Mag,

The main theater in Laramie got an award this year for access for people
with disabilities.  I'm chair of the local city commission on disabilities,
and our vice chair (who I'll cc this to), worked with them because access in
the smaller theatres and restrooms was bad.  They modified the restrooms
almost immediately, so they are more accessible for power chair users, and
others with disabilities, and will move any film to the larger theatres with
better access if we call ahead and give them an hours notice.  That might be
a suggestion for the upstairs theaters in your Multiplex.

On Sat, Jul 5, 2008 at 2:33 PM, Tamar Raine <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> ha, i got one nasty response that basically said, stuff it kid...
>
>
> Yes, I'm going to send a letter to the theatre. wit suggestions...
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> http://www.zazzle.com/TamarMag*
> Tamar Mag Raine
> [log in to unmask]
> www.cafepress.com/tamarmag
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Linda Walker <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
>  Sent: Saturday, July 5, 2008 1:00:07 PM
> Subject: Re: The Sparks are Flying!
>
> Jason sued the local hotel here for not enough access. This frosts me
> too as I went to that theatre often. Of course they can move. This is
> like when the teacher at Summer Fun told me Case could not ride his
> bike to the beach because the other kids were not allowed to do so. I
> said the same, do you want to trade legs with him. There are so many
> stupid people and it is getting worse.
> You are completely in the right and I think we should offer
> sensitivity training to the managers of the theatres in lieu of suing
> them. maybe an op ed piece in the Sunday newspaper.
>
>
> At 04:02 PM 7/4/2008, you wrote:
> >My blood is boiling folks. I went to see a movie today at Grand Lake
> Theatr=
> >e. I have been in there before, and never had a problem. Only half the
> thea=
> >tre is accessible so I always have to call ahead to find out which films
> ar=
> >e being played on the ground floor. I do prefer the older theatres because
> =
> >I HATE STADIUM seating because the only accessible seats are at the very
> fr=
> >ont, and it hurts my neck to look up for two hours. =0A=A0=0ANevertheless,
> =
> >I had rolled down to the theatre in my power chair, as I do frequently. On
> =
> >my power chair is a tall, very thin pole with an orange bike safety flag
> at=
> >  the top. It is always there, and nobody has ever said anything to me
> about=
> >  it, but that is probably because the other theatres have more wheelchair
> a=
> >ccessible seating at the back of the theatre.=A0 =0A=A0=0AThe movie
> HANCOCK=
> >  had just begun and a person from the Grand Lake Theatre came to ask if
> my =
> >flag was retractable or removeable. I said, No, it=92s not. The guy came
> ba=
> >ck a few minutes later and said, =93Your flag is blocking the view for the
> =
> >people in back of you. I=92ll let it go this time, but next time the flag
> h=
> >as to come down.=94=A0 I looked at the seats in the theatre and saw that
> th=
> >ere were 200 seats and probably only 60 were filled.=A0 I felt like
> saying,=
> >  =93What=92s wrong, they don=92t have legs? They can=92t find other seats
> t=
> >o sit in? I=92ll gladly trade my wheelchair for their healthy legs.=0A=A0=
> >=0AAm I unreasonable? No. If the manager had come up to me after the
> movie,=
> >  and asked me about my safety flag, I might have been amenable to finding
> o=
> >ut where to get one.=A0 But, I just could not get over the fact that less
> t=
> >han half the theatre was full, and these poor people simply could not move
> =
> >their butts to different seats, because there are only four places for
> peop=
> >le in wheelchairs to sit, and I was in one of them, and I could not
> believe=
> >  I was the one being called inconsiderate! Violins indeed! I felt like
> what=
> >  those people actually wanted was for me to ask for my money back and
> leave=
> >. I refused to budge. I said to my helper =93What? They can=92t move?
> Where=
> >  am I supposed to sit?=94 =A0=0AI felt like Rosa Parks and all the other
> pe=
> >ople of color that have been relegated to the back of the proverbial bus!
> =
> >=0A=A0=0AFor all the owner and management of Grand Lake Theatre spout
> their=
> >  liberal viewpoints on the marque, I find this kind of attitude
> mind-boggli=
> >ng, and inconsiderate.=A0 What=92s next, =A0is somebody going to complain
> a=
> >bout the headrest on my chair? Get over it. When I used to walk, I would
> mo=
> >ve if somebody was being obnoxious, or if they were so large that they
> bloc=
> >ked my view.=A0 No big deal. But when we only have a choice of four seats
> i=
> >n the house, or to god forbid, plunk ourselves in the middle of the aisle,
> =
> >well, too bad. I=92m not moving. =A0=0A=A0=0AI am an advocate, and I sit
> on=
> >  the Oakland Mayor=92s Commission on Person=92s with Disabilities. I am
> ask=
> >ing everybody to either boycott Grand Lake Theatre, or write letters in
> fav=
> >or of removing a few more of the seats to make better access for those of
> u=
> >s who have to get around in those pesky wheelchairs and scooters! Maybe
> aft=
> >er they do that, I will get a retractable flag. It is a two-way street
> budd=
> >y. With a theatre that boasts a 3.2 million upgrade with 1600 seats total,
> =
> >there is simply no excuse for there to be only 4 accessible seats in each
> o=
> >f the ground floor theatres. it's inexcusable!=0A=A0=0AThis is going to
> all=
> >  the local papers, my blog, as well as my network of friends via e-mail.
> =
> >=0A=A0=0A3200 Grand Avenue=0AOakland, CA 94610=0APhone: (510) 452-3556=0A=
> >=A0Tamar Raine,=A0 =0AJuly 4, 2008 [log in to unmask]
> >
> >-----------------------
> >
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-- 


Kendall

An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's redundant!)

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress
depends on the unreasonable man.

-George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950

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