A soldier who lost both legs in Iraq was denied entry to a Des Moines-area nightclub last week because the shoes he wore on his prosthetic legs were too casual, the Des Moines Register reported in a copyright story.
Spc. Robert "B.J." Jackson, 22, who lost his legs in an explosion last August, was wearing black suede Nike sneakers.
"They're actually pretty dressy," said his wife, Abby.
She said she and her husband told club employees that "those were the only shoes he can wear with his prosthetic legs," but they still were turned away.
The club Crush, in the Des Moines suburb of Clive, prohibits tennis shoes and hooded sweat shirts, but "we make exceptions for people all the time," said owner Tom Baldwin.
"There's no reason why we would deny entry to someone with prosthetic legs."
The Jacksons said the night out Friday with friends was one of their first since Jackson began learning to walk again in early November.
"I was upset," Robert Jackson said Saturday as he traveled back to San Antonio, where he's receiving medical treatment.
"We all thought they were kidding," his wife said. "He had his cane with him and everything. I don't think he knew how to react to it. . . . He was really upset."
Brandon Beveridge, who with his wife, Stephanie, accompanied the Jacksons that night, said it was insulting.
Jill Fulitano-Avery, administrator of the Iowa Division of Persons with Disabilities, said she has never heard of such a case. If the Jacksons' story is accurate, she said, "it sounds outrageous."
"People with disabilities have the same rights as anyone else," she said.
Fulitano-Avery, who is the mother of a double amputee, said the shoes made for prosthetic legs are hard to find and very expensive. "I would not be surprised at all if he only had one pair."
Baldwin was one of four nightclub owners who in 2002 paid an undisclosed sum to Duane Pack and Michael Ward, two men who challenged the legality of bar dress codes.
The owners of the three nightclubs, two now closed, had to formally apologize to blacks and pledge to treat patrons equally as part of the settlement for the class-action lawsuit brought against them.
An aide to U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said the senator believes the nightclub should apologize for the incident and consider changing its policy.
Spc. Robert "B.J." Jackson, 22, who lost his legs in an explosion last August, was wearing black suede Nike sneakers.
"They're actually pretty dressy," said his wife, Abby.
She said she and her husband told club employees that "those were the only shoes he can wear with his prosthetic legs," but they still were turned away.
The club Crush, in the Des Moines suburb of Clive, prohibits tennis shoes and hooded sweat shirts, but "we make exceptions for people all the time," said owner Tom Baldwin.
"There's no reason why we would deny entry to someone with prosthetic legs."
The Jacksons said the night out Friday with friends was one of their first since Jackson began learning to walk again in early November.
"I was upset," Robert Jackson said Saturday as he traveled back to San Antonio, where he's receiving medical treatment.
"We all thought they were kidding," his wife said. "He had his cane with him and everything. I don't think he knew how to react to it. . . . He was really upset."
Brandon Beveridge, who with his wife, Stephanie, accompanied the Jacksons that night, said it was insulting.
Jill Fulitano-Avery, administrator of the Iowa Division of Persons with Disabilities, said she has never heard of such a case. If the Jacksons' story is accurate, she said, "it sounds outrageous."
"People with disabilities have the same rights as anyone else," she said.
Fulitano-Avery, who is the mother of a double amputee, said the shoes made for prosthetic legs are hard to find and very expensive. "I would not be surprised at all if he only had one pair."
Baldwin was one of four nightclub owners who in 2002 paid an undisclosed sum to Duane Pack and Michael Ward, two men who challenged the legality of bar dress codes.
The owners of the three nightclubs, two now closed, had to formally apologize to blacks and pledge to treat patrons equally as part of the settlement for the class-action lawsuit brought against them.
An aide to U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said the senator believes the nightclub should apologize for the incident and consider changing its policy.
