Gaylord Resort Apologizes for Employee Calling Amy Van Dyken a “Cripple”
June 10, 2016
Josie ByzekGaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, has swiftly apologized to ex-Olympian Amy Van Dyken for its employee, a hotel security officer named “Bam Bam,” calling her a cripple on June 8. Van Dyken, shaken by the encounter, shared the incident with her followers on Instagram and Twitter, and in addition to receiving emotional support, also received numerous apologies from Gaylord.
Van Dyken was being brought back to her room by a hotel security officer when Bam Bam said, “What’s going on here? Escorting the cripples now?”
“I’m shaking,” said Van Dyken on her Instagram account. “I’m sorry my
[wheelchair emoji] buddies also have to deal with this. We need to make that as bad as other slurs.”She posted about the incident on Instagram and Twitter, and received a public apology reply to her tweet.
again we're very sorry. We take these issues very seriously and will continue to investigate further.
— Gaylord Texan Resort (@GaylordTexan) June 8, 2016
Shortly after the incident, the head of security apologized to Van Dyken personally. Then the general manager called and apologized to Van Dyken’s husband, ex-NFL punter Tom Rouen.
Van Dyken was a competitive swimmer, medaling at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. Her total Olympic medal count is six, all gold. She also won several world titles and set numerous American and world records. On June 6, 2014, she sustained a T11 injury after an ATV accident. Upon leaving rehab at Craig Hospital Van Dyken said, “I’m a better person than before the accident.”
This is not the first time the gold medalist has successfully taken to social media to point out ill treatment of people with disabilities. On May 3, she took to Instagram to expose a TSA pat-down at the Denver International Airport she says was “rude and incorrect,” which prompted this statement from the TSA:
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