If you haven't already heard, a new donut shop opened up in Campbell, California, called Psycho Donuts. Hey, didn't you know that mental illness was funny? No? Well, they haven't gotten this message yet...And apparently, neither has De Anza College.
The store features a padded cell, a straightjacket you can sport for a photo op, and they even encourage parents to bring their kids here for birthday parties. They also offer donuts called 'Bipolar' and 'Massive Head Trauma' -- the latter of which is filled with lovely, gooey red jelly filling -- just like the real thing!
Ug...the local NAMI Executive Director, Brian Miller, has met with the owner to try to explain his, um, insensitivity, but the owner is unmoved. He wants us all just to lighten up. So much so, that he is now reaching out to local colleges and universities to have them help promote his store.
One of my clients, Kim H. (who has Asperger's), went to a film club meeting at De Anza College, and there he was -- promoting his store and pitching an idea to get film students to make mini-movies about donuts he could use as promotion. Kim voiced her opinion about how this was disturbing -- and she was ASKED TO LEAVE THE MEETING! At a public school!!!!
Kim has done an excellent job advocating for herself in this instance -- and Brian Miller and I have written letters of complaint to the President of De Anza -- the first of which went unanswered (I guess he doesn't know Brian and me, lol!). Anyway, after several attempts to contact him, he finally relented, and last week, Brian and Kim met with Dr. Murphy, and he has agreed to have NAMI develop an awareness program at De Anza.
The worst about this is when Kim registered her complaint with the Director of the Disability Resource Center, he was completely unmoved. Can you say ADA? Apparently, the school doesn't understand civil rights, let alone the Americans with Disabilities Act, which clearly prohibits anyone for discriminating against those with disabilities.
Amazing...see Kim's Letter to the Editor, published May 9 in the San Jose Mercury.
The morale of this story? We have a lot of work to do when those who are supposed to be protecting us turn a cold and uncaring ear. Stand up. Be HEARD!!!
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