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    #194840 06/18/14 05:19 PM
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    PanzerAzelSaturn
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    Hi, this does not relate to education, but to a community setting. I'm not sure of where to go with the issue and was hoping a mom here might have a suggestion.

    We live in PA and went to a state park today to swim. I had to pay for my sons therapist to enter with us and that didn't feel right to me. She is there to help with behavior so that he can actually participate in a community outing. She didn't swim and was being paid by the state to be with us. I feel like I was charged extra because of my sons disability. If I have to pay extra to allow my disabled son to enjoy the same things that other kids can enjoy at a state park, isn't that discrimination for his disability?

    It was only 8 bucks and we could have managed without the TSS, but that is us. What if that were a barrier to another family with a more extreme need and/or more dire financial situation? Lots of private venues we visit allow aides in for free and I was pretty shocked that a state run park made me pay for her to to enter with us.

    Any thoughts? Am I wrong? Is there a place to report the issue to? Any thoughts or help would be appreciated. Thanks.

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    That's an excellent point and I completely agree with you. I have a special needs kiddo who also sometimes travels with a behavioral therapist. They would never get away with charging people extra if they needed to use a wheelchair ramp. I think many times it's just ignorance, not meanness. Have you thought about sending them a nice letter explaining the situation? If that doesn't work you could try your state disability rights office. Good on you for bringing it up!

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    I did some reading. I found that a lot of places give a discount to caregivers/aides in the position you mentioned, but I didn't find anything implying or saying that there's a legal requirement for them to do so.

    Some places have a blanket policy charging everyone who enters.

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    Originally Posted by PanzerAzelSaturn
    I feel like I was charged extra because of my sons disability.
    I'm not following. Are you saying that the person at the ticket gate charged more than they would have done if they didn't know your circumstances.

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    What if you went to a restaurant? Should the therapist get a free meal? Is that the kind of thing you're suggesting?

    Wouldn't it make more sense if you kept receipts of such expenses and got the agency who pays for the therapist to refund expenses as they deem appropriate?

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    Warning: I have to go all momma bear here. Sorry in advance.

    We are talking about a state park, not a private business. In fact, this same state is even paying for this therapist to be there. If a blind person needed a seeing eye dog, it would get let into the park free. I think maybe some people don't understand what these behavioral therapists do. It is pretty critical that they be with the child in the same settings where there are issues/behaviors that have to be addressed. Somewhat related to this , the state pays for my disabled kid to have an aide in his class. Without it, he wouldn't be getting the FAPE he is legally entitled to. At least in California, the law says that disabled people have a right to enjoyment and recreation (Lanterman Act). If a state park can be required to provide handicapped parking and expensive walkways for people who need a wheelchair why is my kid less equal because his disability involves something other than mobility? Let's be clear : the therapist is not there to have fun and didn't even swim. She/he is there because otherwise this disabled child cannot use this state park as it was intended, on an equal footing with non disabled peers. I realize this seems like a trivial point for some people but it is a sore spot for many in the autism community. Our kids are not less equal or less loved.

    Last edited by SouthLake; 06/18/14 07:22 PM.
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    What about an interpreter for the deaf? In order to acess a state park say nature program you might need one. Should she need to pay admission for the child to access the program? I am not sure because the restaurant one I think is a valid question but the food re is consumed. At the state park it is admission fee vs food.

    I want to say at our state parks you pay by the carload...so as long as you can squeeze the therapist in the car they don't charge extra.

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    Well said, SouthLake. It strikes me as inequitable that some disabilities would be recognized and accommodated, and others not. This isn't simply a question of head count--the aide/therapist is required for the child to access the facility.

    I think we in Canada and the US need to disabuse ourselves of the opinion that accommodating disabilities is a discretionary consumption decision, because it isn't. It's an equity issue.

    The restaurant is a non-issue because food costs are sunk for the therapist. Food is required for the therapist to exist independent of the client relationship, so it's irrelevant to the calculation on a marginal basis.


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    PanzerAzelSaturn
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    If I went to a restaurant and took my sons TSS and she just sat there and helped with behavior and didn't eat anything then it wouldn't cost me anything.

    Our therapist did not enter the water or use anything at the pool.

    If a child needed a 24 hour nurse for medical needs would they charge for her to come in and take care of her charge? That wouldn't seem right to me. His TSS is an accommodation, not a person there to enjoy the swimming pool.

    I myself used to work as a TSS and I was admitted to a community pool with one of my clients on multiple occasions for free. I was surprised I had to pay today. Also seems silly for me to ask for MA to pay for his TSS with tax money so that she can be at a state swimming pool with us.

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    What about a privately run pool?

    Anyway, how is the gate person supposed to know that some person in the party has some special role that would warrant free entry? You would need some method to verify that a person is some kind of professional aide, and that they are acting in that capacity at that time?

    Originally Posted by PanzerAzelSaturn
    we could have managed without the TSS

    How much were they costing the state?

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