Disabled employee at Walmart?

Question

The local Walmart apparently hires disabled people. Well it has one young lady in a wheelchair that basically sits there beside the entrance. It appears that they just stick her there and thats about all her "job" amounts to. She does NOT look happy, in fact she looks really po'd. I want to say "its nice they hire the disabled" but come on, cant they do better than this? A "token" disabled person in a wheelchair parked by the entrance so customers can see her ? IMO this is WORSE than not hiring the disabled - what do y'all think? Why cant she be working in customer service or something, she is physically disabled NOT mentally disabled, man this sucks big time IMO.

"We hire the disabled but we dont really "hire" them to actually work for us because we dont believe they are capable of being more than a token. But it makes us look good."

Oh yah, no she isnt "greeting" people she is parked off to one side by the free magazines, just sitting there .....

I have spoken to her, she smiles, at me, she does not appear to be mentally challenged or disabled. Talking to her she appears to be a helluva lot smarter than some of the people who responded to this question. I have worked with disabled people and can spot those who are mentally challenged pretty quickly.
I have seen her in the same position 4 times, and she cannot see the checkouts, customer service and is not near the shopping carts. There is an able bodied man standing there smiling, greeting people and handing out carts.

FYI poster calling themselves "hello" it is ignorant for you to post assuming all disabled people have an IQ of about 40.
There are mentally disabled and then there are physically disabled people. You should really learn the difference.

Oh yah forgot to answer this, she is wearing the usual Walmart "middy" I think thats what its called ?

this is getting long, I love that mouse, ask her for assistance - super idea and I am going to do that!

OK guys I know we all want jobs, me included but when is a job not a job and when does it rob you of dignity? And perhaps prevent you from looking further, trying to do something else because its a pay cheque. Minimum wage at Walmart, less than 8 hrs a day so they dont have to pay medical etc for their employees.

I have a mentally challenged friend who was hired to dress in a gorilla suit and act out in a pub, customers were being abusive to him, calling him a "retard".

I spoke to him about it, asked him how he felt about it - he said he hated it when people called him "retard". I spoke to the manager about the behavior from some customers.

Overall my friend liked the job, he was earning money and having fun - now if the manager had said "thats why I hired him" I would have urged my friend to quit.

Ultimately it would be his decision of course but WHEN is job not a good thing?

Answer 1

yeah it pisses me off that walmart only hires disabled people to stand in front of the doors and greet people......(fumes). I'm a physically disabled person so i guess it hits closer to home than for other people. I have an iq of 130...so its insulting to see walmart just treat people like me as though theyre trash. disabled people are not walking PR!!!...theyre just people trying to make a respectable living like everyone else. Cant walmart give them a job as a cashier?...something with a bit more dignity...come on!

Answer 2

I can appreciate what you are saying but I am more inclined to keep my comments until I know the full story.

If you go there regularly, do you see her at the same place and at the same time of the day each time?
Have you observed her long enough to see that she REALLY isn't doing anything at all?
Have you thought of going up and talk to her? Afterall, if she is an employee (presumably she has some sort of uniform or name badge**) you should be able to go up to her and ask her say... direction for something or make some sort of enquiry - just to see if she is able to assist you in some way.
May be a casual passing comment to some other staff might give you more clues as to who she is and what her job is.

"she is physically disabled NOT mentally disabled" - may be she is both?

I don't like tokenism either. But, I think I will sit this one out for the moment.

Cheers

** you can tell I am not from your part of the world. Know nothing about Walmart. I know it is a store. But I would assume they have uniform.

Answer 3

Let's start with no one has Asperger syndrome legally. You have a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome - nothing legal about it. Walmart benefits by hiring people with disabilities because they are so desperate to get a job that they put up with all kinds of crap no one should have to put up with. Walmart will be unlikely to hire you if you tell them during the interview you have a disability and if you need no accommodations there is no reason they should know. There are no advantages to hiring you as a person with a disability unless you are receiving benefits and you get off them and stay off them for 6 months. No employer in the US is required to have a certain number of people with disabilities. Some businesses set goals, but no requirements.

Answer 4

I have seen what the people at the customer service desk have to do and it would probably be too challanging for her to do that but she could be a people greeter but that is about all. Some of the stuff people bring back are very heavy and bulky and she wouldn't be able to handle it and the desk is designed for people to stand at, so it wouldn't accomodate her wheelchair. She may be hacked off that the manager has assigned her to a section of the store that she may not be able to interact with that many customers, I know that if I were her I wouldn't be smiling either.

Answer 5

I know a guy working in the electronics who is in a wheelchair and he carries things and takes them to the back for us, wheels around and helps us. I don't consider him disabled. I consider him not walking on his feet as I do. That is all.

Sounds like the girl you speak of is bitter and not applying herself one bit. Depressed.

Oh, and I get to work in a high visibility area too. Cell phone sales. So maybe I make mistakes sometimes, but I'm a level 5 (Sales Associate), have a decent IQ, learn fast, memorize and rattle off facts fast, and can smile and be pleasant. I am a little depressed sometimes to know I won't be going much higher there but I am also happy to work!!!

Answer 6

i thinks its absolutely HORRIBLE. it's not fair and it's wrong. this is where advocacy programs come in to play. disabled people have to stick up for themselves...its hard to when society seems to think of you as inferior...trust me, im disabled. im not into the "real world" yet, but i have been noticing the things you have. society NEEDS to realize that people with disabilities do the same things. we do things in a different manner. just bc the disabled look or act different than the majority, doesnt mean they should be treated like they cant do anything. people do things in different ways. if you have the will to do something, you will find a way to make it work with you. and nobody should stop from at least trying. its hard to stick up for yourself, especially as a minority, im learning this right now. im learrning that self-advocacy isnt as easy as it looks. but when you people mistreat you especially when you're part of a minority.

if she's unhappy, maybe you should ask her if you can do to to help her. it's wrong what they are doing, she can do much more than what they are making her do. raise awarness and who knows? you may make a huge difference!

i hope this helped and im really glad u noticed this. its not fair and its not right. more people need notice and together we can make a change :). talk to her about it and see what she says. there are a ton of advocacy programs out there for the disabled, such as your local Client Assistance Program (CAP). Great changes happen with one person's idea :)!!

i hope this helped in some way. good luck and best wishes!!
esh

Answer 7

Ok thumbs down me cuz at least it is a job! I have several friends and myself that if I could do just that and earn something extra I would even if I hated it! I hate sitting at home waiting on friends to help me do things.I went shopping thursday and did not use a cain walker or the elect cart just so I could "feel good" again.Today I am stuck in a chair because of the inflamation and pain but dang it I wanted to do it,lol!
Yes I do hate the poster look positions but we have to fight to keep what little we do get and I would be one of those sitting in a chair if I could!
I get about 2 hours per day of doing things on my feet then thats it and I am blessed for that much time! My very good friend(major C/P) is unable to even stand and she to me is so strong of heart and enlightenment and she says she also would do any work also.

Answer 8

I seen a couple of disabled people at my local Wal-Mart before. I myself was interviewed once, but it was like the worst interview so I didn't get the job. I so hate how they word the applications and the interviews are no different. Excuse me, Wal-Mart, not everyone who tries to get a job through you is trying to be a manager or has already had retail experience. So stop it with through intrusive questions that suggest everyone has had that experience.

Answer 9

Sounds like her job is supposed to be a greeter. Most Walmarts have them. The Walmarts by me do have disabled employees that have various jobs. None of them sound like the person you mentioned.

Answer 10

I'd complain to the company. United Supermarket where I live has hired several people with cognitive delays. They sack grocries. One even was a checker.