December 18 - Happy Holidays

This past weekend, Lyle and I attended a local theatre performance of The Sound of Music. The movie has long been associated with the Christmas season. The film version is not my absolute favourite, but last weekend’s performance was live and was based on the original stage script. It was extremely well done and with the slight differences from the movie, the musical play kept our attention to the end. The night was made even more enjoyable because Lyle and I were seated in the front row.

When we attend any live performance, Lyle and I always ask for seats as close to the stage as possible.  Sometimes when seating is on a first come basis, I have been offered a seat at the front with Lyle sitting separately further back. This doesn’t work well at all. Even when I am sitting close to the front I can only make out the larger movement on stage, and the smaller details of action, especially when not accompanied by dialogue, escape me completely. When we sit side by side, Lyle is able to whisper to me the reasons for the laughter or gasps of the audience as they see whatever it is that I am unable to see.

Lyle and I always appreciate it when seating concessions are made for us. Over the years we have become familiar with the theatres that bend over backwards in this regard, and those are the theatres we tend to patronise more often. I am also looking forward to a return visit to Stratford Theatre in Ontario. It was only after our last trip there that I learned that on request, there are headphones available with descriptive commentary of the action on stage.

So, as the days of 2013 count down, I want to wish everyone all the best for the holiday season. It has been an eventful year and is still not quite over. I also want to thank you for checking in on this blog. I am looking forward to being in touch again early in 2014 with more commentary on White Cane Connections.

Sue

December 7 - Getting It Right

This past week, Lyle and I flew to Florida. Considering the below freezing temperatures back in Alberta, this was a good move on our part. The weather in Orlando was exceptionally pleasant and the main reason for our trip.  However, we also visited the Disney Theme Parks. There are four of these – Magic Kingdom, Disney Studios, EPCOT and Wild Animal Kingdom. We had been to the first three nearly twenty years ago but wild Animal Kingdom was new to us.

Magic Kingdom is the park which features the Disney cartoon characters and there are multiple rides and attractions. I think that Lyle and I were a little disappointed in the day we spent there. The park is definitely geared to families and young children and that was part of our memories of our previous visit. We did enjoy seeing a presentation titled Hall of Presidents with a voice narration by Denzel Washington. This presentation was very well done.

There were crowds of people on the day we went to Disney Studios. This park is smaller and with the throngs of people, and some unexpected steps and curbs, I found getting around required a bit more concentration. This was our least favourite park.

Lyle and I both liked EPCOT. Walt Disney and his team gave the park this name standing for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. While the attractions and displays don’t quite keep up with the rapid technological advances of today, Lyle and I did notice some changes from our last visit there. At this point, I want to say a special hello to Shannon. Lyle and I were sitting in the same row as Shannon and her parents in Ellen’s Energy World. Shannon and I were both using our white canes. So, Shannon if you are reading or listening to this, a special hello to you in Ontario from me now back in Alberta.

My favourite of the Disney Theme Parks was definitely Wild Animal Kingdom. I can recommend it for several reasons. First, it was constructed with accessibility in mind and secondly, apart from the business aspect, its prime function is conservation an preservation of the environment.

Wild Animal Kingdom is very well done and seemed to have something for everyone. Lyle liked the roller coaster ride in Asia enough to do it twice. I knew my limits and stayed on a bench near the entryway for this. I liked the safari ride. Although I couldn’t really see the elephants, giraffes, monkeys, and others, our guide was informed and informative. I learned a lot.

For both Lyle and myself, our favourite attraction was a performance of Simba, the Lion King. We were specially seated in a section reserved for people with disabilities. During the performance, the actors came very close to where we were sitting. It was great. When the action took place in the more distant centre of the arena, I was able to watch two extremely talented signers translating the words for the hearing impaired. All in all, I found the staff at this park to be exceptionally courteous and totally aware of the significance of my white cane. The planners of this park got it right and the present day management is continuing to do the right thing for those of us who live with a disability.