There are 11.5 million Americans living with hearing loss. One of those is Shannon Heroux.
The mother recently experienced something no deaf person should ever experience: she was refused service. Sadly, this happened at Dunkin' Donuts, her favorite place.
She's since called the company out on TikTok as a way to spread awareness to the deaf community.
"It hurts," she said. "It hurts really bad.
While she usually wears a cochlear implant to help her hear better, she wasn't wearing it in the store.
This is, of course, not uncommon.
But the employee behind the counter allegedly refused to take her mask off so Heroux could read her lips.
They also refused to write on a notepad to communicate with her. This was despite the fact that Shannon told them she was deaf and required extra assistance.
They were also six feet apart during the exchange.
“I could just tell by his body language and his face he was going off," she said in the video.
Since her video went viral, Shannon was met with so many supportive comments.
I couldn't be happier that people are rallying around her.
"Discrimination everywhere is getting out of hand...good for you for calling them out," added another.
Many people encouraged Shannon to file a civil rights complaint and even offered to help her do it.
Some users also encouraged her to visit Starbucks where employees learn ASL to communicate with deaf customers.
She also heard from the franchise owner of that location, who offered to meet with her and discuss what happened.
Shannon, who lost her hearing at four years old, told Yahoo Life that she's sharing her story to spread awareness.
She said that her experience at Dunkin' Donuts was the final straw after being treated similarly at other establishments.
This includes other "rude" managers who failed to accommodate her.
"The masks aren't going away anytime soon so extra measures should be taken for healthy and effective communication," she added.
“Don't always depend on someone else to do it for you. You are your own advocate, and I know it's scary in a world without sound."
“I enjoy being deaf. I enjoy having the best of both worlds," she continued.
"This is not something we asked for, but were born with. Everyone has their problems, but you are no different. Stand your ground. Speak up."
