to think attitudes to disabilities in a themepark should be better...

[LunarRose]

We have exit passes for DS with ASD.

AIBU that "I'm going to kick their head in" cos they're "queue jumping", was neither clever nor original (especially after the third time my DP heard it during the day)

AIBU that pushing DS out the way (in the chest with some force) because he failed to respond instantly to your demand he "get out of your way" (whist waiting at the disabled exit) was just plain unpleasant (I was bending down to move him at the time)

So many more similar incidents through the day.

I normal circumstances I wouldn't want to wish my son's disability on anyone, nor the days over backache that a themepark trip entitled before we knew about exit passes (from carrying DS through Queuelines kicking and screaming) however....

We shall retreat to Chessington where we have always found people lovely!!!

silverfrog .They will help ds3 can not press peddle not enough leg strenth and member of staff sat at the back and pressed peddled and helped ds steer .Same at my local zoo the guys hop on the back though he is getting better at it now

Silverfrog I do hope your dd1 gets her ride, I'd be delighted to think that I'd helped that to happen DS had such a good time on it we did it 3 times over the 2 days we were there

Posting to get a rise out of people.facing adversity is a bit low

'But surely ASD kids should be getting used to queuing.They are not going to be allowed to queue jump say at the post office, ice cream van.Don't you think it's better to get them used to the real world rather than making them think everyone is going to bend over backwards to accommodate them?'

Spiderpig, how much do you actually know about ASD??, my dd's often have to que in the post office and at ice crean vans (they can just about handle that, if theres a huge que then we tend to avoid it), no, my dd's might not ever be able to handle a long que but they are likely to alway have some level of care (someone with them) to help at times like this. A que at a theme park is a lot different than a que in the post office, my daughter can cope with the sounds in a post office but in a theme park she has a sensory overload (too many sounds going on at once, people bumping into her, children jumping up and down and people moving in all directions around her). I don't really know why i am explaining it to you as you are clearly not bothered but thought i would give it a go . Oh, and yes, some children with ADHD do struggle to que but again i guess you don't actually know what ADHD is either?

thanks, THC. that's really made my day dd1 loves "driving" the car rides at chessington etc, but hadnt dared let her loose on her own in one that actually goes anywhere

we had a great day today - the dds went on "big" rides for the first time, which ahs opened up whole new avenues for us at Chessington. to have the possibilities of new rides at legoland is great too - might have to head off there tomorrow

I have a ds who is ASD and it has never crossed my mind that he was able to get passes in a theme park. We have just dealt with it

x-posts. thanks rookiemater when we do it, I'll put a shout out for you

dd2 will love you forever - she has been desperate to do it, but won't do anything her sister isn't allowed to do, so has been missing out. am all excited at the prospect now

theme parks bring out the worst in people. The extortionate prices they pay to get in, combined with long queues, combined with children moaning about said queues, combined with too many people all rushing to do the same thing, often after a long drive

What she said. Not conducive to sweet reason.

Agree that some sort of signal - wristband etc - wpuld make it more obvious and thus reduce all the hassles a lot.

It's been 40 years and I still haven't learnt to queue.

I don't go out to the icecream man because, typical aspie, I can't make decisions and don't know what I want but get aggitated incase anyone in front of me buys the last one that I might want and then I won't be able to get anything. Arrrrgh. This is what husbands were invented for.

I go to the post office because we have a ticket system. So I can take a number and go and sit down and read my book until my number is called. If I had to queue, I wouldn't go. This is what husbands were invented for.

At the supermarket, I push the trolley and load it up, but once we get to the till, I go off to find somewhere to sit and read my book. Yep, husband does the rest.

cricketballs you cna but you will need the reverlent supporting documentation you can not just turn up and ask as lot of people was trying it on .

Cricketballs if your ds can mange thats good but when others can not it means you can still go out do thinsg as a family

whatmeworry: at chessington and alton towers there is a wristband - luminous yellow usually. legoland is more difficult, as it is a handstamp only (red for the person with disabilities, black for the people accompanying).

spiderpig

I think Marne maybe describing a day without exit passes? My children may not be able to queue well but do enjoy the rides they choose to go on. I am not going to lock them in the house and never go out just becasue you are jealous that your children or yourself don't have a disability that affects their or your ability to queue at a theme park.

Have you realised just how stupid your comments are and that you sound quite disablist?

Agree that some sort of signal - wristband etc - wpuld make it more obvious and thus reduce all the hassles a lot.

But most people tend to realise your queing at a exit for a reason , and why should it be any more obvious .In my case the wheelchair is dam ovious so would i need a wrist band or maybe a badge saying hey look at me .But ds is not obvious and why should i make it obvious to people that he has a problem

I find it utterly terrifying that so many people in our society have reached such a state of blinkered, self-regarding jealousy that they actually begrudge disabled children something that delays them by a matter of moments.

I find it even more terrifying that some of these people are evident on a forum like MN where, I would have thought, people join because they want to think and talk about things. For people to openly post these sort of views just goes to show how justified they feel in their attitudes.

Vile, thoughtless spite from two posters on this thread. You should be ashamed.

But you won't be, will you?

wasuup3000 to describe spiderpig as "quite disablist" is a bit like saying that it could be a bit warm if you went to the sun!

Actually I don't think spiderpig a troll, and kinda brave to come on here and ask the kind of questions she has. En masse us SN mums are a pretty fearsome bunch, we need to be!!!

spiderpig - I also agree with that children with ASD work towards learning these skills. At present we are teaching DS to take turns, I was delighted when he learnt to take turns on a [[www.boots.com/en/ELC-Click-Clack-Track_19040/?CAWELAID=334486233&cm_mmc=Shopping%20Engines--Google%20Base----_-ELC%20%20Click%20Clack%20Track click clack track like this] and everyone compliments him on the good progress he's making. even on this superb rate of progress I wonder how long it will be until we learn to take truns over a queueline of 40 mins plus.....

kungfu

I agree it is sickening some of the posters but is also good to see how some do rethink and also how many will come to the defence as well

And yes when out we do come across some bad attitudes but have also met some very nice people and even made couple good friends

Andrewfrog

LOL! I was giing them the benefit of the doubt in case they had ignorantitise...

Thans Wasuup, i was describing our day out at a small theme park that had no exit passes, it was not a great day out at all and we wont be going again, we payed a fortune to get in, the dd's went on 2 rides and dd2 managed a pony ride (when it was quiet), its prety much like this where ever we go so we try to go to places that dont involve rides or we go in school time (but dd2 still can't handle all the different sounds).

Spiderpig, you sound like a very considerate person (not) , i'm glad i don't bump into you on our days out.

Totally disagree with the suggestion of a visible marker to satisfy the tutters. The fact that someone has a pass is between them, the park and the ride operator. It's no-one else's business.

Although maybe I just looking at it as a way of saying all the things that I don't ge to say to the stupid people because I'm too busy looking after DS I'm out and about

Thats Ok I have 2 with ASD and one with possible ADHD so understand! :)

it's standard at the Merlin parks, Kladkakka. you need somehtign to show the ride operator, as proof you can go via the exit.

you also get a card where, for the bigger/more popular rides, the operator writes down the time you are next allowed to go on another big/popular ride (they are listed on the card) - this is equivalnt ot the current queue time. so, eg, we went on the Runaway Train at 4.30 today. the queue time was 40 minutes, and he wrote down 5.20 - the time we could next use our exit pass to go on a popular ride. we could fill in the time in between going on the smaller rides, or just finding somewhere to sit out of the way until we could queue for the next ride.

At Lightwater Valley, the person with SN gets a yellow wristband, the carers orange, so that they cannot get on a ride without the person with SN, which is fair game really.