Disabled turned away from La Ronde’s thrill rides
By J.K. Radomski
MONTREAL — Handicapped thrill-seekers say La Ronde is taking them for a ride.
After paying the full admission price of $ 17.50, disabled visitors find that the amusement park doesn’t allow wheelchair-bound people on rides - even if the handicapped have aides to help them leave their chairs, or if they are partially disabled and can walk short distances.
“This policy is a surprise to me,” said Gaston Trudeau, a 36-year- old wheelchair-bound life insurance agent. “A few years ago the ride operators would even lift you out of your chair and put you on the rides. Now you can only come here and watch other people having fun.” But La Ronde says the policy exists for the safety of its patrons.
“The people who manufacture rides like the Boomerang or the Monster roller coasters suggested that we shouldn’t let disabled people on them,” said Daniel Naud, the park’s client services manager. “If something goes wrong we need to evacuate the ride as soon as possible and everyone on it has to be able to move fast. Security is a priority and it has to come first.”
Lise Beauchamp, who came to La Ronde with her daughter, also complained about the park’s policy.
“My daughter only needs a wheelchair to travel long distances because she broke a foot skiing,” Beauchamp said. Luckily it’s temporary because this park is completely inaccessible to anyone in a wheelchair. You can’t even get on the rides if you wait in line because there’s a turnstile that blocks the way. And they have no special facilities here as they do in other places, in other parks.”
Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto and the Walt Disney theme parks in Florida and Los Angeles offer special services to the disabled.
Publicity agents for both theme parks said that anyone visiting their parks in a wheelchair is given priority seating. Even Disney’s fast-paced roller coaster, Space Mountain, is accessible to the disabled.
Both parks also have trained staff available to handle emergencies should something go wrong.
Manon Lord, La Ronde’s director of public relations, was upset to hear about these complaints.
“I think we are a park that offers the most to the disabled, anywhere,” Lord said. “We even have a policy that lets someone accompanying someone who is disabled in free.”
But some people are never satisfied, she said. “Some of these people always want more.”
Lord added that a brochure advertising the park’s policy will be prepared this week and distributed on the park grounds. This brochure will explain that only cable cars, minirail and other sightseeing rides will be accessible to the disabled at La Ronde. But no advertising outside the park gates or in the media will tell disabled thrill-seekers that all other rides are off limits.
“We can’t advertise this fact because no one reads these signs anyway,” Lord said. “It would be a waste of effort.
“We have signs twice the size of you or me that detail the park’s admission fees, and people still ask us what it costs to get in. So why bother?”
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