Hunting for a new job can be miserable even under the best of conditions, but looking for a new gig while also dealing with chronic illness can be frustrating on a level most people can’t understand.
Jobseeker and online disability activist Rachel (@rachels_riggings) recently went viral with a video in which she claims that she was discriminated against on her first day of work at a new job. Rachel says she was hired but then let go before she even began training. She claims it’s due to her disability.
Rachel describes what she says was her first day of “work” at the Stony Creek Metropark Golf Course in Shelby Township, Michigan, in a video posted to TikTok on April 17. The video has gone viral, receiving over 1.1 million views so far.
“I did an interview with two young girls—great interview, really nice. They were non-judgemental,” she says in the video. “I applied to work in the country club area with the food and the beverage cart.”
She also says the interviewers were pleased that she was certified by ServSafe, the National Restaurant Association’s food safety education program.
“I got a call that I got hired,” she continues. However, she says that a manager pulled her aside when she showed up for training.
She claims the woman told her that the club did not think she “would be a good fit because I can’t use my full hands and feet.”
Rachel lives with epidermolysis bullosa. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is “a rare condition that causes fragile, blistering skin. The blisters may appear in response to minor injury, even from heat, rubbing, or scratching. In severe cases, the blisters may occur inside the body, such as the lining of the mouth or stomach.”
Rachel’s condition is an extreme form of the disease, which “can bind together fingers or toes and cause unusual bending of the joints (contractures). This can affect the function of the fingers, knees, and elbows.”
The disease is genetic and cannot be spread via contact. Rachel says it would not affect her job performance.
“The only accommodation I had [at my old job] was that I brought my own knife set,” Rachel says in the video. “I didn’t need accommodations. I cook at home.”
Rachel says she was not allowed to see the workspace at the country club. Instead, she says she was told that management didn’t “want to set you up for failure.”
She says she asked, “I’m here. Can I go take a look?” and was told, “Our supervisor … saw you out there, and he’s not really comfortable and doesn’t just think it’s going to be good.”
“OK, so you saw me in the waiting area, and you don’t think I’ll be a good fit. So, you’re already discriminating,” she says. She then says the manager told her, “I didn’t do your interview … my staff did your interview, so I’ll have to let them know when they’re doing interviews next time.”
“Let them know what?” Rachel asks her viewers. “Not hire someone who has a handicap? So you’re going to prejudge someone right when they walk in the door, and you want your young staff to just shoot someone down when they walk in the door?”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Stony Creek Golf Course via email for a statement.
@rachels_riggings #discrimination #stonycreekmetropark if I didn't think i could do it i wouldn't apply. #disabilityawareness #epidermolysisbullosa ♬ original sound – Rachels_riggings
Rachel’s claims brought out a torrent of sympathy from her viewers.
Lisa Algarra (@elektra714) wrote, “I’m so sorry. 100% discrimination, this is so not ok.”
Another viewer commented, “I’m so sorry this happened to you. They should be ashamed of themselves.”
Some commenters urged her to seek legal action.
“Please please please get a lawyer. This is wrong. I’m so sorry this happened,” wrote briAnna (@b._.bee).
“That’s a lawsuit, I’m so sorry this happened,” another viewer added.
In a follow-up video, Rachel says Metropark’s head of human resources contacted her and agreed she was discriminated against. She says she was told that the position was still hers if she wanted it.
“I haven’t made up my mind if I want to work there or not,” she tells her viewers.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Rachel via TikTok direct message for further comment.
Update 9:26am CT, April 26: Amy McMillan, Director of Huron-Clinton Metroparks, responded to the Daily Dot with the following statement:
“As director of the Huron-Clinton Metroparks, I am deeply disappointed and embarrassed by the treatment Ms. Nasuti experienced at Stony Creek Metropark. Upon learning of this incident, I immediately launched an internal investigation to ensure we gathered all facts and took appropriate action.
Inclusivity and respect are at the core of the Metroparks mission and values. In this case, we did not live up to our standards. For that reason, I have personally reached out to Ms. Nasuti to extend my apologies on behalf of the Metroparks and to discuss future employment opportunities and she has toured a few of our facilities since then.
I can assure the public that we will continue to take all necessary action and do everything we can to ensure everyone who comes into contact with our parks and our staff are treated with dignity and respect.”
Update 2:11pm CT, April 26: In a TikTok message to the Daily Dot, Rachel said she thought the situation was “very rude and handled poorly.”
“Since social media the park did apologize and invited me to come look at the kitchen areas,” she wrote. “As much as I would love to be in the kitchen there I also don’t know if I want to even go in the office to do my hire paperwork and see the people who don’t want me there.”
She also shared concerns that if hired, she might not be employed for long. “I wonder if they will just fire me after a short time for some other reason because Michigan is a right to work state,” she wrote. “They can’t discriminate like they did but they can say ‘you don’t qualify or we don’t need you.'”
Still, Cami said she was invited to work in the Putt-Putt area of another park. “It’s not the kitchen but … I wouldn’t have to work around the those who discriminated against me,” she said, adding that the whole situation is “complicated” and “kinda sh*tty.”
“I have a disability and people say you don’t need to work. but I want to work, I want to get out of my house. I have multiple degrees and it always comes down to someone giving me a chance to prove myself and not judge me for my disability. I wouldn’t apply for a job if I didn’t think I could do it,” she concluded.
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