Texas woman Ashley Vallejo takes to social media in an effort to share the negative experiences the deaf community has to navigate in public spaces.
A deaf woman in Texas had a coffee shop employee indicate that she was difficult on her receipt.
Ashley Vallejo shared her unfortunate experience on social media after trying a Dutch Bros Coffee shop in Waco.
“I can talk a little bit but my voice is not perfect,” Vallejo said in the viral TikTok, recounting her interaction with the employee.
Vallejo showed the receipt that included a note from the Dutch Bros employee stating Vallejo was the “most difficult customer ever.”
The woman told her followers and any potential food service employees watching that they “have no idea what it’s like being deaf. Have patience.”
According to local outlet KSLA, the Dutch Bros Coffee company issued a statement in response to the incident, saying they had addressed the issue internally and reached out directly to Vallejo.
“The experience the customer had was deeply disappointing, unacceptable and against everything Dutch Bros stands for,” the statement read.
“It’s our hope we can work with her and the deaf community to ensure we always provide an excellent experience and meet the exceedingly high bar we’ve set for ourselves.”
Vallejo said she shared the experience in an effort to increase awareness, posting a picture of the receipt to her Facebook saying, “Please do not attack the employee, this is to spread awareness to educate employee and upgrade your training for DA awareness,” she added.
According to local outlet KWTX, this is not Vallejo’s first negative incident with a drive-thru employee, and her encounters are unfortunately one of many within the deaf community, including one from September of 2021 in California.
Vallejo said in her TikTok video, “Workers should have a lot of patience for people with disabilities. We are like you. We try to order like everyone else. Don’t punish us. Please have a lot of patience with us.”
