2018, Rielly Making Amusement Parks Friendly for All 2 Imagine a hot June summer afternoon at an amusement park with your family. You can smell the popcorn being made and can hear the people screaming on the rollercoaster next to you. You see the bathrooms to your right and a large group of people waiting in line to ride the big new rollercoaster. Then you look down at your wheelchair only to realize not only can’t you ride the rollercoaster, but the ques aren’t wide enough and have stairs, so you can’t even wait in line with your family. You have to wait outside until they are all done riding, or they choose not to go on the ride to accommodate you. How does this make you feel? Alienated? Upset? Situations like these happen all the time and there are simple fixes to these issues that can be done in advance to include everyone in the fun no matter their age, disability or ability. The U.S., Census Bureau reports nearly 1 in 5 People Have a Disability. The census also found: “About 8.1 million people had difficulty seeing, including 2.0 million who were blind or unable to see. About 7.6 million people experienced difficulty hearing. Roughly 30.6 million had difficulty walking or climbing stairs, or used a wheelchair, cane, crutches or walker. Difficulty with at least one activity of daily living was cited by 9.4 million noninstitutionalized adults. These activities included getting around inside the home, bathing, dressing and eating.” (Census.gov). 1 That’s a huge chunk of our entire population that is considered disabled and has their own unique needs. How do we serve this huge community in our amusement parks and commercial locations? And what exactly does a park need to do to make it ADA friendly versus All 1 Brault, Matthew. "School-Aged Children with Disabilities in U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas: 2010." Census.gob. November 2011. Accessed May 2018. https://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acsbr10-12.pdf. Making Amusement Parks Friendly for All 3 Accessible? In order for a park to be ADA accessible they have to follow the guidelines like any commercial building needs to have. (The list for all 112 items needed for an amusement park is located at the end of the paper). Such things this would oversee include walkways, sidewalks, bathrooms, some amusement rides and commercial shops just to name a few. The access-board.gov states, “Each newly constructed or newly designed amusement ride must provide at least one wheelchair space, or at least one ride seat designed for transfer, or a transfer device designed to transfer a person using a wheelchair from the load and unload area to a ride seat. The choice of which type of access that is provided for each ride is left up to the operator or designer. Where possible, operators are encouraged to exceed the number of accessible ride seats so that more people with disabilities and their families can enjoy the rides at the same time.” 2 By going above and beyond what you have to have to make your park ADA accessible versus accessible for all you will have that many more people who can come to your park and buy a ticket. One thing to do is start from the very beginning before the park is even built. There is a type of design and concept called Universal Design that I believe could be the answer to including everyone in any situation. Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. 2 Home." Amusement Rides. Accessed February 26, 2018. https://www.access- board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/recreation-facilities/guides/guide- on- amusement- rides. Making Amusement Parks Friendly for All 4 There are 7 Key Principles of Universal Design they are:3 1. Equitable use. The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. For example, a website that is designed to be accessible to everyone, including people who are blind and use screen reader technology, employs this principle. 2. Flexibility in Use. The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. An example is a museum that allows visitors to choose to read or listen to the description of the contents of a display case 3. Simple and intuitive. Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. Science lab equipment with clear and intuitive control buttons is an example of an application of this principle. 4. Perceptible information. The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities. An example of this principle is captioned television programming projected in a noisy sports bar. 5. Tolerance for error. The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. An example of a product applying this principle is software applications that provide guidance when the user makes an inappropriate selection. 3 "Universal Design: Process, Principles, and Applications." UW News. Accessed May 07, 2018. https://www.washington.edu/doit/universal-design- process-principles- and-applications. Making Amusement Parks Friendly for All 5 6. Low physical effort. The design can be used efficiently, comfortably, and with a minimum of fatigue. Doors that open automatically for people with a wide variety of physical characteristics demonstrate the application of this principle. 7. Size and space for approach and use. Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of the user's body size, posture, or mobility. A flexible work area designed for use by employees who are left- or right-handed and have a variety of other physical characteristics and abilities is an example of applying this principle. A second way is we look at some of the most well-known amusement parks in the World that are disability friendly and see how they made a guest’s experience the most important part of their design. One of the most well-known disability friendly theme park brands is The Disney Company. The Disney Company’s mission is to ensure that guests have the most magical experience possible. And they live by this mission. Millions of people visit both Walt Disney World and Disneyland every year from all over the world each with varying needs some more than others. In a book called, Mouse Ears for Everyone!, Amy Schinner made a guide on how to navigate Walt Disney World for guests with special needs. She states, “The most significant thing that separates Disney theme parks from any other parks is their customer service. It is the world’s gold standard for customer service.” 4 Schinner also goes into great detail about planning for your trip and things you should look out for in advance to work towards having a great trip. She says, “There are 4 Schinner, Amy. Mouse ears for everyone: a guide to Walt Disney World for guests with special needs. United States: Theme Park Press, 2017. Making Amusement Parks Friendly for All 6 some specific policies Disney uses in guiding their cast members on how to help guests with special needs. Many of the policies are universal to most public places concerning physical disabilities; of course, Disney is fully ADA compliant, but they separate themselves from the pack by thinking of their guests with disabilities not obvious to the public. Whether it is developmental disability or a food allergy, Disney goes beyond the norm to make sure everyone is comfortable and safe.” (Mouse Ears for Everyone!, Schinner, page 67-68). 5 With this mindset in the original design of the park and the staff at Disney well trained to help anyone who needs it makes Disney one of the most successful parks in the country. Disney is also well known for their Disability Access Service otherwise known as DAS. Disney’s website states, “As part of this commitment, Disability Access Service (DAS) is a tool provided at the Walt Disney World® theme parks to enhance the service we provide to our Guests with disabilities. DAS is intended for Guests whose disability prevents them from waiting in a conventional queue environment. This service allows Guests to schedule a return time that is comparable to the current queue wait for the given attraction. Once a return time is issued, Guests are free to enjoy other theme park offerings such as meeting a Character, grabbing a bite to eat, enjoying entertainment or even visiting another attraction until their listed return time. Return times are valid until redeemed prior to park closing.” (Disney.go.com/das). 6 Among DAS, Disney is 5 Schinner, Amy. Mouse ears for everyone: a guide to Walt Disney World for guests with special needs. United States: Theme Park Press, 2017. 6 "Disney Parks Disability Access Service Card Fact Sheet." Disney Parks Blog. Accessed May 08, 2018. https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/disney-parks- disability-access-service-card-fact-sheet/. Making Amusement Parks Friendly for All 7 also well known for the numerous accommodations for guests with mobility disabilities, guests with visual disabilities, guests with hearing disabilities and guests with cognitive disabilities. Some examples of accommodations that Disney offer include: • Rental wheelchairs • Rental electric conveyance vehicles (ECVs) • Accommodations for service animals • Assistive Listening systems • Reflective Captioning • Sign Language interpretation • Text Typewriter telephones • Handheld Captioning • Video Captioning • Audio Description devices • Braille guidebooks • Adult Changing Tables • Sensory Kits • Digital audio tours Making Amusement Parks Friendly for All 8 Besides Disney.