[nabs-l] canes and water park rides

Kaiti Shelton crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com
Tue Apr 2 04:41:32 UTC 2013


Hi all,

I really like Elizabeth's suggestion, and remember having followed
that arms-folded procedure before myself.  It would be a great way to
make sure your cane stayed where you want it to and should work really
well.

The six flags thing is interesting; I went to the now shut-down
Kentucky Kingdom as a kid and we had more issues there than at the
much larger parks like Disney or Universal.  I didn't have a cane at
the time, but back then since I had recently had some surgeries my
eyes were really sensitive to changes in light and things that popped
out at me.  My parents would ask some of the ride operators about what
might happen in a ride if they couldn't see it for themselves, and
when they would explain why they were asking sometimes the ride
operators got flustered, as if they didn't quite know what to do or
how to answer my parent's question.  We went to Disney a year later,
my parents still asked some of the same questions so that I wouldn't
get freaked out, and the response there was, "Well, you guys can try
it once and if she doesn't like it there are plenty of other rides she
could go to.  She might really like it though," and they'd say, "It's
going to get really dark in there," or "you might feel some things
flying around your feet because in the ride they're supposed to be
snakes, but they're really just little bits of popped balloons," to
make sure I wouldn't freak out just because I couldn't see something
the other kids could.  They seemed much more positive and encouraging
to my parents, and they liked how the Disney people really tried to
help me enjoy the park.

Kirt, as you already have been told you're right on.  I've learned not
to take those sorts of accomodations; actually, my parents said that
if we want equality it means not just fighting for it when it isn't
there, but also knowing what accomodations are necessary and what are
not.  If you want to really think about it, I think it would come down
to why she bought the pass though; it sounds like she does try to set
goals for how many times she can ride things and meet them, which
plenty of sighted people do.  (I know a girl from school who's familly
keeps track, and she's ridden over 700 so far but she uses get ahead
passes to do this).  If she bought it because she has her dog then
that is another thing entirely though and I agree with you.  I also
side with Mike on the idea that taking a dog to an amusement park is
probably not the best idea, (aside from bringing the dog out in the
heat all day and leaving him with random strangers who know nothing
about guide dogs, no matter if they say they kept people from petting
him or doing anything they shouldn't, it's also a lot more complicated
than just taking a cane.  I could be wrong here of course, but don't
most guide dog schools actually train their dogs to be able to stay on
their own for a few hours?  I know if my dogs who are just family pets
couldn't do this my family probably be nuts; I know we were when they
were puppies and we'd come home from just going out to dinner to find
things chewed up, and we're all glad that they can withstand the
family being gon at work and school or going out on the nights or
weekends now.  I realize that the bond between a guide dog and handler
is a little different, but surely the school would realize there are
times, like when going to amusement parks, when it would be more
practical to leave the dog at home and use a cane.

Mike:  Yep, as against NFB principles as that is, I'm sure feigning
outrage at being given a charitable handout like that would be pretty
hard for a lot of people.  :)

On 4/2/13, Sarah <coastergirl92 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Yeah that's how it works at most parks but at Magic Mountain,
> depending on who's the operator, I can sometimes to ide multiple
> somes like the time I rode X2 32 times in one day because someone
> I know talked to the manager for X2 and told him how I'm a
> coaster critic and I'm trying to break the record of 36 or more
> times.  But the park closed so I almost came to 36 but only made
> it to 32.  I'll just have to try it at the next coaster party in
> Sesptember where they have Exclusive Ride Time.
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
> From: Suzanne Germano <sgermano at asu.edu
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Mon, 1 Apr 2013 19:25:11 -0700
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and water park rides
>
> That's interesting I am legally blind and don't use dog or cane
> but go to
> guest services and they give me a line pass so you can go up the
> exit.  You
> have to wait one hour to go on the same ride again.  But every
> ride you can
> go up the exit and not wait in line.
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 1, 2013 at 6:47 PM, Chris Nusbaum
> <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>  So they let you cut through the line with a dog, but not with a
> cane?
>  Interesting.
>
>  Chris
>
>  Chris Nusbaum, Co-Chair
>  Public Relations Committee
>  Maryland Association of Blind Students
>  Phone: (443) 547-2409
>
>
>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> Sarah
>  Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 9:40 PM
>  To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>  Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and water park rides
>
>  Because with my dog, they let me right on, and they watch the
> dog very
>  carefully even when someone else is holding it so nobody pets it
> while
>  you're on the ride.  With a cane, they will just say "Wait 4
> hours like
>  everyone else."
>
>   ----- Original Message -----
>  From: "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
>  To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
>  <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>  Date sent: Mon, 1 Apr 2013 21:26:25 -0400
>  Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and water park rides
>
>  Sarah,
>
>  Just curious: how is Six Flags more accommodating to a guide dog
> user than
>  to a cane user?
>
>  Chris
>
>  Chris Nusbaum, Co-Chair
>  Public Relations Committee
>  Maryland Association of Blind Students
>  Phone: (443) 547-2409
>
>
>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> Sarah Meeks
>  Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 7:56 PM
>  To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>  Cc: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>  Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and water park rides
>
>  My best amusement park experience has always been Six Flags.
>  They are very
>  accommodating.  There you are more accommodating now that I have
> a dog.
>
>  Sent from my iPhone
>
>  On Apr 1, 2013, at 11:22 AM, Kaiti Shelton
> <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com
>  wrote:
>
>   Hi,
>
>   Yay for Disney!  they were by far my best park experience.  I
> went  twice
>  as a little kid.  The first time I went I was five or six and my
> parents
>  also had a baby in a stroller, so the practice for both me and
> my sister
>  was to hold onto our brother's stroller to keep with our
> parents and not
>  get lost.  My parents just gave me verbal direction  and were
> with me the
>  entire time, so there really wasn't a major need  for a cane.
> When I went
>  again as an older kid though, I did have a  folding cane and the
> Disney
>  staff was very good about either showing  me tricks to keep it
> with me or
>  holding it and then giving it back to  me when I got off, even
> on water
>  rides like Splash Mountain and the  Pirates of the Caribbean
> rides which
>  start in one place and end at  another.  If you have a folding
> cane you can
>  secure it folded with the  loop and then put your wrist through
> the cane
>  and
>  the strap and just  let it hang as you hold onto something.  It
> won't flop
>  around as much  as the telescopic cane.  Also, the holster idea
> sounds
>  good,
>  although  some park personelle at other amusement parks get
> worried  about
>  it  coming lose.  Either way, you shouldn't have any problems
> with getting
>  the ride people to bring you your cane at the ride exit.
>
>   By the way, Universal Studios was excellent about working with
> the  cane
>  too.  I went there in the same vacation that I went to Disney
> for  the
>  second time and they were very accomodating.
>
>   On 4/1/13, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
>   Sophie,
>    I'm one of those random oddballs who would probably go alone
> if I  was
>  traveling, and there was a really cool theme park near by.
>  I
>   know it's not for everyone, but occasionally doing those kinds
> of "social"
>   things by myself is fun for me; both to keep my confidence up
> and to  meet
>  people that I otherwise wouldn't get to know.
>    Anyways, I've taken my straight cane to theme parks no
> problem, but  I'll
>  confess I haven't tried a water park with it yet.  A collapsible
> or
>  folding
>  cane seems more reasonable to me there.  On rollercoasters  or
> big rides
>  like that, I've almost always just given my straight  cane to
> the ride
>  attendant and picked it up when the ride is done,  but those
> rides usually
>  start and end at the same place.
>  Waterslides
>   and things are different though, obviously.
>    Basically, I've been reading this thread to see what useful
> bits I  could
>  glean from it, as I'll probably be going to a few water parks
> myself over
>  the summer.  Maybe this will finally give me the  motivation I
> need to buy
>  another collapsible or NFB folding cane.  (I  actually liked
> mine for the
>  year or so it lasted, but I used it  sparingly and certainly not
> as my
>  primary cane.)  Thanks, all, for  the help and suggewstions.
>    Best,
>   Kirt
>
>   On 3/31/13, justin williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>   I would where a belt around my bathing suit, and Use a folding
> cane  with
>  a
>  holster.
>   -----Original Message-----
>   From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> Cindy
>   Bennett
>   Sent: Sunday, March 31, 2013 4:25 PM
>   To: National Asociation of Blind Students
>   Subject: [nabs-l] canes and water park rides
>
>   Hi everyone,
>
>   This summer, I am going to a water park.  When I go to theme
> parks, I
>  typically store my cane somewhere outside the ride area or on
> the  exit
>  side
>  of a roller coaster platform.  However, many water rides  are
> such that you
>  get on the ride in a different location, often  quite a walk
> away, from the
>  place where you get off of the ride.
>  My
>   cane is too long to fit in many inner tubes, and I doubt that
> it  would be
>  a safe thing to bring along especially if it came loose.
>
>   I am wondering if a telescoping cane would be the best for
> this,  because
>  I
>  know that many water rides have shoe holders.  It would  just be
> annoying,
>  because I would have to rely on someone to guide  me back to
> these shoe
>  holders that are often at the entrance of the ride.
>
>   So what are your suggestions for storing a cane during water
> rides?
>
>   Thanks.
>
>
>
>   --
>   Cindy Bennett
>   Secretary: National Association of Blind Students Legislative
>   Coordinator: National Federation of the Blind of Washington
>
>   B.A.  Psychology, UNC Wilmington
>   clb5590 at gmail.com
>
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>   --
>   Kaiti
>
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-- 
Kaiti




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