Rolling with Sarah

 Before anyone accuses me of a gambling problem, I promise I don’t go to the track that often, but I recently did visit the Rideau Carleton Raceway south of Ottawa. I had a blast, and I love going there, but I’m not going to lie, I continue to be disappointed in the accessibility of the venue.

To start, the accessible parking is situated across the parking lot and a busy drop off zone from the entrance to the casino. There was no curb cut, so we had to walk in the driveway to get to the entrance. This could be fixed either by providing a curb cut or creating an accessible path.

Once inside the casino, the atmosphere was nice. Lots of slot machines, but the chairs could not all be moved out of the way to enable wheelchair access so for some machines, and I could not get close enough to play. My game is Blackjack and my dad had to lift me into the unmovable chair so I could play.

I had been to this raceway 3 previous times. Each time, the elevator down to the track was broken. While accidents do happen, and from time-to-time elevators do need servicing,  I get that. But three times on three separate visits, across multiple years, really? And this latest visit made the fourth occurrence without elevator access, so now I’m upset. This leaves the impression that this is not a priority. The only way I could get to the track was to go down a very steep hill under the expert guidance of my dad. As you can tell from my many posts, my family and friends provide much needed supportfor my adventures. This could be remedied by proper maintenance of elevators, and atthe very least, taking the needs of disabled clientele into account.

Once we got down to the track, we found a picnic table outside. Inside, the floors are sloped so both of my hands have to be on my wheels at all times to prevent me from rolling away. I like to choose my horses by their name, so I made my picks. For eachrace, Dad went in and placed our bets. I would’ve done it myself, but unfortunately all of the betting machines are out of my reach.

Believe it or not, my betting strategy did work (ok, somewhat worked…) and I had a few winning tickets. When I went to cash them in, the desk was once again out of my reach.I got the attention of the clerk, but they only communicated with my brother (who was pushing the chair) and did not speak directly to me. It was frustrating. This reinforces the importance of employee training so that everyone can have a positive experience.

Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time at the raceway thanks to the family support. The horses are fascinating, and the races are exciting. Win or lose, we always have fun trying different strategies and rooting for our picks. I even have fun losing at Blackjack. However, this is not an activity I could do alone. There is no way someone who uses a wheelchair could assert their independence at this venue. There are just too many barriers. That said, it is a great group activity, and I would still go again with family or friends of course.