Monday, February 22, 2010

Why Being in a Wheelchair Doesn't Suck

Part One in a weekly series.

Let's face it: there are a lot of times when being in a wheelchair sucks. You can't always stomp your foot when you're angry, you can't stand up for the 7th inning stretch at the White Sox/Tigers game, and you can't go to wheelchair birthday parties because there are no handicapped parking spots left. Many people focus solely on the negative aspects of having a disability. But constantly harping on the downers is no fun at all. So each week, we're going to examine one reason why it's nice to be wheeling around all day.

This week's positive: jumping the line or no lines at all. Growing up, Dan's friends used to always take him to Cedar Point with them (an amusement park in Northern Ohio) because customers who used a wheelchair didn't have to wait in line for rides. As an added benefit, amusement parks will allow you to stay on the ride twice instead of having to get off and wait in line again.

Amusement parks aren't the only place where a similar phenomenon exists. When Chris goes to White Sox games, he gets to avoid long box office lines. When he goes into the gate 4 handicapped entrance, there is a box office window specifically designated for people with disabilities, which rarely has any line at all. This gives you an advantage to get to your seats and snatch a freshly grilled hotdog before the first pitch.

Finally on a more historic note, at a high profile political rally in November of 2008, Dan and Derin jumped the line about 4 times with their own personal Secret Service escort, bypassing hundreds of thousands of people waiting in line (and got personal pat downs).

So it's easy to see, if you hate waiting in lines, become friends with someone using a wheelchair, and you may reap these benefits as well.

Next week's reason: it's better than the alternative.

4 comments:

Will said...

You have just assumed it is the wheelchairs that get you this treatment, but I suspect you lads get special attention mainly because of your charm and good looks.

Chris said...

Will

You have made a very good discovery!
Thank you for commenting!

H. Sterling said...

So true, and don't forget Universal Studios and Disney World offer those benefits as well! We should rent you guys out!

Haddayr said...

Another advantage: going down ramps is REALLY fun.