Life for Ryder Gonzalez has never been easy. He was born with one hand and is deaf, but his life is similar to many other teens. The 17-year-old loves staying active and is an outstanding pitcher.
According to his mom, Annie Gonzalez, Ryder lives his life without barriers and always proves everyone wrong. But when the oldest of his four children wanted to spend a day at Six Flags Magic Mountain, their family trip suddenly turned sour.
His family said Ryder was not allowed to get on one of the rides because of his disability. Annie said that when they told her son that he could not get on the ride and there was nothing he could do about it, it knocked Ryder to his knees. She added that he had this look on his face she had never seen before.
Gonzales's parents filed a complaint with guest relations
Ryder and his younger brother, James, said the two of them were already strapped into their seatbelts for the ride when a Magic Mountain employee told them the news.
James said one of the lady assistants came and said she was sorry, "but you can't ride the ride." James said Ryder looked at him and asked, "What is she saying?" James said he took off his seatbelt because he would not ride if his brother couldn't.
The Gonzalez parents later filed a complaint with guest relations regarding Magic Mountain's treatment of their son, according to ABC 30 Action News. Raul Gonzales, Ryder's dad, noted that it was heartbreaking to see his son try to hide himself again, try to hide his arm to the side as he was rushing out the exit.
He said that the employee should have been appropriately trained. Raul said that she is in the business of customer service at the end of the day, and she should know how to deal with everybody.
Dad says employees should be better trained when dealing with such matters
The family got a call from Six Flags Magic Mountain a few days later, confirming that Ryder should have been given a special harness for him to be allowed on the ride. Ryder's parents hope that employees are better trained on what to do in situations like this. They said signs can be posted to inform other families about the accommodation.
Annie said that even if you are born different, you should not be treated differently. She added that if there is a way to accommodate you and if you need that special accommodation, it should be done.
Six Flags Magic Mountain did not respond to KTLA's request for comment. The Gonzalez family did say that they have an appointment to meet with someone this weekend from guest relations to discuss the incident.
