I just had another run-in about my choice of attire...namely my hat and sunglasses. It didn't help that I had just pulled an all-nighter having gone to the Beastie Boys show in DC last night. Long story short, I walked into my Credit Union to deposit another check made out to my Mum’s Estate, which is tricky now because her accounts are closed and the Probate Clerk at the County Court recommended I not be named by the courts as Executor to the Estate due to it being insolvent by ~$40K. Instead, they sent me a Small Estate Affidavit to fill out and get notarized so I could handle this stuff. Damn, now this is becoming a short story in long form.
Where was I? Oh yeah, I walked into the Credit Union and asked to see a representative about depositing the check and potentially opening a separate account to hold my Mum’s cash assets, since I am legally bound to ensure they are kept in an interest-earning account until all debts are resolved. Not being named by the courts as Executor of the Estate, I cannot open an Estate Account, so it was suggested I open a separate Savings Account to put this money into. So the girl at the front who usually would put your name and account number into the computer so the next available representative could help you in the order you came in informs me that I needed to remove my hat and sunglasses. I politely replied I have no problem taking them off and providing ID to verify my identity, but due to my light sensitivity wished to put them back on after that. She said it was policy that nobody could wear a hat and/or sunglasses and I had to take them off the entire time I was in there or they were not allowed to help me.
I then went into my 30-second spiel about Asperger’s Syndrome and the sensory issues most of us deal with and she wouldn’t budge and left to go get her Supervisor. A few minutes later the Supervisor escorts me politely to her private office and closes the door. I explained the situation again, as did she the Credit Union’s policy. I also point out that the policy, while not intending to, is discriminatory against anybody who has light sensitivity issues or any other condition that requires glasses to protect their eyes and/or help them see. I am really getting upset and unable to even look up from the desk as I talk. By now, I am very much aware of how exhausted I am, how much difficulty I have had in dealing with my Mum’s death, and how frustrating it is to almost on a daily basis have incidents like this.
The last time this happened I lost it and ended up blurting out obscenities as I walked out the door in disgust. But I kept my cool today and the Supervisor called the Credit Unions Chief of Security on the phone while I sat there. A bit awkward because I could hear her, as well as some of the voice on the other line, you know…sensitive hearing. Plus, I could make out the gist of the conversation by what she was saying and how she responded. Let’s just say that, while the Supervisor was nice to me in so much as she didn’t threaten to cal the police like the last time, clearly some things were exchanged at my expense. After completing the conversation she said she was authorized to help me today and that they would put a note in my account about my condition, but that did not mean I would not get asked again.
Glad to have taken care of my business, I left and headed to work. A little upset and having lost a lot of the buzz I was on from last night’s festivities in DC, I pondered the logic in the policy.
I agree that financial institutions should be allowed to verify your identity, which I offered, including to smile for the camera if they wanted me to. I do the same for airport security. But I do get to put the hat and sunglasses back on after being checked through at the airport. This part seems logical and reasonable, so I am willing to momentarily be uncomfortable for such a reason.
I truly wonder what kind of deterrent such a policy can be. Say I was intent on robbing the place and wore a disguise, including a hat and sunglasses. If I am carrying a weapon, or at least pretending to, then what is the likelihood of me actually stopping if confronted a mere 10 feet into the place? If I am hell-bent on robbing the place and have no qualms about killing, or at least am jacked up by the situation and capable of doing so, then it would seem this policy could jeopardize the safety of the people working the front. Maybe I run out in a panic after such a confrontation results in death or injury to the person, but one would think the life of the employee would take precedence over the little bit of money that such a robbery would profit.
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I won?t tell anyone else how to be
You can be yourself, but just let me be me
04 Jan 2009, 12:47 am
