Did I handle this okay? I fially had the courage to sit down and write a letter today about an experience I had last week.
To whom it may concern:
In preparation for attending the Louisiana Occupational Therapy Association Spring Conference, held at East Jefferson Memorial Hospital on April 18, 2008, I phoned Linda A*, head of the association and organizer of the conference approximately one week prior to the conference, to ask for arrangement to be made for a place to pump my breastmilk needed for my infant, and a refrigerator to store it in. She called later that day to confirm that arrangements had been made.
I arrived to the conference at about 7:30am, thirty minutes prior to the start of the conference, introduced myself to Ms. Alwood, and asked her to direct me to the pumping location. She then introduced me to Christie B*, Vice President of LOTA, and informed me that Christie would be the one to assist me.
From the very beginning, Christie acted very imposed upon, and marched me across the hospital to a room to pump in. She walked ahead of me the entire time, barely speaking a word to me. I let her know I would need to give her my little cooler pack with the milk to be regreigerated, and the ice pack for the freezer, since I was driving from another town an hour and a half away, and the conference itself was 10 hours long. The ice pack is good for eight hours at best, and therefore would not last the 11.5 hours of conference + drive time. She rolled her eyes. I told her if she could show me or tell me where the refrigerator was, I would go myself and bring it there, and also continue to retrieve it/bring it back each time I needed to pump. She abruptly told me no, that she HAD to do it. So when I finished pumping, I returned the conference location to hand her my pack. She was visibly unhappy about taking it. At the lunch break at noon, I found her again and told her I needed to pump again and would need my pack. Again, she made it known through her body language and lack of words that she was not happy. She brought me the pack, I went to pump, and brought it back to her. Again, I offered to bring my cooler pack to the refrigerator, and again, she refused. I was so put off my her attitude that I found Linda A* and let her know that I did not think that Christie was happy about being in charge of the pumping accomodations. She looked away and said, verbatim, her wording exactly, "Well, it's just SO much trouble. We have another pumping mother here who is going to her car to pump. It's just SO much trouble." I was completely taken aback by her directly telling me how much trouble I was causing LOTA, and by the insinuation that I should go sit in my car to pump breastmilk. This was a disgusting comment on so many different levels: First of all, I have an electric pump, so that is impossible. This was obvious, though, since I specifically asked for a room with an electrical outlet. Second of all, I am slightly more modest than to pump in my car. I have a Honda Civic with two car seats in the back. I am not about to risk being humiliated by having a passer-by see my exposed breasts. That is absurd. And then there are the ethical issues with telling someone needing accomodations that they are causing "so much trouble".
I am a paying, financially supporting member of LOTA. The LOTA is centered around occupational therapy, a profession that is supposed to advocate for people needing special accomodations. On top of my membership dues, I paid $195 to attend this conference.
Obviously I will never renew my membership to LOTA. I cannot, in good conscience, financially support an orgainzation that engages in such disrepectful and discriminatory behavior. I am very sad that this is the mindset of your administration, and am trusting that I receive the sincere letter of deep apology that I deserve, along with assurance that this will never happen to anyone else in the future.
Sincerely,
Julie G*, MS, LOTR
To whom it may concern:
In preparation for attending the Louisiana Occupational Therapy Association Spring Conference, held at East Jefferson Memorial Hospital on April 18, 2008, I phoned Linda A*, head of the association and organizer of the conference approximately one week prior to the conference, to ask for arrangement to be made for a place to pump my breastmilk needed for my infant, and a refrigerator to store it in. She called later that day to confirm that arrangements had been made.
I arrived to the conference at about 7:30am, thirty minutes prior to the start of the conference, introduced myself to Ms. Alwood, and asked her to direct me to the pumping location. She then introduced me to Christie B*, Vice President of LOTA, and informed me that Christie would be the one to assist me.
From the very beginning, Christie acted very imposed upon, and marched me across the hospital to a room to pump in. She walked ahead of me the entire time, barely speaking a word to me. I let her know I would need to give her my little cooler pack with the milk to be regreigerated, and the ice pack for the freezer, since I was driving from another town an hour and a half away, and the conference itself was 10 hours long. The ice pack is good for eight hours at best, and therefore would not last the 11.5 hours of conference + drive time. She rolled her eyes. I told her if she could show me or tell me where the refrigerator was, I would go myself and bring it there, and also continue to retrieve it/bring it back each time I needed to pump. She abruptly told me no, that she HAD to do it. So when I finished pumping, I returned the conference location to hand her my pack. She was visibly unhappy about taking it. At the lunch break at noon, I found her again and told her I needed to pump again and would need my pack. Again, she made it known through her body language and lack of words that she was not happy. She brought me the pack, I went to pump, and brought it back to her. Again, I offered to bring my cooler pack to the refrigerator, and again, she refused. I was so put off my her attitude that I found Linda A* and let her know that I did not think that Christie was happy about being in charge of the pumping accomodations. She looked away and said, verbatim, her wording exactly, "Well, it's just SO much trouble. We have another pumping mother here who is going to her car to pump. It's just SO much trouble." I was completely taken aback by her directly telling me how much trouble I was causing LOTA, and by the insinuation that I should go sit in my car to pump breastmilk. This was a disgusting comment on so many different levels: First of all, I have an electric pump, so that is impossible. This was obvious, though, since I specifically asked for a room with an electrical outlet. Second of all, I am slightly more modest than to pump in my car. I have a Honda Civic with two car seats in the back. I am not about to risk being humiliated by having a passer-by see my exposed breasts. That is absurd. And then there are the ethical issues with telling someone needing accomodations that they are causing "so much trouble".
I am a paying, financially supporting member of LOTA. The LOTA is centered around occupational therapy, a profession that is supposed to advocate for people needing special accomodations. On top of my membership dues, I paid $195 to attend this conference.
Obviously I will never renew my membership to LOTA. I cannot, in good conscience, financially support an orgainzation that engages in such disrepectful and discriminatory behavior. I am very sad that this is the mindset of your administration, and am trusting that I receive the sincere letter of deep apology that I deserve, along with assurance that this will never happen to anyone else in the future.
Sincerely,
Julie G*, MS, LOTR
loved your letter.
Thanks so much, freemom! I needed that laugh, too!
: Am I allowed to post it?
