job. Even when the computers went down, the employees wrote the orders in paper just for me
)) I think I preferred it that way, because then the orders would come slower and I could work faster hehe. I was treated fairly and my coworkers did look out for me.”