Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Wheelchair Pricing

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Ground Level » Wheelchair Pricing (Page 2)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3

Author

Topic: Wheelchair Pricing

Dave Williams
Wet nipple scene

Posts: 1836
From: Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 07-20-2003 09:10 PM

My fiance knew my asking this question would bring up a lot of angered feelings. Just the other day I was knocked over in a theater (where I paid full price) while going to the ticket taker. He actually bumped me from the side and knocked me over in my chair!

He then looked at me and said "hey buddy look out where you drive that thing!"

I then stood up (as I can still do that) and the absolute fear on his face allowed his brain to retranslate his previous statement into "Hey man, Sorry about that".

Throughout history, there has always been anger and hate towards one group or another, it is in our nature to hate and to destroy. Quite often, the anger comes from stereotypes that are quite often misunderstood.

I myself NEVER allowed any discount for ANYONE, of any age or mental or physical lacking. I still stand by that, as a business operator. However, I will not EVER discount another business that wants to give freebies to whatever group they want to give them to. That is thier right to do so.

If the studios don't want them to, they would stop them from doing so. It would become apparent to them at some point that it was happening. They could pull that right at any time if they felt thier money was bieng stolen from them.

I myself do not like to be treated differently. I do however also try not to be a total dick either. There are some in chairs that are total dicks about bieng independant, and some that are total dicks about wanting everyone to wait on them hand and foot.

The majority of chair drivers are not in the habit of wanting to stick out more than they already do. I myself know that when people see me able to stand up out of my car and then have to wobble over to the trunk to get my chair, then gleefully roll around, must be thinking that I am some kind of freak or wacko. Trust me, I love rolling around in the chair, because it is pain free to do so.

I never ask anyone to open doors unless they are accompanying me and I know the door to be problematic. I also never ask for anyone to assist me. I insist on putting and pulling my chair out of the trunk even when I have a guest that insists on doing it for me.

However I do not want to be treated like a freak, as many people do. You get stared at, but thats ok, I am a total hottie!!! And the chair is cool to look at when I start doing tricks! But when people knock you over because they are trying to show off to thier date or whatever, that's pretty crappy. And it comes from the misconception that those in chairs want to be put on some kind of social pedestal. It is mostly far from the truth.

I am sure that Carmike and other theaters that have instituted a free admission charge to wheelchair bound patrons have done so for reasons that either come from the feeling that they don't want to have the few that cause problems always causing problems, or perhaps guilt for those that have to be in them, or even perhaps eminating from some kind of consent decree resulting from some kind of ADA lawsuit, which are filed very frivously and quite often hurt even the ones in the chairs as well as the regular patrons.

My thoughts are pretty solid on this, but you try and get any theater chain owner to publicy make a statement on this issue, and it will never happen. They don't want to make news for treating wheel bound patrons like crap for not letting them in free, and they don't want the policy to be abused by those that shouldn't be getting the benefit, if it was made more publicly known.

I was made known of the benefit by one of my surgeons, who also suggested I start working out for the paralympic wheelchair basketball team. I tried the wheelchair basketball, and while I can shoot and stuff, I still have trouble remembering to control the chair and the ball at the same time. Ever see a chair rider go slamming into a ref or another chair, or better yet, the wall?

So my thoughts are this; They shouldn't get the freebie. I don't mind too much getting it, because I don't actually pay to see movies, and haven't since 1991 (ok I did pay to see ID4, but that was for my crew of 55 on a group rate on opening day). And when I do get the freebie due to the chair, I always purchase enough concession, just in case the theater is having to cover what the studio would have gotten from me (taking into account food costs and the such).

So say what you will, most wheelchair people would probably take advantage of every good or free thing thrown thier way. Most people in the chair didn't get thier from birth, or by choice, and have had to make very difficult adjustments, and don't mind the freebies or whatever, just so long as it is not announced on the PA system when they do it. Also remember that MOST would not complain if the goodies weren't there, and would never demand them.

It is always the few in every crowd that makes the rest look bad. It takes a long number of years to get past those few and see the whole for what it is. Eventually all persons will be treated and measured the same as the rest, but that world is a long way off my friends. Until then, take things with a grain of salt, a pound of understanding, and a mile of yearning for a better world.

Dave