As I entered, I was asked if I had a reservation. I replied no and used my phone to communicate…read moresince I'm Deaf and folks here in Puerto Rico speak Spanish with a mix of English.
Since I didn't have a reservation, I was asked to write my first name and phone number in a log book, which I happily obliged to.
She said, "We will call you once you see our number at 9 pm; for your reservation, please return."
It was 7:57 pm, and i had plenty of shopping that I wanted to do; so, I happily agreed to 9 pm.
Well, 9 pm never happened because i received no call or text. Maybe I'm too trusting, or it was assumed that, since I'm deaf, I couldn't afford to eat there.
Whatever their excuse for not reaching out to me was, it was utterly disappointing, but life is full of disappointments, and I added them to my Yelp list.
While Puerto Rico is part of the United States of America, I can't help but feel like the Deaf population here is likely to be taken as bottom-wage earners, so my above-mentioned impression is likely correct.
As mentioned in past reviews, a majority of countries that I have visited, apart from most North American and European countries, treat their Deaf population as less than or subhuman, as if the ability to hear is connected to intelligence.
These experiences make me appreciate living in the continental United States, where people like Marlee Matlin, Phyllis Frelich, and many others have kicked down doors so we can be seen as equals.
