Re: Autism ADA accessibility at Six Flags Parks [2 Attachments]

[Guest guest]

I can completely relate. We no longer live in Texas but took advantage of their pass policy to attend Six Flags with our son on several occasions in the 6 or 7 years it was appropriate & entertaining for him. Your son sounds very similar to our son but he is younger at 10 years old. We also enjoyed the benefits & convenience of a similar pass at both Sea World & Disneyworld in Florida. Without the pass, the trip wouldn't be feasible for our son & our family. I applaud you for bringing this tithe administration of the parks.D. Sent from my iPhone

Dear Six Flags Corporate Guest Relations:

This is and Steve Levine. We are parents of a 22 year old son with autism and have had Six Flags season passes for over fifteen years. Riding roller coasters is one of the very few things in life our son enjoys.

We worked with the Six Flags corporate office a few years ago in regards to ADA accessibility for those with autism for Six Flags nationwide.

We worked with both Holst, the Corporate Director of Guest Programs and Special Services, and with the general counsel, Coughlin. (see attached)

At that time we worked together to ensure all the Six Flags parks were accessible to those with autism by providing those with autism a pass to go through the exits and gain quick access to the rides. Since waiting and behavioral issues are major concerns of those with autism, this was the accommodation needed to provide them access and to be ADA compliant. This process was working well and we had visited several parks nationwide.

We just got off the phone with both Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags Fiesta Texas and were informed of a change in this policy. The new policy now has taken away the ADA-required accommodation needed for those with autism to have access to the rides.

Here is a summary of what changes have been made in those two parks.

Six Flags Over Texas

Go to Guest Relations and tell them your guest has autism They will get a pass and stamp it with "Autism" (or some stamp that represents this).

They have a list of seven rides that they will give you times to ride. These are 15-20 minutes apart and as long as you arrive at that time or after you can board.

The rest of the rides, besides these seven, you go through the exits and get quick access, within five minutes. (this is the way all the rides were in the past years and the way that worked)

Then you take this pass to the rides.

The only difference from the past years is that you now have times given for seven rides. The time between is 15-20 minutes which is feasible.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas (this park is completely non-accessible for those with autism now)

Go to Guest Relations and tell them your guest has autism. They will get you a pass and will give you times to ride ALL the rides. The time between rides is the same as for all guests. If the wait time for rides is 45 minutes, then your pass will show 45 minutes between rides for the guest with autism. This obviously means that the person with autism, whose disability makes waiting a behavioral issue, will not be able to wait the 45 minutes between rides.

They are not given an ADA accommodation to be able to access the rides. Whether the wait is in a line or doing nothing in the park, it is still a wait and will lead to behavioral issues. I was told by the guest relations supervisor at this park, "Well you can just go do something else between the rides." This is what she is not understanding and we have worked so hard on Six Flags and other companies/agencies understanding. Those with autism cannot just go "do something else."

They are limited on what they can do. For example, our son has sound sensitivities so we can't just go to a show. Also, he does not talk so we can't just socialize. He doesn't walk far distances without running off or laying on the ground, etc. We use a wheelchair to keep him with us while at the park for this reason. So we can't just walk around the park. The typical things that other kids would do during the times between rides, he cannot do. Believe me, I wish he could.

So Six Flags Fiesta Texas is not a place we can now take our son, and he is the sole reason we have had season passes for so many years.

In the most recent past years he was able to get a separate pass for Autism and gain access through the exits and only wait a few minutes. This is what worked.

We were going to Fiesta Texas this weekend but now we can't. We have purchased season passes we cannot use there.

We are going next Saturday to Six Flags Over Texas. The way their policy was described, sounds like it will work.

I strongly encourage Six Flags corporate to return to the policy that was in place the past year that did give ADA- compliant access to those with autism. Those with autism just used a different pass that did not have any times on it and they were able to get to the rides when they were able to and gain access through exits and not wait more then a few minutes. THIS WORKED.

If you want to give times for rides for those with autism, then it will need to be no more then 15-20 minutes apart like it is in Arlington.

When we take our son to any Six Flags, we only ride the rides. We go from one to the other and really only stop to use the restroom or take a short snack break. This is how we have to do this to keep him occupied and to ensure he does not have behavioral issues.

We will be working with you on this ADA compliance issue again and would like to know who is now the Corporate Director of Guest Programs since is gone.

We will not let this happen to our son and many others who are so limited in what they can enjoy in life.

Please call us as soon as possible at or .

and Steve Levine

Attachment(s) from Levine

2 of 2 File(s)

Couglin 9-20-07.doc

Couglin 9-30-07.doc

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