Wanda Garneaux was supposed to meet a friend at a restaurant when she said she was stunned by the response when trying to enter the business.
“I reached for the door and before I could even put my hand on the handle, the security guard stopped me and said, you’re not allowed in here with that dog,” she told 11Alive’s Kaitlyn Ross exclusively.
Garneaux, who served in the United States Navy and suffers from PTSD, said she was floored. She said she tried to explain to the manager her service dog was legal and certified. She even tried to show her the I.D. hanging on service animal’s vest which says in bright red letters that read “full access is required by law.”
Her service animal’s vest even has a QR code on his vest that people can scan with their cell phone to read a copy of the Americans with Disabilities Act. But Garneaux said after fighting with them for 10 minutes, she eventually gave up.
“I don’t like being made to feel like I am different, because in my mind, I’m struggling to be the same,” she said. “I’m struggling every day to cope and fit back in to society.” “I know things are not perfect, I don’t want them to be perfect, I just want a normal life,” she said. She said she wants people to educate themselves on the Americans with Disabilities Act, and how to support people who are struggling.
To read the article and listen to the news report:http://www.11alive.com/news/local/holding-powerful-accountable/navy-vet-with-service-dog-says-she-was-told-she-wasnt-disabled/258503401
