Some of you have read this, or at least heard about our experiences of this summer with an amusement park. I wanted to share this with more people on a broader scope. I will let you read whats happened thus far and I am in the process of talking with all the "right" people to see whats happened since. When and if I ever get some clear answers I will let you know. But for now, enjoy my two cents on the matter at hand (FYI I wrote this for a writing class): As far back as I can remember I had a special place in my heart for the amusement park Carowinds. Growing up on the North/South Carolina border where Carowinds is located, we would often venture there as a family. It was a great place to play especially for my brother Jonathan, who is disabled. He absolutely loved the rides. Since those early experiences at Carowinds we went on to explore other amusement parks like Disney World, Universal Studios, Hershey’s Park, Lagoon and many others. But for me, those adventures at Carowinds are the ones I recall as favorites.
This summer we went to Carowinds (owned by Cedar Fair) for the first time in years as a family, but it was not a pleasant visit. When my parents, brother, husband and I visited your park it was a very taxing experience for us all. There were several things that occurred that made the visit more difficult on us as a family, given my brother’s disabilities.
First we went online to buy tickets and were unable to find any type of discount for guests with disabilities so we purchased five adult tickets. Only, after arriving at the park did we find out that there were indeed discounts for guests like my brother. Next, while renting a wheelchair for him, we asked an employee if there was a special pass for someone with disabilities to access the rides. The employee assured us that all we needed to do was go through the special access gates (or exits) to get on the rides.
On our first ride we were told that we needed a special pass to get on board. We headed back to the front entrance to get the pass, having to go to two different windows to find out where to obtain the pass. When we finally got it, we were just given a bunch of papers and sent on our way with no explanation of how to use the pass or the park’s policies relating to special access. The experience of accessing each ride was cumbersome, as every operator seemed to have his or her own interpretation of the policy.
While these issues listed thus far are really minor problems, communicating better with your employees and costumers could eliminate all of them. That aside, the biggest issue seems to be the actual policy Cedar Fair now has in place for disabled guests. On your website for Carowinds under “Procedures for guest with Disabilities” the current policy states:
Only one riding companion may enter through the Special Access Entrance with you. Other members of your party are asked to enter the ride in the standard manner through the line. Special Access Entrances are intended to accommodate wheelchairs and those guests with mobility restrictions and not to bypass others waiting in line (Carowinds).
As I understand it, this policy is to prevent people from abusing special access to the rides and is not for guest to “bypass others waiting in line.” (Carowinds) I know there are many issues that have arisen in the past from the old policy by allowing disabled guests to “jump” ahead in the line. I am aware that prior to this new policy there were many people that took advantage of it and faked a disability to get to the front of the line. And there were some that were physically disabled in some way, but they were still capable of waiting the time span they would have waited in the regular line. The new policy is fair for those that can wait for a long time in line, but what about those who cannot wait for a very long time? What the policy does not taken into account are those who really do have special circumstances like being unable to cope with waiting; people like my brother.
Jonathan is 26 years old, has cognitive disabilities, physical limitations and autism. While he shares some commonality with others who have disabilities, he has unique needs. He is capable of walking and standing for short periods of time; his mentality is that of a four year old; but like so many others with autism he experiences fixations, poor social skills, and lacks a conceptual understanding of time. His typical demeanor is happy and carefree, however, due to his limitations he does not fully understand what is going on around him. For someone like him who is not able to sit and wait for a long time, it becomes unreasonable because he cannot mentally process it.
This circumstance is not unique to a variety of people with cognitive and pervasive disabilities. With the growth of autism at the rate of 1 in 150 (ASA), this specific disability presents prevalent issues for families. Parks, like Carowinds, caters to families, but which ones? A mother explains how the policy at Six Flags, one similar to yours, is not doable for both of her autistic children.
My children don't understand time…the things that are reasonable to us make no sense to them. Anything more than five or 10 minutes can be a screaming meltdown for my kids. (Niles)
The mother also spoke of how the wait was so stressful for her daughter that she threw herself down to the ground and bit her caregiver. (Niles) There is a need for a policy change specifically for people like my bother and the children of this woman.
John L. Woodatch the Director of Office of Americans With Disabilities Act at the Department of Justice writes in response to a person inquiring about persons with disabilities being permitted to “cut” in line at an amusement park.
Public accommodations, however, are required in certain cases to make reasonable modifications to their policies, practices, or procedures when modifications are necessary to afford goods, services, facilities, privileges or advantages to individuals with disabilities. See section 36.302 of the title III regulation at page 35596-97, and preamble at 35564-65 [Located in the Americans with Disabilities Act]. In light of this requirement, an amusement park may be required to modify its policies to allow an individual with a disability to be admitted to an attraction without waiting in line, if delay would prevent the individual from participating in the service because of the nature of the disability.
Based on the interpretation from the John L. Woodatch of the Americans with Disabilities Act cases like Jonathan would allow them to be next in line. To do otherwise would be not in alignment with the laws and it could be see as discrimination to those persons.
Parks like Carowinds are meant to enhance the family experience, and that includes the experiences of those who support and care for them. The event should not make it more troubling, difficult or, in our case, toilsome and certainly that was not the intention of the policy, park, or owner. In an attempt to better serve those individuals with disabilities and their families (especially those with autism and other prevalent disabilities), I offer a few proposals.
• Have the ticket purchasing process for guests with disabilities clear on the web page and state the price of the ticket. If tickets for people with disabilities should be purchased at the park and not on line, let people know it.
• Combine wheelchair rental and special access passes at the same location to decrease family frustration, and increase “play” time in the park.
• Make a policy within the policy that addresses special circumstances. People with unique needs should be treated with exceptions to the rule. These families and caretakers deserve the respect and support of the community at large. By keeping the current rules it will still serve the purpose of eliminating misuse.
• Train each park employees about the policy so it is consistently and respectfully applied. Train the staff to recognize authentic cognitive disabilities and provide culturally competent training to the employees to address the special needs of those with a variety of disabilities.
• Provide a special color-coded pass to those who fall within the context of the cognitive disabilities that will permit them to be next in line. This pass will allow park employees to see the difference right away. It will allow those with special needs enjoy the park to the fullest by allowing them to be next in line for the ride.
• Allow families to board together. In these special circumstances, families often need to provide psychological support and physical assistance to the person with the disabilities.
Leo F. Buscaglia once said “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” I urge you to consider your power to provide this small act of caring for these people who would otherwise miss out on the enjoyment of the park. Make a difference for people that have to deal with so many hardships by creating a simple place in line. With proper training and a new policy in place Carowinds and all Cedar Fair amusement parks can once again become a great place for persons with disabilities and their families.
WORKS CITED
(ASA) Autism Society of America, What is Autism: Facts and Stats Page August 18, 2008. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007). August 18, 2008. http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_whatis_factsstats
Buscaglia, Leo F. ThinkExist.com Quotations August 21 2008. August 21, 2008. http://thinkexist.com/quotation/too_often_we_underestimate_the_power_of_a_touch-a/213531.html
Carowinds | North and South Carolina's Themed Amusement Park August 21, 2008. Carowinds| Procedures for guest with Disabilities. August 21, 2008. http://www.carowinds.com/News/detail.cfm?item_id=29
Niles, Robert. Theme Park Insider August 21 2008. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. August 21 2008. http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/200709/474/
Woodatch, John L. United States Department of Justice June 26 2001. Letter in response to inquiry of ADA. August 17, 2008 http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/foia/tal308.txt
This little guy has been with us for about 4 months now... it is unreal how fast they change! I can't believe how alert he is now. Well I wanted to post a "fresh" baby picture of when he was just a newbie to the world. 
I am done with school for now (sigh of relief), and now I get to spend some quality time with my bro! Isn't this picture classic!.. He is never far from his belt. We went up to the beach for a day with the fam and got to use my new camera, which I love! I am so excited to reach back to my "inner photographer" and relearn how to take sweet pictures. Jon is gonna be my ginny pig in this journey, because lets just face it he is too cute to not take pictures of. 
Meet the newest member of our hairy family! This is Maebe! This picture is called "pearly whites".
This picture is titled "I am shinny"
Her favorite pose "Chillaxin on the 'parents' bed"
You guessed it "MMMMM Peanut butter"
And last but not least "ppluplupplulllluu"
