CNN 2010-04-06

PHILLIPS: Their child has brain damage and this is what they got. Sorry, no food, no service, no sympathy. Now get out. A Texas couple says that's pretty much how it went down at a restaurant and how they were treated. I guess sensitivity isn't on the menu.

More from this story now, CNN affiliate¹ WFAA Jason Whitley brings us the story.

MATT JOHNSON, MAKENNA'S FATHER: Yes, there she is.

JASON WHITLEY, CNN AFFILIATE WFAA (voice-over): Makenna is the middle child, an exuberant² 5-year-old with special needs after being born with brain damage.

MARIANNE JOHNSON, MAKENNA'S MOTHER: Makenna --

WHITLEY: Mom and dad say her world is often accommodating, but recently humiliating.

MARIANNE JOHNSON: I felt as if -- my daughter was treated as if she was an animal. She's a 5-year-old little girl. She's beautiful.

WHITLEY: The Johnsons say they never expected what happened as they lunched recently at a Chinese buffet³ in Plano.

MATT JOHNSON: Well, Makenna makes an "uh" sound -- ok, whenever she wants more.

MARIANNE JOHNSON: You're a happy girl?

MATT JOHNSON: And she hits her chest and she says "uh", definitely not any louder than the other kids in the restaurant.

WHITLEY: But her father, a pastor⁴ turned policeman says the manager marched over, stuffed suckers in her hand and singled them all out.

MATT JOHNSON: He said, well, everyone is complaining and you're too loud and you need to go. You need to leave. And I said, are you serious? And he said go, go, go.

WHITLEY: It happened at the Great Wall Super Buffet on West Plano Parkway. The manager wouldn't talk to us on camera, but showed us surveillance video of what happened. The manager said he never touched Makenna and never asked them to leave only to be quiet because he says four or five senior citizens complained of noise then got up to move.

MARIANNE JOHNSON: This shouldn't happen to anyone.

WHITLEY: The Johnson's filed a complaint with the Department of Justice alleging⁵ the restaurant discriminated⁶ against their daughter and violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by asking her to leave.

A claim the diner disputes and feds will decide.

PHILLIPS: Well, we'll definitely stay on the story and let you know how it develops and ultimately ends.

 

1 affiliate   

vt.使隶(附)属于；n.附属机构，分公司

参考例句：

• Our New York company has an affiliate in Los Angeles.我们的纽约公司在洛杉矶有一个下属企业。
• What is the difference between affiliate and regular membership?固定会员和附属会员之间的区别是什么？

2 exuberant   

adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的

参考例句：

• Hothouse plants do not possess exuberant vitality.在温室里培养出来的东西，不会有强大的生命力。
• All those mother trees in the garden are exuberant.果园里的那些母树都长得十分茂盛。

3 buffet   

n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台

参考例句：

• Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding?你想在婚礼中摆桌宴还是搞自助餐？
• Could you tell me what specialties you have for the buffet?你能告诉我你们的自助餐有什么特色菜吗？

4 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

5 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

6 discriminated   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的过去式和过去分词 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• His great size discriminated him from his followers. 他的宽广身材使他不同于他的部下。
• Should be a person that has second liver virus discriminated against? 一个患有乙肝病毒的人是不是就应该被人歧视？