Disabled man says he was kicked out of movie

A night at the movies turned out to be what Rick Bontkowski said was a harsh welcome into the world of the disabled when he was told to leave.

Bontkowski said he and his wife had to leave a movie at Cinemark Louis Joliet Mall theater May 4 when another couple demanded the last chairs available for disabled seating.

Now an advocacy group is taking up his cause and plans to approach Cinemark to improve accommodations to avoid a repeat of Bontkowski’s predicament.

Bontkowski, a Plainfield resident, said the trip to the movies was his first night out of the house since he had become dependent on a wheelchair in March after part of his leg was amputated because of Charcot disease

“Going out for this date night was kind of a big deal,” Bontkowski said. “I’d been home for awhile. You want to go out into the real world and do something to make you feel a little more normal.”

When they got to the movie, he said, all the seats available for disabled patrons were taken except for two premium D box seats. Sitting elsewhere would have required going up and down steps, which Bontkowski said he could not do in his wheelchair.

After discussing the situation with theater staff, Bontkowski said, a manager assured him that they could sit in the seats. About 10 minutes into the movie, however, Bontkowski said, another manager showed up.

“He’s like, ‘We’re going to put you in another movie. You’ve got to leave,’ ” Bontkowski said. “We were shocked.”

The manager was with another couple whom he said had paid for the seats, Bontkowski said. The next showing of the movie was not for another two hours, and the Bontkowskis did not want to wait.

After being forced out of the movie, Bontkowski said, he even had trouble getting a refund because he had lost his ticket. But he eventually got it.

Cinemark did not return a phone call and email seeking comment.

Now, Equipped for Equality, an advocacy group for the disabled, said it will contact Cinemark to seek employee training to avoid a repeat of what happened.

“It’s very clear that if your business is open to the public, you have to accommodate people with disabilities,” said Barry Taylor at Equipped for Equality. “That obviously didn’t happen here.”

Bontkowski said he has learned with his disability that “there are wonderful people out there who care and want to be helpful. But there is a minority who just don’t care.”