Deaf, Mute Couple âToo Loudâ For Amtrakâs Quiet Car
Â Amtrak Conductor Charlene Roberts thought she was the victim of an insensitive prankÂ when a commuter on the trainâs popular Northeast Corridor route made an unexpected complaint.Traveling from Washington to New York aboard Amtrakâs high speed Acela Express, attorney Bettina Corning complained to Roberts that the couple seated behind her on the trainâs âQuiet Carâ were making too much noise.Â  The couple seated behind Corning happened to be both mute and deaf.âIâm a very busy attorney, and I had a lot of important briefs to compile for very important clients that I have,â explained Corning from her office in Midtown Manhattan.âQuietâ cars on Amtrak trains were introduced over a decade ago at the request of customers wishing to commute without the usual distractions that accompany train travel â cell phone conversations topping the list.Â  Growing popularity has led many regional and commuter rail lines to add quiet cars to their standard routes.âThe quiet car is there for a reason, and I shouldnât have been inconvenienced,â said Corning. Â When informed that the couple she had complained about were deaf mutes, sheÂ replied, âThatâs another issue and doesnât have anything to do with what Amtrak offersÂ and what I pay for.Â  I lost valuable time and I consider the matter closed.ââMany deaf people vocalize,â said Dr. Franklin McLogan, of New Yorkâs Health Care Partnership for the Deaf.Â  âIt depends on the individual.Â  If deafness has begun in childhood where speech is at an early or evolving stage, some vocalization based on that level of development may take place. These individuals though, also happened to be mute. So itâs really a wonder what kind of noise they could have been making on the Quiet Car that got another passenger so worked up.ââPersonally and professionally,â conductor Roberts recalled, âI thought it was wrong for her to ask me to move the couple, because they werenât being loud in any way, shape, or form.Â  I always check the volume level of my cars, and remind customers to speak with âlibrary voicesâ if I feel they are distracting others. Apparently the couple were signing to each other too loudly? I have no idea what Miss Corningâs problem was, except to say that itâs possible sheâs just a heinous bitch. That, by the way, is my professional opinion of someone who works with the public on a daily basis, not that of the Amtrak company itself.âThe couple seated in back of Corning, Bill and Susan Welch, commented through an interpreter. âWe didnât know why the lady in front of us was upset. We were surprised when we found out it was because of us.Â  The conductor was very polite and apologized, but she didnât have to. It wasnât necessary. We never had any problems traveling before. Weâll continue to ride quietly in the Amtrak Quiet Cars and hopefully other people just ignore us, just as we do them.âAll three customers were issued courtesy travel vouchers to be applied toward future trips.