A 32-year-old woman went viral after she broke down in tears and alleged that Dunkin’ refused her service because she is deaf.
Shannon Heroux shared the moment she went to a Dunkin’ in Encino, California. She took to TikTok where her video has been watched over 2.3 million times.
“I’ve never been refused service before, and it hurts. It hurts really bad. Dunkin’ Donuts is my favorite place to go,” Shannon said in the video.
She explained that she has a cochlear implant, an electronic device that electrically stimulates the nerve for hearing. However, she was not wearing it when she went to the branch.
The 32-year-old said that she approached a female staff and told her she was deaf so she needed to read her lips.
The woman, who did not want to take her mask off, then went to call the manager.
“I’m an Uber driver, so I got a ride and I was like, ‘Hey, I have to order my drink. I have to go,’” she shared. “The manager comes over and I could just tell by his body language, his face, he was going off.”
She then broke down in tears as she explained how he waved his hand in front of her face but she could not read his lips because of his mask.
“I kept saying, ‘I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you. I need to lip read.’ He refused to write anything down. He refused to pull his mask down,” she recalled, adding that they were separated by a plexiglass screen at the counter and were six feet apart.
“I’m wearing my mask. Like, what more do you want from us?” Shannon asked.
“We struggle so much during this pandemic. Enough is enough. People don’t believe I’m deaf, and I could sense and feel from him that he didn’t believe me. He didn’t believe I was deaf because I speak so well. It’s a blessing and a curse.”
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