AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(Not written by me)
A furious mother has accused cinema staff of laughing and pointing at her two-year-old daughter, who has Down's syndrome and suspected autism, during a film screening.
Toddler Jessica Buesden is sensitive to light and noise and became distressed during a screening of Kung Fu Panda 3 at Cineworld in Rochester, Kent.
Her mother Lauren Armstrong rushed the little girl, who also has holes in her heart, into the lobby to calm her down, but was horrified by the reaction she got from staff.
The 25-year-old said a group of employees at the cinema stood just feet away from where she was trying to comfort her daughter.
Instead of offering to help, however, the employees laughed and stared at them and refused to help when Jessica was sick, she claimed.
'It's dangerous for Jessica to get upset,' said Ms Armstrong, whose claims are denied by the cinema chain.
'I was trying to calm her down but because the staff were staring and I could tell they were talking about us and laughing I was getting angry.
'Jessica was picking up on that she she wouldn't calm down.'
Jessica was born with two holes in her heart and had surgery to repair them when she was just four months old.
She has since developed another hole in her heart, and she cannot eat or drink so is fed through a pump.
Ms Armstrong, who lives in Sheppey, wrote about the incident on Facebook and the post has now been shared nearly 750 times.
It was spotted by Odeon in Chatham Maritime, who invited Jessica and her family - including her mother, father Liam, brother Harry, seven, and sister Lilly, four - for a VIP day out, complete with free food, drinks and goody bags.
'I cannot fault the staff at the Odeon,' continued Ms Armstrong.
'They really treated the kids, they loved it.'
She added: 'Jessica had two episodes but we were able to calm her both times and they were so helpful and nice.'
The family has now been given an apology by Cineworld, who sent them flowers, chocolates and a teddy bear.
The chain has also offered them free tickets to see a film, but Lauren said she would not be accepting them.
She said: 'We won't be going back there. I felt humiliated, angry and upset.
'I posted on Facebook just to warn other people about the treatment we got, it was shocking.
'I never expected to get such a reaction but it has been nice to get lovely comments.'
A Cineworld spokesman said: 'We were very sorry to hear about Lauren's recent experience. It's important to us that our cinemas are a welcoming and comfortable environment for every customer. All our staff receive regular training on how to help customers with additional needs.
'We have been in contact with Lauren and her family. With their support we have carried out a full investigation which showed that staff members did assist Lauren and her daughter. We acknowledge that they could have been more prompt in doing so, but they didn't wish to intervene and cause further distress.
'We have taken on board Lauren's feedback and have invited her family back to the cinema so that we can improve their experience.'
SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...syndrome-daughter-2-went-Kung-Fu-Panda-3.html
- Jessica, 2, has Down's syndrome, suspected autism and holes in her heart
- She is sensitive to noise and light and became distressed during the film
- Mother, Lauren, took her into the lobby of the cinema in Rochester, Kent
- But rather than helping, claims Lauren, the staff just pointed and laughed
A furious mother has accused cinema staff of laughing and pointing at her two-year-old daughter, who has Down's syndrome and suspected autism, during a film screening.
Toddler Jessica Buesden is sensitive to light and noise and became distressed during a screening of Kung Fu Panda 3 at Cineworld in Rochester, Kent.
Her mother Lauren Armstrong rushed the little girl, who also has holes in her heart, into the lobby to calm her down, but was horrified by the reaction she got from staff.
The 25-year-old said a group of employees at the cinema stood just feet away from where she was trying to comfort her daughter.
Instead of offering to help, however, the employees laughed and stared at them and refused to help when Jessica was sick, she claimed.
'It's dangerous for Jessica to get upset,' said Ms Armstrong, whose claims are denied by the cinema chain.
'I was trying to calm her down but because the staff were staring and I could tell they were talking about us and laughing I was getting angry.
'Jessica was picking up on that she she wouldn't calm down.'
Jessica was born with two holes in her heart and had surgery to repair them when she was just four months old.
She has since developed another hole in her heart, and she cannot eat or drink so is fed through a pump.
Ms Armstrong, who lives in Sheppey, wrote about the incident on Facebook and the post has now been shared nearly 750 times.
It was spotted by Odeon in Chatham Maritime, who invited Jessica and her family - including her mother, father Liam, brother Harry, seven, and sister Lilly, four - for a VIP day out, complete with free food, drinks and goody bags.
'I cannot fault the staff at the Odeon,' continued Ms Armstrong.
'They really treated the kids, they loved it.'
She added: 'Jessica had two episodes but we were able to calm her both times and they were so helpful and nice.'
The family has now been given an apology by Cineworld, who sent them flowers, chocolates and a teddy bear.
The chain has also offered them free tickets to see a film, but Lauren said she would not be accepting them.
She said: 'We won't be going back there. I felt humiliated, angry and upset.
'I posted on Facebook just to warn other people about the treatment we got, it was shocking.
'I never expected to get such a reaction but it has been nice to get lovely comments.'
A Cineworld spokesman said: 'We were very sorry to hear about Lauren's recent experience. It's important to us that our cinemas are a welcoming and comfortable environment for every customer. All our staff receive regular training on how to help customers with additional needs.
'We have been in contact with Lauren and her family. With their support we have carried out a full investigation which showed that staff members did assist Lauren and her daughter. We acknowledge that they could have been more prompt in doing so, but they didn't wish to intervene and cause further distress.
'We have taken on board Lauren's feedback and have invited her family back to the cinema so that we can improve their experience.'
SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...syndrome-daughter-2-went-Kung-Fu-Panda-3.html
