Before I begin, I just want to clarify that I am not writing this negative review to be vindictive,…read morebut rather in hopes that Vandome will improve its policies and practices so that people of all abilities, backgrounds, and health statuses can enjoy this establishment. Also, so that those with current disabilities can prepare themselves when going to Vandome.
My family and I went to Vandome on Saturday, August 20th looking to have a great time. We were a group of 10. While going through security, a member of our party was stopped during bag check because of her Type 1 Diabetes supplies. Inside of her fanny pack was a glucometer, glucose test strips, insulin syringes, glucose tablets, and a few other essential diabetes items.
At first sight, the lady looking through her bag looked at her curiously as our friend began to explain that these items were for her diabetes. Before she could get very far, the security man checking the men's line came right over with a nasty attitude and exclaimed "you have to get rid of all that." She tried to explain that these were for her diabetes and that she could throw out the syringes if those were the problem, but that she needed the other supplies. He didn't care to listen. He just kept dismissing her and telling her she was holding up the line. At one point, he even remarked "I have diabetes too, don't play that shit with me."
I can't assume what kind of diabetes this man may have, but judging from his naïveté, it's likely he was referencing Type II diabetes which is COMPLETELY different from Type I and therefore treated differently. People with Type I diabetes need to regularly take insulin to survive and and control their blood sugar because their pancreas can't produce it at all. It is incurable and requires constant checking of blood sugar levels. People with Type II diabetes have more treatment options and may not need as much maintenance because their body already produces some insulin, just not enough. For some people with Type II diabetes, it can even go away with lifestyle changes. I share this because it's clear that if this man truly had/understood diabetes, he would know that our friend needed those supplies to enjoy her night. Instead, he was nasty, didn't let her finish a sentence, and wouldn't even offer alternate accommodations. Ironically, our friend had been to Vandome the week before and the security that night let her keep her bag at the front, which she thought was a totally reasonable accommodation. However, this man wouldn't offer any alternate solution other than saying, "you bring that to that car or you're not coming in."
This encounter left my non-confrontational friend near tears and uneasy the rest of the night. What if we didn't have a car? Would we not have been able to enter because of her diabetes? Thankfully, she brought her glucose tablets in, but she was not able to check her blood-sugar throughout the night which made her anxious and resulted in us leaving prematurely.
Federal laws prohibit most public places and programs from discriminating against people with diabetes. One should not be excluded because of diabetes or be denied access to their diabetes supplies, and should be provided with reasonable accommodations if necessary. Vandome followed none of these laws that night. If they had let her put her bag at the front like they had the week prior, there would be no problem, but it is clear that Vandome doesn't have consistent procedures for these situations, resulting in a truly unfortunate event where my friend left feeling berated, embarrassed, and discriminated against.
Once again, I leave this review so that Vandome's management can reassess their procedures and train ALL their staff on the proper ways to handle these situations. Until then, I encourage all people with diabetes or other disabilities to beware.
