We have a child who has become very sensitive to loud noises. I am not sure when it happened, or why, but Zane doesn't like things loud, and that is that. If we are anywhere where he starts covering his ears and looking fearful, we try to calm him down. If he can't calm himself down, we leave if we can.
There's a restaurant called the Rainforest Cafe. It's a place designed to sell stuff, of course. You enter the restaurant through the gift shop, and you wait your turn to be seated...in the gift shop. The entire place is decorated to look like...and artist's conception of what a rainforest might look like. The place is darker than one might expect for an eating establishment, and every few minutes the 'animals' start making noises and moving around.
Zane has been to the Rainforest Cafe before, and he seemed to like it at the time. This time, as we meandered past tigers and gorillas, even I was concerned about the noise level. With the animated gorillas in the fake trees next to our table whooping and hollering, I couldn't hear what the waitress was saying, and it was too dark for me to attempt lip reading.
I looked at Zane; his hands were over his ears. He seemed just overwhelmed. I couldn't blame him; I thought the volume was up too high, also. Throughout the meal, whenever the animals began moving and making noise, Zane would stop and cover his ears. We asked him a couple of times whether or not he could make it until we were done eating, and he told us that he could. Even though the noise bothered him, he did his best. I am very proud of him. I know that it is impossible for me to pay attention to anything when there are competing noises around me
The Rainforest Cafe is supposed to be aimed at kids and their families. There's an area designated for strollers. The gift shop is full of toys, stuffed plushies, rubber snakes, and all those other items that parents purchase for their kids so they will be entertained for a few minutes. Some of the proceeds from the place go to fund conservation efforts.
I don't believe that it is too much to ask for a little quiet. They've made an attempt to set up a very specific atmostphere, bringing in animatronic animals and throwing up vines and fake trees. The RC people have made a strong effort to create the "I'm in the actual rainforest" dining experience. People are bothered by the Except that it is too frackin' loud. If my son is bothered by the volume, I can't even begin to imagine the sensory overload that a person with autism would experience. And what about people with hearing aids? It's not a very inviting experience to have to keep your ears covered. How is this kid-friendly? Children's ears are more sensitive to sounds, and here is the Rainforest Cafe pouring on the noise! How is it kid-friendly to envelope the entire place in darkness? If you can't hear the waitress talking, turn the volume down. How hard is that?
There's a restaurant called the Rainforest Cafe. It's a place designed to sell stuff, of course. You enter the restaurant through the gift shop, and you wait your turn to be seated...in the gift shop. The entire place is decorated to look like...and artist's conception of what a rainforest might look like. The place is darker than one might expect for an eating establishment, and every few minutes the 'animals' start making noises and moving around.
Zane has been to the Rainforest Cafe before, and he seemed to like it at the time. This time, as we meandered past tigers and gorillas, even I was concerned about the noise level. With the animated gorillas in the fake trees next to our table whooping and hollering, I couldn't hear what the waitress was saying, and it was too dark for me to attempt lip reading.
I looked at Zane; his hands were over his ears. He seemed just overwhelmed. I couldn't blame him; I thought the volume was up too high, also. Throughout the meal, whenever the animals began moving and making noise, Zane would stop and cover his ears. We asked him a couple of times whether or not he could make it until we were done eating, and he told us that he could. Even though the noise bothered him, he did his best. I am very proud of him. I know that it is impossible for me to pay attention to anything when there are competing noises around me
The Rainforest Cafe is supposed to be aimed at kids and their families. There's an area designated for strollers. The gift shop is full of toys, stuffed plushies, rubber snakes, and all those other items that parents purchase for their kids so they will be entertained for a few minutes. Some of the proceeds from the place go to fund conservation efforts.
I don't believe that it is too much to ask for a little quiet. They've made an attempt to set up a very specific atmostphere, bringing in animatronic animals and throwing up vines and fake trees. The RC people have made a strong effort to create the "I'm in the actual rainforest" dining experience. People are bothered by the Except that it is too frackin' loud. If my son is bothered by the volume, I can't even begin to imagine the sensory overload that a person with autism would experience. And what about people with hearing aids? It's not a very inviting experience to have to keep your ears covered. How is this kid-friendly? Children's ears are more sensitive to sounds, and here is the Rainforest Cafe pouring on the noise! How is it kid-friendly to envelope the entire place in darkness? If you can't hear the waitress talking, turn the volume down. How hard is that?
