Scared for my son's future - **UPDATE Page 3 Post 32

[MM27]

When I was in college I worked in retail and there was a young guy that was hired that came with a job coach. The coach actually worked with him for about 2 weeks and shadowed him to make sure he was doing the job that the managers were asking of him. Once the coach left and the guy was on his own, he did a fabulous job because the kinks were worked out during that 2 week period. The coach then did follow-ups with him in the store to see how he was doing by watching him and getting feedback from the manager. I know it's too late now, but perhaps the coach needs to do a bit more with the next job to make sure your son is meeting all of their expectations. I'm a big believer in, things happen for a reason. There is probably a great job out there just waiting for your son that is even better than the one he just left. Good luck to him in finding it.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

There is a law that prohibits the discrimination against those who have a disability, I remember learning about this in college, these were the specifics I dug up:
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/ada18.html
Hope everything works out for you and your son

 

[FireDancer]

There is a law that prohibits the discrimination against those who have a disability, I remember learning about this in college, these were the specifics I dug up:
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/ada18.html
Hope everything works out for you and your son

This protects a person from being discriminated against because of their disability. An employer would have to be an idiot to admit that is why they terminated anyone. If it is an at-will state they can just choose some other reason they fired you and it would be pretty hard to prove otherwise.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

This is one reason a transition plan is required by law for any student with an IEP when they turn 16.

OP: Without knowing more about your son's disability, there are several routes you can take.

The office of Vocational Rehab is around for situations just such as these. They help people with disabilities gain skills and find employment. There are specific companies that offer what is known as "supported employment". They specifically hire people with disabilities and give them the support they need to succeed. McDonald's used to be one, they had what is known as the "McJobs" program. They may still. Wal-Mart is another one that frequently hires people with disabilities in supported situations. In my boyfriend's school district, Culver's works very closely with their high schoolers with disabilities. Long John Silver's in my area also does this. Vocational Rehab would have all of those resources.

Something else you may want to look into is a sheltered workshop. Sheltered Workshops contract out factory or line work. Their workers are paid at a piece-rate instead of minimum wage, so how much they get depends on how efficient they are (this is how they get contracts). A good workshop helps its people transition to a supported employment envrionment if they can do it. I don't know if your son would qualify as they are typically for people with lower levels of functioning, but at the very least, your local workshop might know who the supported employers are.

 

[themilesfamily]

OP, I don't have any info, but I just wanted to give you .

Your son is so blessed to have an involved, caring mom. I'm sure you'll find a good match eventually -- a job that he'll love and will be wonderful at. Just stay strong and you'll get there.

 

[EllenFrasier]

There is a law that prohibits the discrimination against those who have a disability, I remember learning about this in college, these were the specifics I dug up:
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/ada18.html
Hope everything works out for you and your son

Thank you for the link, I will definitely check it out and then address what it says with his job coach. At first glance, it would seem that he could ask for some accommodations to be made with the position.
The thing that really bothers me about this is that the manager knew he had a learning disability, knew he would need clear direction and may need redirection and he hired him. He was a busboy for goodness sake - how much money could a restaurant lose if the busboy is a little slower? Our Ihop is not that crowded on a good day, plenty of clean tables to sit customers at while the used ones get cleared. And the manager never told him or the job coach that something was not being done as he wanted it. So aggravating!

 

[LukenDC]

If this is true, then a business owner would be crazy to hire a person with any type of disability.

I am sorry, but I think it's absurd that if you are a non-disabled person, and you don't work out in the job, you can be shown the door--no questions asked. But if you are disabled, an employer will have to jump through hoops and open himself up to lawsuits to get rid of a person that doesn't work out in that same position.

As Crazy Eddie used to say "INSANE."

Often the disability is not "revealed" until after the offer has been made. Employers may not inquire about a candidate's disability, real or perceived, during the selection process. This ensures that the candidate is otherwise qualified for the job. Congress recently amended the ADA to broaden the scope of what could be considered a qualifying disability and there are now many more conditions that could fall under ADA. Most of those conditions are invisible to the casual observer.

While technically an at-will employer can fire someone without explanation, it is bad business practice to do so. The laws prohibiting discrimination are broadly written---race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Since everyone has a race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. it can be fairly easy to contrive a discrimination claim. It may not be a winning claim, but any claim is a costly headache for an employer.

 

[EllenFrasier]

The IHOP Manager was clearly made aware that my son was in the CFDS (Center for the Disabled) Supported Employment program for clients with disabilities. Besides the job coach visiting and observing when he started work, the manager was made aware that the coach was available to provide my son with the support necessary to perform the tasks in an acceptable manner. Until my son learned that he was not on the schedule for this week, the coach was not made aware of any issue relating to the unacceptability of my son's work.

Not sure how this should be handled now. The managers at IHOP seem to change with the tide, so if he could hang onto this job the next manager may be more tolerant. Or less tolerant. The job coach is taking my son there on Friday to shadow him while he does his job. Where it will go from there is yet to be determined.

 

[Cindy B]

We had great luck with the school to work students at Trader Joes as well. Trader Joes was wonderful for the students that were there and one remains there full time.

We have also had great luck at Home Depot and Lowe's.

 

[jobhunter]

I hate to hear your son is going through this and that it has upset him so much. I hope that things will turn around soon and he will get a great new manager or a wonderful new job he will be happy in.

Sending lots of good thoughts your way.

 

[LukenDC]

The IHOP Manager was clearly made aware that my son was in the CFDS (Center for the Disabled) Supported Employment program for clients with disabilities. Besides the job coach visiting and observing when he started work, the manager was made aware that the coach was available to provide my son with the support necessary to perform the tasks in an acceptable manner. Until my son learned that he was not on the schedule for this week, the coach was not made aware of any issue relating to the unacceptability of my son's work.

Not sure how this should be handled now. The managers at IHOP seem to change with the tide, so if he could hang onto this job the next manager may be more tolerant. Or less tolerant. The job coach is taking my son there on Friday to shadow him while he does his job. Where it will go from there is yet to be determined.

Consider calling corporate HR if the manager is uncooperative.

 

[EllenFrasier]

Okay, now I am angry. The job coach took my son to IHOP on Friday morning to shadow him while he did his job duties. We all thought that this would not end with manager wanting to keep him, but I wanted to let the job coach see that my son could do the job or see where he needed improvement.

So what happens? That jerk of a manager changed the way the job was done. He made my son bus all of the tables all alone and bring the dishes in the kitchen, rinse them and reset the tables. Of course, one person cannot do all of those duties themselves. He was there for one hour and then came home. The job coach was like, "oh I see what the manager was talking about now"....???What the heck is that supposed to mean??? I couldn't even do that all by myself. I asked my son if that is the way it usually is, and he said no that there is another guy that helps him by rinsing the dishes in the kitchen. I asked him if he was out that morning and he said, "no, he was there but the manager gave him other duties"....So basically, the manager set my son up to fail on purpose!

What is wrong with people? They hired him knowing he was learning disabled, had a job coach, etc. and then fired him? I was just going to let this go but now I am angry because he mistreated my son by setting him up to fail and making me doubt his ability to do the job. This stinks. If my son was unhappy with this job, that would be a different story. He liked this job, he liked the people and the job coach said the people there were nice to him and seemed to like him.

Should I just look the other way and let this go?

 

[Pomlover2586]

What this manager did is ILLEGAL.........so no I wouldn't "just let it go".

 

[java]

Okay, now I am angry. The job coach took my son to IHOP on Friday morning to shadow him while he did his job duties. We all thought that this would not end with manager wanting to keep him, but I wanted to let the job coach see that my son could do the job or see where he needed improvement.

So what happens? That jerk of a manager changed the way the job was done. He made my son bus all of the tables all alone and bring the dishes in the kitchen, rinse them and reset the tables. Of course, one person cannot do all of those duties themselves. He was there for one hour and then came home. The job coach was like, "oh I see what the manager was talking about now"....???What the heck is that supposed to mean??? I couldn't even do that all by myself. I asked my son if that is the way it usually is, and he said no that there is another guy that helps him by rinsing the dishes in the kitchen. I asked him if he was out that morning and he said, "no, he was there but the manager gave him other duties"....So basically, the manager set my son up to fail on purpose!

What is wrong with people? They hired him knowing he was learning disabled, had a job coach, etc. and then fired him? I was just going to let this go but now I am angry because he mistreated my son by setting him up to fail and making me doubt his ability to do the job. This stinks. If my son was unhappy with this job, that would be a different story. He liked this job, he liked the people and the job coach said the people there were nice to him and seemed to like him.

Should I just look the other way and let this go?

I had a successful friend that lasted ONE day at IHOP. They have some crazy corporate firing things- her reason- she refused to use the same rag to wipe out the Ash trays and the table(you can tell this was a while ago)
I am hoping that your son finds a much better opportunity.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Should I just look the other way and let this go?

No, you should help your son fight for his rights.

 

[princessbride6205]

I'm sorry this is happening. I don't really have any advice, but wanted to send you some hugs and support.
I wouldn't let this go, but I'm not sure how to handle the situation. Hopefully others will chime in with suggestions on who you can contact to report the situation.

 

[allison443]

Shouldn't the job coach be able to help you with this, as far as who to follow up with?

What did the job coach say? Did he have any suggestions?

 

[SandrA9810]

It's taken me six months to learn how to survive at Qdoba.

Once I thought I had something down, they'd throw something else into the mix. While clearing and reseting the tables is his main priority, rinsing the dishes is also probably part of the job. And I doubt there's one dedicated person to washing dishes all the time. Like he said, the other guy was doing other duties that probably needed to be performed.

Thankfully my manager never gave up on me, as he puts it. Because other people that have been hired after me have caught on to the job a lot faster and performing just as good as some of the older employees.
The store manager really is a jerk when he wants to be, and I spent a lot of time just wiping the tables and cleaning pie tins. I spent a lot of time with the asst manager to really learn how to pick up on my speed and do things right. But it just seemed like my time with her was just so little. But the one thing that really helped me out, was her telling me, demand your position. Work fast enough that the other person can't butt in. I had a hard time with that in the beginning, if some one else stepped up, I'd just back off. But once I learned to ignore them there, and continueing to do my job, I got a lot better.

Food industry really isn't made for every one. I saw more people go than stay (only about 4 stayed) in just the 6 months I was there. And there's some places that can work well with a person and other's won't.

A couple weeks really isn't enough time to learn/perform all the tasks associated with a job, and be up to speed. That manager probably has a high turn over rate, because people don't want to deal with him. I was ready to quit several times, and the manager was ready to fire me a few times. But I'm too stubborn and showed up to work just to be a thorn in his side. And dealt with a few weeks of 2-3hrs on the schedule. He's too afraid of paying out unemployment to fire any one.

 

[FireDancer]

What this manager did is ILLEGAL.........so no I wouldn't "just let it go".

If management changing what your job duties are from day to day is illegal every executive I work with would be in prison. I don't think I have had the same day twice since I graduated college.

 

[shortbun]

My husband and I both worked in restaurants for a while. We both hated it. We both work at much more complicated jobs now-he runs his own business but we both agree, the hardest thing we ever did was work in a restaurant. The managers are untrained, uneducated and unqualified most of the time. They can be mean, show extreme prejudice and scream a lot. Once, I had a manager say that the next person to 'make a mistake' was fired. He followed through on that until there were only two of us working in a huge restaurant then proceeded to sit at the bar and get extremely drunk. We both walked out. I would never encourage my child to work in food service unless it was maybe banquets and for someone with a cool, intelligent head. Try a local college. The two people I know who have normal personalities and are still in food service had jobs at a college as chefs and banquet managers.