if you were blind

if you were blind, do you think coasters would still be as fun or as thrilling? IMO, i think it would have to be a woodie to still be fun. sure, others would be fun too, but alot of coasters out there are big on visuals.

volcano @ PKD is 100x better in the front row, but if you couldnt see, would it still be fun?

and lastly, if you were blind, do you think height would matter to you? for instance, would even matter if a 400ft coaster was built? i thought that seeing how high up you were made a big difference in the total thrill.

comments??

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#1-MF #2-Apollo's Chariot #3-S:RoS

*** This post was edited by coasterdude04 on 9/25/2002. ***

How about if you were deaf that would suck to. I just had ear surgery and I'm temporarly deaf in that ear and it sucks. Turn it down and take care of your ears.

Visuals smhizuals. I rarely ride in the front seat on an invert. I had an amazing ride the other night on Raptor with my eyes closed. It beat out the front seat ride I had a few minutes prior.

I do not see why blind people could not enjoy coasters.

Also I know there are quite a few deaf buzzers out there.

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All I need is 4.5 million bucks and a half a mile long sliver of land and maybe someone could build me my very own Shivering Timbers. ;)

yea, that would suck. to not be able to hear the sweet sound of a B&M roar or intamin impulse LIMs...yea, that would suck!

well, magnumforce, ill agree that it can be a better ride when you cant see anything, but if you could never see a coaster again...

one of the best things about some coasters is simply how they look. its not always just the ride itself....

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#1-MF #2-Apollo's Chariot #3-S:RoS

*** This post was edited by coasterdude04 on 9/25/2002. ***

Probably concern myself with things far more important than coasters.

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'Let's fly close to the sun. Let's do it just 'cause it's fun.' - The Wedding Present '2,3, Go'

Actually, I was just thinking about that the other day when I noticed a blind lady next to the Tower of Doom. I came to the conclusion that I would not ride any rides if I was blind. I think one of the best parts of any ride is the visuals.

I'd still ride if I was deaf, though.
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TOGO!
Is AOL just trying to annoy me?

I think it depends on the ride. I rode Millennium Force many times at Millennium "Rainia" last year with my eyes closed and found you can't even tell you're in the overbanks. And even the mighty first drop lacks the punch it has with the visuals included.

But Fire Dragon at IOA is another story completely. Ride that thing with your eyes closed and it's easy to feel how well paced and well designed this ride is.

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Without the chaindog, you'd never get up the lifthill...

I wouldn't ride if I was blind either but deaf is another story. Now that I got surgery I have to wear ear plugs at parks so if you see someone with ear plugs at a park say hi.

I've ridden both B:KF and Medusa with my eyes closed. They were still just as fun to me. I also rode S:ROS @ SFA eyes closed. *That* scared the mess outta me (clean up, row six!). Still though, I kinda liked it. I dont knw how so many people who are scared of coasters close their eyes. To me, that makes it worse.
lata,
jeremy
--who notes he had to force T to open her eyes on NITRO

Many coasters are noted for how great they are in the dark and would be very good for someone blind. The SROS's for example. Some inverting coasters would stink as you wouldn't feel much. The zero G roll on Medusa would probably still be pretty good though.

Actually, a number of our members are deaf.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, when it's all in your mind. You gotta let go." - Ghetto, Supreme Beings of Leisure

If I was blind...I wouldn't be posting this right now (yes, I know it was lame). I think that visuals are a big thing on coasters. Frankly, I can't picture a life without being able to see, and I am very thankful that I have two perfectly good 20/20 eyes. Of course, if I was deaf, I would still be enjoying coasters, but it wouldn't be as fun. Some of the sounds of the coasters are a big thing. I love the sound of the chain lift, the screams of other rides, people yelling "OH MY GOD!" on rides like MF, etc.

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The ice age killed the dinosaurs, we killed ourselves.

Hmm. I'm just wondering, but will any of the deaf members reveal themselves? I have a few friends that are and I was just wondering. I'm trying to learn how to sign right now. It's pretty hard stuff!

Hey, eyes closed can be pretty fun. I don't see why I wouldn't like coasters if I was blind. Many things would be different of course. I wouldn't like the almighty FIRST DROP as much as do now, I'm sure. And I doubt I'd care much for the front seat. But, I'd still like them. Oh, and I think height would still matter for blind people. The fact that they have to rely on their sense of touch more than we do mean they're really feeling just how long they're falling, I think.

There are a couple of enthusiasts I've seen at events who are profoundly visually impaired (sorry, professional jargon). They seem to enjoy the coasters quite a bit. Much like other sensory impairments, I think if you've never seen or heard, your other senses' tend to *compensate*. Losing one of your senses later on, that'd be a different story.

But, as jeremy noted, S:RoS, eyes open or shut, is the ******t*...I'll get even with Jill for costing us that day at SFA on the DC trip...argh!

Riding at night and riding with your eyes closed may be similar, but they are still different. At night you can still make the transitions out alright and anticipate them. When you have your eyes closed, quick transitions could lead to smacking your head against a harness or being pushed down into your seat. I think that it could be a possible health risk, especially of a ride with such high laterals as The Legend.

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LocoBazooka--Sevendust, Nonpoint, Stereo Vent, Mushroomhead
Korn Tour (With no name)--Korn, Puddle of Mudd, Deadsy

Well when I'm without my glasses, I can't see anything at all. So the Height of the ride will not matter not at all, but rather the G forces will matter the most. Without my glasses there is really no difference between a 80 foot or a 300 foot tower ride, they are both the same in G forces.

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Chris Knight
The Mantis is real. The Mantis is out there. The Mantis is protecting my yard from West Nile Mosquitos (No Joke).

Riding with eyes closed and being blind are two totally different things. If you ride with your eyes closed, chances are you have already seen how tall the hills and inversions are, and you are only closing your eyes because from what you've seen, it is pretty scary. Also, you probably will not close your eyes until you reach the top of the first lift hill, so you know how high you really are.

A blind person will never be able to see how tall the hills and inversions are. I guess in a way their other senses are stronger though, so they might be able to tell speed and height based on how fast the wind blows in their face and what not.

I don't think it would be nearly as fun though.

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"Hey, man! Is that Freedom Rock?! TURN IT UP!!!"

We did this experiement in Health class one day. In the beginning of the morning they tested our hearing, taste, touch, and smell. Then we were blindfolded and had to find our way around the school for the rest of the day. We had passes and stuff if we were late to a class. At first it was REALLY hard. But after even a few hours, you could tell that your senses except for your sight (which you aren't using) improved tramendously! Then we were tested for the same things after the day was over. Everyone almost trippled the scores from the morning!!! But of course, after a while, everything went back to normal. :(

Without my glasses I cannot see a thing. If I had to ride without them, it'd make me sick because I cannot percieve things.
For one, some things would be real scary, like big drops. With your eyes open, you can see the bottom of the drop. But closed, the sensation of freefall, you would not know when it was going to be over, for all you'd know, you would be falling forever. But I agree, it could be dangerous. Especially woodies, SCREECH, SLAM! "AHHHH!!! I didn't see that coming".

*** This post was edited by p_c_r on 9/26/2002. ***