Liahona Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 I really think its a travesty for not providing handicapped parking LOS...BUT it does not surprise me at all!!!! This has actually got me very mad and maybe I'm now overreacting, but this has been just a few of my experiences over the years with DCI... In 1992 finals in Boston my mom had to sit in the endzone becaue there was no place for wheelchairs (she had cancer). Last year at Allentown my father was denied access to the handicapped parking because it was full????( he could barly walk and had been in intensive care for 4 months of that year) I was also given VERY little assistance ahead of time by the DCI office. This year at Annapolis they closed down the elevator, (we arrived early) so my father could not get to his seat easily. AND for all the other handicapped people...WHY does DCI give you crappy seats? I have never seen a good seat for the handicapped yet at ANY event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCKamaaina Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 Bob...yes, I'm sure there are plenty of parking spaces within an easy walk of the stadium. That would be great for most people. Yes, there are parking spaces at LOS. Yes, as required by the Americans With Disabilities Act some of them are for handicapped people. NO, THESE PARKING SPACES WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR THE DCI EVENTS.Before going to bed tonight you might want to look at some of the meanings of HANDICAPPED before you start telling folks how easy it is to walk to the stadium. oops...sorry for the over-reaction. Didn't mean to offend you. Not to get off topic or anything, but I was always told that the more appropriate term for persons with disabilities is just that, "disabled" or even "otherwise-able." A disabled-colleague of mine once told me that "handicap" was a label given to disabled folks who would stand on the street and beg for money or other resources by extending out their hands while holding their caps in the hopes that people would donate some money. To be even more PC, most folks are intentional in distinguishing their disability, thus we have people who identify as "physically disabled" or "hearing disabled" or "visually disabled" etc. OK, sorry for this randomness...back to the topic, I find it disappointing that there will be no on-site parking set aside specifically for fans with physical disabilities . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 Not to get off topic or anything, but I was always told that the more appropriate term for persons with disabilities is just that, "disabled" or even "otherwise-able." A disabled-colleague of mine once told me that "handicap" was a label given to disabled folks who would stand on the street and beg for money or other resources by extending out their hands while holding their caps in the hopes that people would donate some money. To be even more PC, most folks are intentional in distinguishing their disability, thus we have people who identify as "physically disabled" or "hearing disabled" or "visually disabled" etc. OK, sorry for this randomness...back to the topic, I find it disappointing that there will be no on-site parking set aside specifically for fans with physical disabilities . No. Handicapped and disabled/disability have different meanings. Also, a lot of deaf people don't consider deafness to be a "disability," and find the term particularly offensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMichael1230 Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 I really think its a travesty for not providing handicapped parking LOS...BUT it does not surprise me at all!!!!This has actually got me very mad and maybe I'm now overreacting, but this has been just a few of my experiences over the years with DCI... In 1992 finals in Boston my mom had to sit in the endzone becaue there was no place for wheelchairs (she had cancer). Last year at Allentown my father was denied access to the handicapped parking because it was full????( he could barly walk and had been in intensive care for 4 months of that year) I was also given VERY little assistance ahead of time by the DCI office. This year at Annapolis they closed down the elevator, (we arrived early) so my father could not get to his seat easily. AND for all the other handicapped people...WHY does DCI give you crappy seats? I have never seen a good seat for the handicapped yet at ANY event. Allentown is one of the best stadiums in the country for Handicapped folks. Premium seating is abundant and very easy to get accomodated. You just have to talk to someone and they dont even hassle you. They wont even care of the decks are full they'll give you good seating. Parking ? Ample parking for handicapped folks but the immediate lot only holds about 40 vehicles,.....but, they reserve the whole top street for handicapped folks and will drive you by cart to your seats. Geoffrey (And go down to will call for you if you cant get your tickets) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liahona Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 (edited) Allentown is one of the best stadiums in the country for Handicapped folks. Premium seating is abundant and very easy to get accomodated. You just have to talk to someone and they dont even hassle you. They wont even care of the decks are full they'll give you good seating. Parking ? Ample parking for handicapped folks but the immediate lot only holds about 40 vehicles,.....but, they reserve the whole top street for handicapped folks and will drive you by cart to your seats. Geoffrey (And go down to will call for you if you cant get your tickets) I can't say we had that same experience....perhaps we did not speak with the right people is all I can say to that... Edited August 5, 2009 by Liahona Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 (edited) Yes, I checked on that earlier today. Cost from motel (near airport) to LOS will be $32 each way. I had booked a hotel through DCI's web site several months ago at the one closest to the stadium. I thought everything was set, but DCI called a few days later to say I couldn't stay at that hotel unless I booked at least 4 nights. I only needed 3 so I ended up a little further away than I had hoped. That seems very excessive. Have you checked into where the closest parking lot is that offers a handicap shuttle service?Might be one way to get around it.I would imagine that if you found a parking lot close by you could get a cab from that point to the front of the stadium. Here in Nashville at Titans games you can park in designated parking lots and take public transportation (mta)directly to the game.Its a very small fee and I am told if you are handicap you merely have to call MTA ahead of schedule and find out which parking lots have Handicap vans.Depending on the level of disability would dictate which service would be best for you. Just trying to help.Its pretty clear that DCI is not going to help with the answers.So its up to those effected to find a solution. Best of luck to you on this. Edited August 5, 2009 by camel lips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Slocum Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 I feel the need to put my 2 cents in on this as well, since I have mobility issues as well. I can walk, but not far enough to get from the hotel to the stadium and back again. The nearby hotels all have some parking, which won't be free, but from there you can share a cab with others to reduce the cab fare per person. Not that it will be huge cab fare anyways for only a short drive, but it may make things easier in the long run. The downside is that the hotel parking can be rather pricey, so you may want to check out the details of a few hotels to reduce that parking cost. I don't understand why LOS decided to handle things this way, especially without any notice, but we'll just have to figure out ways to make this work. I called the LOS ticket office last week to confirm entrances and handicapped parking locations, and the ticket office had no clue that the parking was going to be closed. I did find out that most of the online LOS parking maps are upside down though, with the visitors/home sides reversed. Seating should be on the Missouri St side, not the Capitol Ave side. I'm very glad that someone posted this so we can at least plan ahead! Even if handicapped parking was available at the stadium, it would likely be limited, which means that those wanting those coveted parking spots would have to get to the stadium very very early. Now that parking there is no longer an option, I can plan on arriving at the stadium later without having to worry about how far I'll have to walk once I get there. I was concerned that the cabbies would balk at a bunch of short-distance fares, but now they won't have much choice! It would be nice if the downtown hotels would offer some sort of shuttle service, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. Let's just make the best of this situation and share cabs to/from the stadium. For those of you staying near the airport or other locations, start making friends at the hotel when you arrive, and talk to the hotel's front desk to see if they'll help to connect people looking to share cab rides to the stadium. A $30 one-way cab fare is a lot easier to handle if it's split 4-5 ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearz Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 From DCI.orgAll spectator parking for the World Championships events will take place in the parking lots and parking garages in the downtown Indianapolis area and at the downtown Indianapolis hotels. Parking is abundant. There are more than 66,000 parking spaces in Downtown Indianapolis. For more details check out the Downtown Indianapolis Parking Database. There are also surface lots that accommodate oversized vehicles." http://www.indydt.com/parking.cfm Ya know, if I was ablebodied I'd just suck it up and walk. But I'm not, so it doesn't matter to me if there are 100,000 parking spaces available. If its not close I can't attend. If this isn't fixed by next year when I'm planning on going I'll have to skip DCI. Seriously, as those of us from the 60s an 70s age this is a huge issue and it needs to be addressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearz Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 Oh, and this is just another in a long line of issues I've had with hc access at large dci events. Last summer at finals there was an elevator to go to the upper floors but no one could use it. Nice. Thanks for the lift. Madison last summer when the show was on the opposite side of the stadium was a nightmare. NO elevators. Steps are #### near impossible for me and I thought I was gonna have a stroke. Not to mention the lack of parking facilities and the lack of decent advance notice about which side to park on or enter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 My mom is handicap and has to use a scooter everywhere she goes. She puts the burden on management when she gets to a area that seems less than handicap friendly.She will say something like,,"I need assistance getting to my seat".No question,,just get me to my freaking seat.It then puts the burdon on them to get her there.Who in their right mind is going to tell a 82 year old woman "get there the best way you can" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts