Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Disabled Man ‘Humiliated’ After Being Discriminated Against At Joliet Cinemark

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Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 05-09-2018, 08:51 PM:

CBS Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) – A Plainfield couple says they just wanted to see a movie, but instead they were humiliated.

Rick Bontkowski, who currently uses a wheelchair, and his wife, Holly, say they were asked to leave the theater by managers who failed to find accessible seating.

They say they don’t want this to happen to others, which is why they contacted CBS 2’s Dana Kozlov.

Holly and Rick Bontkowski still can’t understand how a date at Joliet’s Cinemark Theater went so wrong.

“It’s humiliating, I’m not gonna lie,” said Rick.

It was the Plainfield couple’s first night out since part of Rick’s right leg was amputated in March. He currently uses a wheelchair, and in the theater they realized the disability area seats were taken by people who didn’t appear to be disabled.

They asked to sit in a D-box, also marked for those with disabilities.

A manager said no, offering to carry Rick to a regular seat.

“Which really didn’t make me comfortable in terms of safety. I think it would be humiliating to be carried to a seat,” said Rick.

“I had to say three times ‘No, no, no!’” said Holly.

The manager finally gave permission for them to sit in the D box, but it didn’t last.

“The manager came over and said they sold the seats to another couple,” explained Rick.

Holly says the manager offered to give them seats for the next show two hours later.

Demoralized, Holly took a picture and posted it to Facebook.

A manager on duty says he was aware of the incident but cannot comment.

Kind of a tough situation. I know I have had instances were well bodied customers have refused to give up their seats in the handicap section. I also assume that the manager let them sit in the D-Box seats and then found out that the seats had already been sold but those customers hadn't yet arrived. Offering to "carry" the guy to a different seat was definitely not the best move. PR nightmare to say the least. Though the manager made mistakes in this situation I am still guessing that there is another side to this story.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-09-2018, 09:01 PM:

The "other side" may have to do with why the theater management didn't kick the "able bodied" people out of the handicap seats, which of course is not addressed in the article. We have to do that here from time to time.

Unless the show was "packed to the rafters" sold out, the handicap squatters could have easily been moved to other seats... problem solved.

If the squatters griped that they now can't find seats together, the management can give THEM refunds since they sat where they weren't supposed to. They could have turned a negative into a positive.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 05-09-2018, 10:55 PM:

As someone who usually sits in the handicapped seats, I've got to ask, what kind of a-hole refuses to give up their seat to someone for whom the seat is designated? Now, maybe the couple in the handicapped seats were indeed qualified to sit there, and I can see how embarrassing and humiliating it could be to "prove" you are entitled to sit there, but if they weren't really handicapped, they should have been kneecapped for not moving.
Bad call by the manager if he didn't just politely ask "Excuse me, but are you able to sit in the regular section so this person in the wheel chair can use the handicapped space?"