KFC Staff Rejects Order From Deaf Customer At Drive-Thru & Instructs Her To Order At The Counter Instead

By Quinny Tan  •  29 Oct 2021 in News

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Drive-thru sections are meant to be convenient and make things easier for those who don’t want to enter the restaurant. So imagine having waited in the queue only to get rejected by discriminating employees.

TikTok user @aira_meor shared her experience of being part of the deaf community and being shunned away from the KFC drive-thru.

@aira_meorSy kecewa sikit buat kali 2. Xpe sy merayu pihak KFC HQ menaik taraf screen utk Pekak. #kfc #tiktokmalaysia #bahasaisyaratmalaysia #fyp #deafawarness♬ Sadness – Official Sound Studio

Working around her disability, Aira had designed a method to communicate with the staff.

She usually uses a picture-book menu, which she created, and writes down her order to make things easier for all parties involved.

“I would write my order down or point to the menu. The staff were nice and understood that I was Deaf,” said Aira who added that she frequently visits the fast food restaurant.

Unfortunately, the staff member on duty this time didn’t show as much empathy. Aira was left in disappointment when the KFC employee rejected her methods and told her to go inside instead.

“Suddenly a different staff asked me to go to the counter inside KFC,” she noted and explained that they couldn’t take her order right then and there.

Left feeling defeated, Aira decided to drive off instead without placing her order.

After posting her story on TikTok, it gained the attention of netizens who stood against discriminatory behaviour.

Some of them also demanded for KFC to upgrade their facilities so that such incidents will never happen again in the future. Others called for equal treatment for people with disabilities.

It also got circulated around Twitter, along with outraged comments.

petition for all restaurants to have at least one staff that knows sign language https://t.co/JplegMwmXs

— xanny (@xannyilol) October 28, 2021

Hi @KFCmalaysia please do something about this. People with hearing disabilities deserve to have convenience just like everyone else. pic.twitter.com/bD6apHuQPx

— Elanor (@dania_elanor) October 27, 2021

This is a sign how sign language should be implemented in schools. People who uses sign languages had gone their way to accommodate normal people by learning how to read their lips. Still, people can be such a jerk. https://t.co/GcWuQtauTz

— sanflawa (@wideliaed) October 28, 2021

KFC apologised in the comments section over the incident that took place and informed her that “appropriate action has been taken.”

At the end of the video, Aira stated that she only wanted her voice to be heard, and that’s why she refused to drop the specific location of the KFC outlet.

Additionally, she also suggested the fast food chain to improve their facilities to make it easier for a disabled person like herself to buy a meal.

Aira also has a YouTube channel to educate the public on how people with disabilities go about their daily lives. Check it out here:

We could all benefit from learning more about the disabled community, sign language should be a mandatory school curriculum by now!