Mom says nail salon refuses service to daughter with cerebral palsy: 'This cannot be tolerated'
A mom is furious after a nail salon refused service to her daughter, Bri, who has cerebral palsy, affecting her ability to move and maintain balance.
Jill McElyea posted about the situation on Facebook on Wednesday, explaining that Bri’s new caregiver, Anna, took her to Nail Spa & Beyond in Orange Park Mall, located in Orange Park, Fla., but that the two came back in tears after their terrible experience.
“They were told Bri would not be allowed to sit in their spa chairs and they couldn’t do her nails,” McElyea wrote. “Anna explained she would hold Bri’s hands open and that she gets her nails done all the time. Didn’t matter. They were turned away.”
People spoke out on the post, commenting about how it was unacceptable for the salon to turn the women away.
“How stupid can they be! They need to publicly apologize. In the meantime I hope people who live in your area read this and write the owner and tell her they could actually be sued for turning Bri away,” one person commented.
Another added, “I think perhaps that’s called discrimination and should be reported to the corporation but I’m certain you’ve already thought of that. I rarely respond to anything but injustice is my ‘thing.’”
McElyea decided to write an email to mall management, in which she called out “ignorance about people with disabilities,” and advised them to improve training for mall employees.
“This cannot be tolerated,” the mom wrote. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to assist you in educating the businesses at your mall.”
Mall management heard her concerns, and in a different Facebook post, McElyea wrote that Chelsea Commodari, who is the marketing director at Orange Park mall, reached out to her and indicated that they wanted to remedy the situation.
Commodari and other representatives from Orange Park Mall did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment, nor did the nail salon.
“They are going to speak to the owners of the nail place,” the post reads. “They want to offer a gift certificate for a different nail salon and a gift certificate for Bri’s favorite store.”
McElyea told News4Jax that the mall management wanted to tackle the issue further and said they “would love for Bri and her family to help participate in a training event for mall personnel.” She did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Teen denied Six Flags job because of 'extreme hairstyle' gets scouted by modeling agency
'When did she become black?': Ariana Grande is unrecognizable on the cover of Vogue
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
