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Standing Up for Those Who Must SitNote: This is a first-person account of a recent moviegoing experience. By Roberta C.M. DeCaprio I was born with a walking disability and walk with the aid of two canes. When I am out and about, I use a motorized wheelchair and drive a specially equipped van. Technological advances have greatly improved for people with disabilities since I was a young girl, but from time to time, speaking out is necessary if progress is to continue. My story begins a few months ago, when my husband and I went to see a movie at the Regal Cinema 18 at a mall near Albany, N.Y. This theater complex is fairly new, but the general seating arrangement for wheelchair patrons is very uncomfortable. Fourteen of the eighteen theaters in the complex have a space provided for wheelchair users only at the very front of the theater. This makes watching a movie blinding because the screen is so close. Moviegoers sitting in this area must crane their necks upward into an awkward and uncomfortable position in order to watch the screen. The four remaining theaters in the complex have an elevator access to a balcony. From this vantage point, the movie experience is much more pleasant. There are two seats in this vicinity for companions. and the rest of the space is left empty for people who use wheelchairs. This section is completely set apart from the seated balcony area and for wheelchair users only. I understand this came about as a result of a legal settlement by disabled advocates. On the day we went to the movies, our film was being shown in one of the theaters that had a balcony. After getting our popcorn, we took the elevator up to the balcony entrance and went through the doors to the wheelchair section only to find a teenage girl and her boyfriend occupying the area. I very politely informed her that the area was designated for wheelchair patrons and their companions. The young woman curled her lips into a vicious snarl and with a cocky attitude informed me that she didn’t see a sign stating she couldn’t sit there and that she wasn’t moving. I left the balcony very upset and immediately took the elevator down to the theater lobby, where I found the manager and complained. He called for an usher to escort the teenage girl and her companion out of the balcony area. It was then that I realized that, even though the young woman’s behavior was inappropriate, she actually had a valid point. To be completely fair, there was nothing posted indicating that the area was reserved for wheelchair users only. I opted for the manager to leave the teenager and her boyfriend alone, but I also informed him it was the responsibility of the theater to place a sign, visible for all to see, stating the area was first and foremost set aside for wheelchair patrons and that the seat must be vacated immediately should a wheelchair user come along. The manager assured me he’d look into the matter right away. Truthfully, I had little hope that he would. A few weeks later my husband and I decided to see another movie, and again our film was being shown in a theater that had a balcony. When I entered the section I was completely shocked and utterly overjoyed to see a large sign posted on the banister stating that the area was especially set aside for wheelchair patrons and all others must vacate the premises immediately should a wheelchair user come along. If I had had a camera with me, I would have taken a picture of that sign. And I am grateful to that manager for stepping up. He would have never had the opportunity to right a wrong if I hadn’t brought it to his attention. Therefore, the whole incident proved to me that speaking up is important because sometimes there are people who actually listen. It is wonderful to have rights. It is great to know your rights. But to exercise your rights to benefit untold others…that is priceless.
***************************** Roberta C.M. DeCaprio lives in Schenectady, N.Y. and is a multipublished author of the romance genre. To read excerpts from her novels, leave a message, or order a book, go to her Web site at:www.robertadecaprio.com. |
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