It’s Not The Epileptic Having The Fit

(I go with a friend of mine into a tech store. The friend is there to pick up some hardware that has been repaired, and is looking to buy around £50,000 worth of hardware for their office. I have both epilepsy and Asperger’s. I get very dizzy all of a sudden and fall against a wall near some display models. I don’t touch them, but the staff member dealing with my friend gets irate about this for no reason.)

Employee: “Watch it, stupid!”

Friend: “He’s epileptic; he just lost his balance, and he didn’t damage anything.”

Employee: “People like that should be with a carer, then, and not damaging our goods because they’re too stupid to know better.”

(At this point, I start to cry because of the anger that’s been direct to towards me, as sometimes happens because of my Asperger’s.)

Employee: “What is he, f****** r*****ed or something?”

Friend: “He’s actually a college graduate and business owner, as am I; he’s probably a lot smarter than you. Sure as heck, he’s got better manners than you.”

Employee: *calling his boss over* “This customer is verbally abusing me because his s*****c friend was damaging our equipment and I kindly asked them to stop.”

Manager: “I want both of you out of here now; if your friend is disabled, you shouldn’t bring him into places like this.”

Friend: “Okay, then. Cancel my order I placed when I booked my repairs in.”

(As my friend helps me up off the floor and calms me down, the manager pulls up the order and sees it to be in the excess of £50,000.)

Manager: “I’m afraid you’ll have to pay for this order because it’s already placed.”

Friend: “No, I won’t; in fact, I’ll be informing my bank of this transaction in case you try anything.”

Manager: “No, because your stupid friend will probably damage it, and you’ll try to return it like they did with your other laptop.”

(Mall security turns up and the manager talks to them and makes up a ton of lies about what’s happened.)

Security #1: “Sir, we’d like to get your side of things, too, and we would like to call your friend some medical attention as they’re obviously distressed by something, but can we do so outside of the store?”

(We leave and security escorts us to a small side office where one radios in mall medical staff and the other talks to us both, getting our side of the story.)

Security #1: “We’re inclined to believe you, having looked at the security footage. I’m also aware of one of the staff members calling a person who was a veteran in a wheelchair a cabbage. We even filed a complaint with their head office, but they seemed to back up the actions of the staff members and justified how they act. It seems even their executives support disability discrimination.”

Security #2: “It’s probably best that you don’t go back to the store, but I’ve called our medical staff and they’re waiting outside. And someone in the pizzeria who they’re friends with has some drinks and a pizza for you both to help you calm down.”

This story is part of our Epilepsy roundup.

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