[nabs-l] canes and water park rides
justin williams
justin.williams2 at gmail.com
Mon Apr 1 05:28:24 UTC 2013
Take your dog with you on the water ride right? Come on, he would enjoy it.
-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kirt Manwaring
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2013 1:24 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and water park rides
Justin,
Exactly. For me, and I'm only speaking for myself, but being forced to
take my dog wherever I went, or not being able to leave him home when the
situation seemed to warrant it, doesn't appear to work all that well. I'm
going to make a generalization, and I realize there are plenty of acceptions
to what I'm about to say. Still, I think it's worth mentioning, if for no
other reason than because it really applied to me personally. Also, I
should probably say that I'm not lumping Sarah or anybody else specific on
this list into what I'm about to say because...well, I don't know most of
you in real life, so who am I to judge?
Still, I've seen lots of blind people who get dogs because their mobility
skills aren't up to par and they want a cure. I have plenty of friends and
acquaintances who use dogs because they don't feel confident in their
ability to travel without them; sadly, to me, this seems the rule more than
the exception. It kind of makes my heart hurt a little bit when I see
friends shy away from new places and experiences just because their dogs
prefer to stay in familiar areas.
Again, from what I've seen, this seems to be what happens more often than
not. I'm not saying a dog isn't a legitimate option; I can see the
advantages of traveling with one and, while they aren't enough to convince
me to become a dog user, they are certainly real. I'm just saying that, if
someone isn't a confident and comfortable traveler already, having a dog
won't magically make up for it. Sadly, many (if not most) guide dog users I
know weren't confident travelers to begin with, so they got a dog instead of
getting quality training. Of course, I know a whole bunch of cane users
with the same problem, so it's certainly not the dog's fault if the handler
can't get where he/she needs to go. I guess all I'm saying, and I'm sure
most competent dog users will wholeheartedly agree, is that getting a good
dog is no substitute for getting good training...but now I'm wondering what
any of this has to do with riding rollercoasters and water slides. :)
Best,
Kirt
On 3/31/13, justin williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Cane, dog, what works.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kirt
> Manwaring
> Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2013 12:44 AM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and water park rides
>
> Sarah,
> I know I'm going to spark an age-old debate, and possibly get
> reprimanded for being off-topic, but I don't really care right now. I
> don't mean this condescendingly or judgmentally...but, Sarah, the next
> time someone asks me why I'm not a dog user, I want to have your
> e-mails on hand because they would make my case far better than I
> possibly could. (and, yes, I'm aware how ironic this will sound to
> anybody who remembers the stir I created a while back because I wanted
> to get a dog and bring him...or her...or whatever to a training
> center.)
> And, please, before anybody gets their knickers all twisted up over
> this, I'm definitely not anti-dog. I know some fantastic travelers
> who happen to be dog users; I also know some terrible travelers who
> happen to use canes instead. My point is simply that, having the
> personality I do where I want to wait my turn like most everyone else,
> and hearing the kinds of stories I do from Sarah and from most dog
> users I'm acquainted with about how ansy/skiddish/uncomfortable/needy
> their dogs are, I'm pretty darn sure I made the right decision for
> myself. This isn't a condemnation, much as some people might construe
> it as one. Canes can certainly bring issues of their own...but my
> straight cane won't have a panic attack if I decide to leave it at
> home and take my folding cane instead, and vice-versa.
> Anyways, sorry for the rambling...I'm trying to find every possible
> excuse I can to distract me from my political science homework,
> because Plato's Republic is really hurting my fragile little head
> right now. :) I really didn't mean this as a knock against competent
> dog-users or, really, against Sarah at all. I just meant to say how
> stories like this reinforce my belief that, in choosing not to get a
> guide dog, I think I made the right decision for me.
> Best,
> Kirt
>
> On 4/1/13, Sarah <coastergirl92 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> i can't leave Wizard hoc alone when I go to parks he freaks out when
>> I leave him for a few hours to go to a friend's house.
>> Besides his trainers told me to none leave him alone unsupervised for
>> more than an hour inr 2.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com
>> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Mon, 1 Apr 2013 20:08:50 -0700
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and water park rides
>>
>> Perhaps you shouldn't bring Wizard under those circumstances?
>>
>> Mike
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sarah
>> Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 7:32 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and water park rides
>>
>> I'm not making my guide dog wait 4 hours for one ride in the
>> uncomfortable hot weather. Besides, all the ride operators know me
>> at the park anyways.
>> I never waited in line before I did for like 2 hours because X2 broke
>> down and sy had to replace a wheel.
>> But I'm not making Wizard wait in line er 4 hours for each ride.
>> It's like 2 or 4 hours for each ride and I bought an immediate
>> boarding pass. All I have to do is show the paper I bought to the
>> operator if they don't know me already, and they let me on.
>> People are just jealous because they can't do it!
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org Date sent: Mon, 1 Apr 2013 20:18:14 -0600
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] canes and water park rides
>>
>> Sarah,
>> I know you're going to get a lot of flack for what you just said,
>> so I'll do my best to be gentle. I know each person's situation is
>> different, so I'm not judging every blind person who chooses to take
>> that extra perk and cut through line; for all I know, there really is
>> some other disability or legitimate need for that accommodation with
>> some of us, so farbeit from me to condemn everyone wholesale for
>> making that choice. Still, and I feel very strongly about this, if
>> you are capable of waiting in line with everybody else, you should.
>> Period. In the past, there have been a few times where I've caved in
>> to family pressure and broken my own rule; I'm not proud of it, I
>> don't always measure up to my own standards here, but I nevertheless
>> believe very passionately that we should not take "accommodation"
>> where we do not need it. If you had no real need to cut in line, and
>> it sounds like you didn't if you've been able to wait in long lines
>> before (if I'm wrong please forgive me), you shouldn't have.
>> That's
>> my opinion, I'm not trying to be harsh because I've certainly skipped
>> in line a few times before (and invariably felt ashamed afterwords),
>> but accommodation is only real accommodation if it serves a real
>> need.
>> We have enough real needs already to go around taking advantage of
>> things that just aren't necessary. Not only is it a waste but it
>> can, if we aren't careful, send totally the wrong message about
>> blindness.
>> Our reputation as people who take and take, without giving back,
>> isn't entirely unjustified. If we want to be treated equally, we
>> _have_ to have it both ways. If we want equal treatment, we have
>> equal responsibility.
>> Much as this might seem menial, or irrelevant to the larger problems
>> we face, waiting in lines is a drudgery that we ought to accept
>> cheerfully (or at least grudgingly) if we really want equal access to
>> amusement parks. I think, for many blind people, the attitude which
>> says it's okay to cut in line even though we could wait like everyone
>> else is indicative of a far, far larger problem. I am, of course,
>> referring to the idea that we are entitled to special treatment and
>> superior, not equal access. We wouldn't phrase it that way...but
>> when we're asking for unnecessary extended time for assignments (I'm
>> not implying that all extended time is unnecessary), demanding the
>> right to a dedicated person to take our notes for us, begging rehab
>> for every piece of the newest and greatest technology and, yes,
>> cutting in lines at amusement parks...isn't that what we're really
>> saying?
>> Just my humble opinion, take it for what it's worth.
>> Best,
>> Kirt
>>
>> On 4/1/13, 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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