Carmike Cinema: Discrimination All Across America

This concerns the Carmike Cinema in Allentown, Pennsylvania and any other of their theaters with a similar setup.

I am disabled and use a wheelchair. Carmike's building is accessible but, due to their stadium seating with steps, I am forced to sit way down in front, two rows from the screen, where no one usually sits unless they want to strain their necks to see the screen.

I am not sure if this stadium seating with steps is up to ADA code. If it is, it is a bad code and needs to be changed. If it is not up to code, it must be like LANTA, our local public transit company, which took a decade to get up to code. Since the theater first opened almost a decade ago, Carmike has offered free admission to wheelchair users and one guest (usually our caregiver) who is forced to sit by us. They say it is goodwill, but I think it is because they want to placate us for the inaccessible seating.

On Saturday, May 18, 2007, I went to see "Spider-Man 3" with another disabled friend and two of my non-disabled family members, who had to come along as our "care takers." I expected us all to get in free. It turns out that Carmike changed its policy on April 27, 2007 and our "guests" can no longer get in free.

In the auditorium, we had to sit two rows from the screen as usual. My footplates were about one foot behind the next row of seats and other patrons had to squeeze by, bumping my feet. It is not too bad with the lights on, but once the movie begins and the lights go down, it is nearly impossible to see my feet. During the movie, I was accidentally kicked twice by small children. It hurt but nothing like if an adult were to kick, trip, or fall on me. It is a lawsuit waiting to happen and Carmike is ignoring it.

After the movie, I complained to the manager and was promptly given two refund tickets that expire on June 18, 2007. Some refund. The manager just walked away before I had a chance to explain the situation. I was given a card with information about the policy change. Printed on the card is a phone number if we have questions. I called it three times without an answer.