One Florida mom is speaking out in outrage after she said her daughter with Cerebral Palsy was turned away from a nail salon at Orange Park Mall.
Jill Medaris McElyea took to Facebook to call out Nails Spa and Beyond for refusing service to her daughter on Wednesday.
So Bri’s new caregiver, Anna, took Bri to the Orange Park Mall and went to this nail salon to get Bri’s nails done. They…
She claims Bri and her caretaker left the mall in tears after the terrible experience. She wrote:
They were told Bri would not be allowed to sit in their spa chairs and they couldn’t do her nails. Anna explained she would hold Bri’s hands open and that she gets her nails done all the time. Didn’t matter. They were turned away.
Bri’s disability affects her ability to move and keep her balance on her own. However, the caretaker offered to hold the girl’s hand during her nail visit but they still reportedly denied her service.
After the nail salon would not give the woman a manicure, Bri went to another on Fleming Island to have her nails done. Jill told News4JAX:
“This is what accessible nail salons look like! The girl likes to be pampered!”
the mishap, the mom wrote about the experience online and called out Orange Park Mall over the incident. She also decided to write an email to mall management.
In the message, she advised the company to improve training for mall employees and said, “ignorance about people with disabilities” cannot be “tolerated.”
The mom even offered to assist with educating and training classes at the mall. Jill’s followers and friends spoke out on the post, supporting the mom and Bri.
In a statement to News4JAX, the Marketing Director and owner of the Orange Park Mall said:
Nails Spa and Beyond has offered complimentary services for Bri, her mother and caregiver. Orange Park Mall will also be providing Bri a gift card to her favorite store.
In a later post, Jill said management welcomed her family to participate in a training to educate employees in the future.
