October 28, 2008
I discovered a wonderful barrier-free trail -- one that's ideal for viewing the transient Sandhill Cranes -- on my way home from the dentist yesterday. Truth be told, Charles discovered it, but I was along for the ride. It's in the Consumnes River Nature Preserve, located just off Interstate 5 at Twin Cities Road, near Galt.
Continue reading "Stalking the Sandhill Cranes"
February 1, 2008
I’ve had a lot of response about my blog entry about getting accessible seating at the Super Bowl. The good news is, accessible seating at the University of Phoenix Stadium is excellent. As one reader put it, "It’s almost like being in a box because the accessible seating is roped off. Because of the setup, my husband didn’t have to put up with people bumping into his wheelchair, like he does at other venues." That’s great. Unfortunately as I reported earlier, getting accessible seats can be a challenge. First off, I have to say that I’m not really a football fan, and in doing research for this blog I was simply astounded by the ticket prices for the Super Bowl. As I told a friend, for $5000 I expect the guys to be running around naked down there!! But I digress. Obviously people are willing to pay four and five figure ticket prices for a seat at the big game, so more power to them. We all have our preferences. Anyway, back to access. I’ve talked to a lot of folks who got accessible seats at Super Bowls past. Those who got their free tickets through sponsors had no problems -- they just asked for accessible seats and got them. After all, sponsors have a little pull. As for the folks who purchased tickets from ticket brokers, well they initially were not given accessible seats, but were able to exchange them for accessible seating at the NFL booth at the stadium on game day. They also noted that the accessible section was largely occupied by able-bodied fans. And then there were a few folks who were able to buy accessible seats directly from season ticket holders. And in the majority of cases, the seller didn’t require access, but had "inherited" the season tickets from a disabled relative. Still, many of these tickets were sold to wheelchair-users, so in the end it all worked out. So there you have it -- it is possible to get accessible seating if you have the time, the patience, the connections and the bucks. So if you’re lucky enough to have tickets, enjoy the game. And stick around Phoenix for a few days, as there are plenty of accessible diversions to enjoy there, as well as in nearby Scottsdale. Plus, chances are, the weather in Phoenix is probably better than the weather at home. Have fun on game day, no matter where you are..
January 17, 2008
If my dad were alive today he would be ecstatic that the Packers are going to the Super Bowl. Sadly, he will have to watch this game from the great beyond. Even sadder, he (or his spirit), probably has a better chance of seeing this match-up than those mere mortal fans in wheelchairs. Earlier this week I got the first of several queries about how to get wheelchair-accessible Super Bowl tickets. Well, it’s not an easy feat, and to complicate matters there aren’t any real guidelines; however from what I can surmise, you have to first procure regular Super Bowls ticket via the standard channels. So what are those regular channels? Well, if you’re not lucky enough to be a season ticket holder (and thus get into the lottery to purchase tickets), then you pretty much have to go through a ticket broker. And be ready to pay the big bucks for that transaction!. Although the face value of the cheapest tickets is $400, you’ll be hard pressed to find any for that price; because once they are resold to ticket brokers they are marked up substantially. Just like concert tickets, only because of the short lead time on this event, the prices never go down as there is always a high demand for these tickets. And the wheelchair accessible seating? Well, according to the folks at the University of Phoenix Stadium, once you purchase a ticket, you apparently then have to contact the NFL for accessible seating. The NFL knows nothing about that, so it’s pretty much a giant feedback loop from there. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Apparently there are some 600-700 wheelchair-accessible seats (the number varies according to the source quoted) yet they aren’t reserved for or sold exclusively to wheelchair-users. And from what folks tell me who have actually sat in those seats at previous Super Bowls, the number of wheelchair-users there is very small. Go figure, nobody can figure out how to get tickets for the wheelchair-accessible seats, so the section fills up with able-bodied fans. Now I’m not saying that these seats need to be held and sold only to wheelers or that folks should be required to provide documentation of a disability before they are allowed to purchase them; however it would be nice if somewhere along the line somebody would post some nice simple instructions about how to get tickets for the wheelchair-accessible seats. Is that asking too much? I think not. To be honest it seems like a big risk to shell out $2k for a seat on the hopes that you might be able to exchange it at some time in the future for a wheelchair-accessible seat. That’s kind of a big gamble, IMHO. And what happens if you get to the stadium and nobody can accommodate you? Hmmm...I guess you go back to the tailgate party in the parking lot and watch the game on TV. And to be honest, for $2k, I think you are entitled to more than that. So, if any of you folks out there know how to get wheelchair-accessible seats at the big game, please drop me a note so I can pass along the information. And as my dad would have said, "Go Packers!"
July 4, 2006
Kudos to the organizers of the Red, White & Boom celebration in Sonoma, for including access information on their website. Granted, most of these events are accessible but it’s nice to have verification of that fact in advance. Additionally it’s nice to know where the accessible restrooms and parking areas are located in advance too. Hopefully more organizers will follow the Sonoma example and include access information on their event website. So, if you live in the area and haven’t made plans for the Fourth yet, then check out their website at www.sonomacounty4th.com/
June 16, 2006
Well I just got some feedback from a few friends who went to the Symphony in the Flint Hills concert in Kansas. It was held last weekend and from what I hear the weather was great. The whole premise behind this event was to stage classical music against the backdrop of the Kansas Flint Hills. The organizers wanted to make the event as accessible as possible, but they had some tough challenges. First off, people were suppose to park in the parking lot and either walk or take one of the vintage wagons out to the concert site, which was about a mile away. They wanted to give folks the feeling that they were really out in nature, not just next door to a parking lot. Of course, vintage wagons aren’t very wheelchair-accessible. So as an alternative they had lift-equipped buses with tie downs. One of my friends, Terry, had a bit of an issue with the tie-downs. Basically the person who was securing his wheelchair was unfamiliar with the tie-downs and it took a while. Terry being the “rough and tumble type of guy” insisted he did not need them anyway. But the driver said he did. OK, so you see where this is leading. Terry’s point is that none of the able-bodied passengers on the bus had to be belted in, so why did he? And why shouldn’t the bus driver listen to him? So he was a little miffed about that and said that the drivers should be trained better. I told him that he was being secured, not for his own safety, but for the safety of others on the bus. And most likely it was also a condition of the insurance carrier. He still thought he should have the choice. Still I think Terry’s biggest beef was that the driver would not listen to him; which is a complaint I hear all to often. Too many times people try and assist you, yet will not listen to your specific instructions on how to lift you or what part of your wheelchair not to touch. People just like to have a little input (or at least appear to have some input) into a situation that directly effects them. Nobody likes to be ignored. On the brighter side of things, after Terry got to the venue he had a great time. There was accessible seating up front and he just rolled out of his wheelchair and found a space on the grass and enjoyed his picnic lunch and vino (from a plastic container as no glass containers were allowed). All in all it sounds like a great event. I’m glad the organizers worked to make it accessible, because I know several people who would have missed out otherwise.
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