According to the DisabilityScoop, a man who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome made national news last week when his story of bullying by a supermarket customer went viral online.
The news outlet reported that Chris Tuttle, 28, came home from his job at a New York Wegmans grocery store upset after a customer allegedly yelled at him. Tuttle talked to his sister about the issue, who decided to go on Facebook and share his story with users, generating thousands of shares and “likes”, including words of encouragement.
According to Jamie Virkler, Tuttle’s sister, he was helping assist cashiers at the grocery store after it became busy, something he normally does not do. When Tuttle began bagging a customer’s groceries, she allegedly yelled at him for working too slow. Tuttle said that as the customer became abrasive, he smiled and thanked the woman for shopping at the store, but she became more upset.
The customer allegedly complained to a manager, yelling in such a manner that other customers could hear her complaints. “Part of Asperger’s is the inability to move on, to not be able to wrap his mind around the fact that this woman isn’t worth it. To hear him tell the story, your heart will break. He doesn’t understand why someone would be so nasty to him and for him, he takes it personal,” Virkler wrote on Facebook.
Because of her post, news outlets like CNN, FOX, ABC News and the Associated Press have written about Tuttle’s story. After a few days after the incident, Virkler’s post generated over 96,000 likes and more than 15,000 comments. “I’m overwhelmed by all the support and the love by the people I don’t know and I know. I just want to say thank you,” Tuttle told the Syracuse Post-Standard. “I’m letting it go and moving on.”
Find Me a Tulsa Disability Lawyer
We are happy that Tuttle’s story is generating an outpouring of support for people who suffer from Asperger’s syndrome, a disorder that can affect social skills as well as behaviors and interests, with far-reaching conditions.
Many people who suffer from autism or other neurodevelopment disorders are able to work like Tuttle. However, some have more severe impairments, which limit their ability to function at a high level, making it difficult to maintain employment. When someone is not able to work because of a disability, he or she may be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
If you are disabled due to injury or a neurological condition, contact our Tulsa Social Security disability lawyers to help you get the benefits you need. We offer free evaluations of your case, and you may reach us by phone at (918) 265-1404.
Troutman & Troutman, P.C. – Tulsa Social Security disability attorneys
Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/11/12/thousands-rally-aspergers/18887/