19-year-old with cerebral palsy says he was denied job interview because store doesn't 'hire people with disabilities'

A Virginia teen with cerebral palsy is speaking out about a recent job interview, during which he says the store manager turned him away because of his disability.

Chad Lowery is a 19-year-old from Chesterfield County who took to his Twitter account on Monday to share the upsetting result of his interview with a home decor store, Tuesday Morning. According to his posts, the manager of the Hancock Village location refused to conduct their scheduled interview after seeing that Lowery was disabled.

Lowery wrote that the manager, whom he did not name, told him, “we don’t hire people with disabilities,” and wouldn’t even give him the opportunity to speak up for himself. “I’ve never been so insulted in my whole life,” he tweeted.

Lowery did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment. However, Virginia station WTVR spoke with him and his parents, Gayle and Chris Lowery, who explained that the high school graduate was trying to do something that would allow him to feel independent.

“I want to be as independent as I possibly can,” Chad told the outlet. “I want people to know just because I have a disability doesn’t mean I can’t work.”

His father, Chris, explained that even when former employers felt that they might not be able to hire his son for a certain position, they have at least provided him an opportunity to interview.

“I've been on two job interviews with Chad. Despite whether he will be able to do the job or not everybody will take the time, go through their list, interview him and give him the courtesy of talking to him,” Chris told WTVR. “To only give him five minutes and not even let him talk, to me, it was just totally rude.”

Chad, however, thinks that the situation goes beyond being “rude,” and instead displays a larger issue of discrimination — something which Tuesday Morning allegedly doesn’t condone.

The company did not immediately reply to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment. However, a spokesperson for the company provided the following statement to WTVR:

“Tuesday Morning is committed to the principles of nondiscrimination and equal employment opportunity for all qualified applicants and employees. And, we believe that every experience at Tuesday Morning should be a positive one. With respect to this matter, we are working expeditiously and thoroughly to assess the nature of Mr. Lowery’s interaction with our Chesterfield store, and will take corrective action (as needed) based on the outcome of this process.”

Despite the upsetting experience, Lowery told WTVR that he just wants a second chance to get the job.

“If they offered me a job then I would accept it. I would like to prove them wrong,” he said.

Chris Lowery added that when it comes to his persistent son, he’ll likely find a way to get that chance.

“He wants to do it and can do it, he’ll figure out a way,” Chris told the station. “He wants to make a difference and talk to people, and earn his own money.”

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