*****SEE UPDATE BELOW!
So, we spent some time at Knoebel’s Amusement Park this summer, and I did blog about our mostly positive experience there. However, we went there today and had an absolutely HORRIBLE time that I must share with you.
See, it has to do with disabilities. There’s been a lot online about Disney Park’s change in their disabilities policy, and I’ve been vocal on social media about it. Policies on disabilities and compliance are very important to me because we deal with multiple issues. You know about the Autism and some about the physical issues, but it seems like my daughter has different problems crop up all the time. Her latest symptom keeps her close to home.
Anyway, Knoebel’s announced the opening of their new roller coaster ride yesterday. DS10 wanted to ride it so bad, so we went over there today. We knew that the line would be long, but Knoebel’s has what seems like a good assistance policy. We don’t use it all the time, only when the lines exceeded the length of time that DS10 can tolerate. Since we knew the line would be long today, we stopped by First Aid to get his band. You see, Knoebel’s has a pretty good way of screening the disabilities. The medical people screen those coming for a band. They always ask DS10 questions until they are satisfied of his needs. Today, they did the same. When we told them where we were heading, they said that the policy was different for Flying Turns. Only he and one other person could go through the exit to board. Seeing the line, we totally understood and had no problem. DS10 and I went through the exit, and that is where the problems started.
See, the Flying Turns has weight limits. Ok, I get this. No problem, yet. The problem comes in when the guy asked if we were going to ride in the same car or in different cars. Well, considering how big DS10 is, I would prefer different cars. The two of us would be over their non-published weight anyway. No, there was no posting of weight limitations that we could see. When the guy heard that we wanted separate cars, he stated that we would have to be on separate trains. Ummm… Now, we have a problem!
How many of you with a child on the Autism Spectrum would put your child by himself on a roller coaster train and take the next one yourself? Not me, and my husband agreed that we shouldn’t be split up either. The guy said that they only had the ability to weight one car, and we would have to go together. However, we exceeded their weight limit for one car. The guy called people from customer service to talk with us. The two talked with the engineer and then talked with me. All this time, DS10 is looking around and lamenting that the conversation would never end. I could tell that he was nearing his last rope. When the guy from customer service came back to talk with me, he said that either we go in separate trains, or DS10 and I would have to wait in the normal line in order to be weighed separate. I then said that he needed to get us to the other side where they have a scale for each car. He said that we couldn’t go across the tracks. I understand this, but he wouldn’t hear of taking us through the other line right up to the scales. That was my suggestion, and it would have worked, but they refused to do this. They said that either DS10 needed to go in a separate train from me or stand in the regular line. These were the only choices we were given. Well, there was one other… That was to have DD14 ride with him. Unfortunately, we have to screen rides for her before she rides them due to her physical issues. And here we are with no one able to ride. Did I mention that this ride was the ONLY reason we were there?
I know… Some of you reading this post may be wondering why I wouldn’t want DS10 to ride in a separate train. Well, earlier this summer, he was on a ride that was faster than what he thought it would be. He screamed, cried, and tried to climb out of the moving ride. He needed a parent there with him on a new ride.
As we were walking out after being rebuffed by customer service and the ride operator, my husband and I compared notes. He told me about a sign that mentioned people in wheelchairs. The sign said that people in wheelchairs would not be accommodated if there were 3 or more trains on the track. Here’s the thing… Each train only holds 3-6 people. That is three to six people. Can you ever picture a time that they would only have 1 or 2 trains on the track with that lack of loading capability? Neither can I.
So, not only did they not accommodate my son’s needs, they will not accommodate those in wheelchairs either.
So, now, DS10 says he never wants to go back and that Knoebel’s should have a sign that says, “We don’t like Autism Spectrum kids.” Afterward, my husband called customer service, and they were less than helpful. They said Mr. Knoebel won’t talk to anyone and that you can only reach him by snail mail. What poor customer service!
UPDATE: We have attempted to contact Knoebel’s by Facebook, Twitter, and Email. No one has replied to us regarding our experience. People on their Facebook page have told us in a not-so-nice way that we are not telling the truth. Yet, Knoebel’s will not respond to any of it.
UPDATED 10/17/2013: Since the office staff at Knoebel’s said that Mr. Knoebel would NOT talk to anyone by phone. We sent a letter to Mr. Knoebel on October 8, 2013. It was curious that the office staff refused to give Mr. Knoebel’s first name. Could it be that it will be ignored without a proper name on it? It is now 9 days later with NO response from the Knoebel’s amusement park. I’m not amused with their lack of attention to this issue. I find it strange that they can’t address our issue when they were able to coordinate telling a person from West London (ENGLAND) when the ride would be open, so he could be there on opening day. Not to mention that he rode it 6 times by the afternoon of the official opening day. You can find that info on the Daily Item. BUT, they can’t find a way to allow a 10 year old child with Autism to ride the roller coaster. I guess they think that silence from me means that I have dropped this issue. I don’t think so. This is not the way to treat people who need extra assistance.
UPDATED 10/23/2013: Since we had not heard anything from Knoebel’s after mailing our letter on 10/8, we sent the letter again on 10/20 return/receipt. Today, two gentlemen from Knoebel’s showed up on our doorstep. I was at work, but my husband was home and spoke with them. From what I was told, they were very apologetic, and they invited my husband and kids to ride Flying Turns at an employee function. We are very appreciate of their invitation. Although I will not be able to go with them, I’m thankful that my son will have the opportunity to ride. My husband did talk to them about their wheelchair policy, and hopefully, they will take it to heart and be able to figure something out before the summer season. I would hate for someone in a wheelchair to come to ride this unique coaster, only to find that he is not allowed to ride. I have hope that a solution will be found.
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