Month: September 2013

Disney’s Disabled Guest Policy

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

Living in Orlando, and of course as a child, I’ve been to Epcot and Disney World.  When I moved here permanently to go to school, I even visited Universal Studios a couple of times.  When I was a child, these theme parks would let those with a disability get to the front of the line to make the park experience an equal one.

Over the years, there have been abuses of that privilege by people who rent a wheelchair when they really don’t need it or hire a disabled person to get to the front of the line.  It’s no surprise that now, going to the theme parks isn’t that easy and at least for me, I don’t go that often anymore.

This past week, Disney decided to revise their disabled guest policy.  Now, people are supposed to receive a photo I.D. and a virtual wait time to get on the rides.  It wasn’t clear to me in the news report or the story from the link below how they will be handling those people who are accompanying the disabled guest but, maybe it will have to be a case of trial and error.

I applaud The Disney Company for trying to remedy a problem that’s really nothing new.  Hopefully, once they get the kinks worked out, it will lead to a more enjoyable theme park experience for everyone.

Do you think the revision of this policy will get more disabled people to visit the parks?

Thanks for reading..

cr

To get more information on this story, you can go to the link below:

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/disney-introduces-pass-prevents-non-disabled-peopl/nZ5f9/

Accessible Playgrounds

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

One of my favorite things to do is go with my son to the playground.  We’re very lucky that one of his mom’s friends doesn’t live too far and picks us up every week so that he can go and have some fun with his friends.  As a child, I remember going to the park in Brooklyn and playing on the swings but, not much else.  I also had a swing set at home and my friends used to come to my house and play for a little while when they could.

Last week, it occurred to me that most places don’t have accessible playgrounds where everyone has the opportunity not only to play but also interact with each other.  Then, I heard something on the radio about accessible playgrounds so, I did a bit of research.  There are some playgrounds in different parts of the country that are specifically constructed for kids with disabilities.  While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that public places, like public playgrounds be accessible, these modifications only need to be made to playgrounds already in existence if they’re undergoing renovations.  Accessibility of playgrounds also applies to those playgrounds being newly constructed.

Then, another thought occurred to me.  Accessible playgrounds allow for disabled parents to play at the playground with their kids too.  That’s a wonderful idea since some of the best memories we have as kids are the times we spend having fun with our parents.

What do you think about the idea of an accessible playground?

To find out more information, you can go to:

http://www.npr.org/2013/08/27/213827534/for-kids-with-special-needs-more-places-to-play

Thanks for reading..

cr

The Scooter Store and Home Owner’s Associations

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

While house hunting many years ago, one thing I knew I didn’t want was to get involved with a Home Owners Association.  From my experience of what others had said to me about HOAs, I had reached the opinion that they were something you paid lots of money for, that most of the time equaled lots of heartache for the homeowner.

I was again very happy that my home wasn’t associated with an HOA while watching the news a couple of weeks ago.  The news showed a story about a disabled woman who lives in a home that has an HOA.  She received a letter recently, because the Home Owner’s Association (HOA) felt that her car lift was a violation of one of their rules.  Because it has the name “The Scooter Store” on the actual lift, the lift and the pickup truck it’s attached to was seen as a commercial vehicle.  Because of her disability, she needs a lift on her personal vehicle to transport the scooter she uses while outside of her home.  Now an attorney’s involved.   If the HOA continues to send the woman correspondence about the lift, she could and should file a complaint with HUD under the Fair Housing Act.

Those who live in homes with HOAs pay a lot of money to live in those subdivisions.  Maybe the individual HOAs should take some of the money they collect in the form of dues and research laws like The Fair Housing Act before they start sending residents what could turn out to be harassing letters.  The more negative publicity Home Owners Associations receive, the less likely anyone will be willing to live in these areas.

What is your opinion of Home Owners Associations in your area?

For more information on this story you can go to the link below..

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/action-9-did-hoa-go-far/nZdmD/

Thanks for reading..

cr

New “Dancing with the Stars” Cast Announced

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

Today, while checking out “Good Morning America”, I saw the announcement for the new cast of “Dancing with the Stars”.  If you’ve followed my posts before, you know that I’ve commented on the happenings of the show as it relates to disability awareness.  Any show that’s going to positively impact the way the disabled population is viewed by the general public should receive praise.  The show is always giving people with disabilities the spotlight as people first.

One of the new celebrities for this season is Jack Osbourne, the son of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne.  Since the ending of the reality show “The Osbourne’s” on MTV, the public has learned that he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis not too long ago.  In the past, “Dancing with the Stars” has had such celebrities with disabilities like Marlee Matlin and Heather Mills-McCartney, so they’re no stranger to making accommodations for the disabled celebrity when necessary.  It’ll be interesting to see what accommodations or obstacles Jack will overcome in order to compete on the show.

I know that Multiple Sclerosis affects everyone differently, just like every other disability but, I’m hoping that Jack’s appearance on the show can make those who have any disability see that just because you have a disability doesn’t mean that your dreams aren’t attainable or even that you still can’t participate in fun activities because that’s far from the truth.

Kudos, yet again, to “Dancing with the Stars” for being an inclusive show.  Also for demonstrating to the world that no matter what your limitations, not only will they give you the opportunity to compete but, that dancing can make a difference in anyone’s life.

Seeing shows like “Dancing with the Stars”, how have they helped you realize your potential?

Thanks for reading..

cr

For more on this story, you can go to:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/dancing-stars-2013-season-17-cast-announced/story?id=20145315