DENVER, Colo. (KDVR) – A local woman says she was discriminated against at the Jurassic World exhibit in Denver for having a service dog. She claims she was almost denied entry, swarmed by private security, and illegally questioned.
It was last weekend when Lisa Lima visited the exhibition and says she was bullied, berated, and publicly embarrassed. She told FOX31 she’s coming forward to make this a teachable moment for others because unfortunately, it will happen to someone else, somewhere else.
A fun Saturday to Jurassic World: The Exhibition, an exhibit featuring lifelike dinosaurs, didn’t end that way for Lima.
It goes down the aisle of discrimination and it’s absolutely not okay,” said Lima.
Lima says she was in line for the exhibit with her husband and service dog when a staff member approached her and asked for an I-D card for her animal. She tells FOX31 she politely replied that she didn’t have one and it is not required by the A.D.A, Americans with Disabilities Act.
“I turned around and I can see him radio security,” Lima explained. “So, four security guards showed up about five minutes later and this was in front of the entire line.”
She goes on to say that staff and private security began badgering her about documentation, her animal, and her disability.
“He continued to push back. I kept saying that he cannot ask me these other questions,” Lima said. “I told him; I’m not going to show you guys an ID card. That is not required by the ADA. It’s my right to be here and there’s no reason for me not to be here today. He basically then told me to prove it.”
Lima says that’s when she and her husband stepped out of the line, pulled up the federal website, and showed staff the laws, but they still did not back down.
“He replied that we are a privately owned business, and we can go by any rules and laws that we want, and we do not have to abide by the ADA,” Lima explained.”He replied that their business was exempt from the law. The other security guards were backing him up the whole time. They were also pushing back on us. We had people in line that were also saying ‘excuse me, she’s right’.”
Eventually, Lima, her service dog, and her husband made their way through the exhibit, but not without feeling uncomfortable. She says the exhibit itself was amazing, but the treatment and lack of education were not. Lima is also a handler and trainer, so she is aware of many people not knowing the rules but said this was worse because even when she proved her rights, she was ignored and violated.
According to the A.D.A and Colorado Service Animal Laws, businesses are only allowed to legally ask two questions.
1.) Is this a service animal
2.) What task has the animal been trained to perform
Businesses and public entities are not permitted to require:
1.) An individual to specify their disability
2.) The animal to demonstrate the task it has been trained to perform
3.)Documentation proving the animal is on a registry or has been professionally trained.
“It definitely felt like bullying,” said Lima. “I’m not trying to start trouble, but I know my rights.”
Lima suffers from an invisible disability and said that she habitually gets intense migraines out of nowhere and suddenly loses her vision, which can last for an hour.
Lima’s service animal can guide her to safety and walk her to the car, find her husband in a crowd, and now she can alert her when an episode is coming. Darwin, her service dog, can save her life.
“Some people that have disabilities where they have walkers, they have wheelchairs, they find equipment to help them– this is mine,” explained Lima.
“So, when a business tells me that I can’t come in with my medical equipment you’re hitting me. It’s not just about my dog,” explained Lima, “you’re telling me that I can’t come in safely.”
Lima says she knows her rights but worries about others who may not and would have left the exhibit. She wants this to be a teachable moment for others and as of now, no registration or ID is required by the ADA to have a service animal.
“We go into these places, somebody else comes in with an ID card that they got online, that they got through these registries online that exist, that are complete scams and they come in and they show this ID and the person comes in and says ok this looks legit, ” Lima said. “Then someone like me comes in, who knows the laws, where’s your ID–sorry I don’t have an ID and they think I’m not telling the truth.”
FOX31 reached out to Jurassic World for a response, and they said, ‘no comment.’
Lima says she reported the incident to the exhibit, and they have not called but corresponded over Facebook messenger and said it was ‘concerning’. She says they have acknowledged that the incident happened but haven’t taken accountability.
