Blackiston Bowl

I took my family here this week. It was to celebrate my 12 year old twin daughters birthday. One of my daughters despite being 12, operates on the mentality of a 6 year old child. She has autism, epilepsy, and has significant issues with her body movement. We normally visit the alley in New ALbany on State Street, but we wanted to try something new. Our daughter loves to bowl and is planning to join the special Olympics league for her age. When we got there it was dead to the world. That should have been an eye opener. The staff at the desk was dry and rude from the get go. We should have left right then, but our girls wanted to celebrate their birthday. Our first problem came when she needed a 6 pound bowling ball, they are reserved for a certain age only. House rules! Well, the other balls were too heavy for her to pick up, due to her upper body issues. Next my hubby went to fill in our names on the electronic screen, which also doubles as an advertisement bill board. We needed to set up the bumpers for our daughter, in most places you just hit a button and they pop up for the intendeds turn. Not here, you have to tell them. They refused to give our special needs child bumpers, because HOUSE RULES state that they are for 10 years and younger. We tried to explain that in addition to having autism she also has a movement handicap. The rude staff, told us again, HOUSE RULES, the owner says zero exceptions! We hadn't bowled yet, our daughter had a bowling ball she couldn't pick up easily, she wasn't going to be able to keep it on the lane, but they have a no refund policy! Big surprise there! So our daughter cried most of the time, because she couldn't bowl without sending it going into the gutter 95% of the time. Her twin sister was angry because the staff was causing her sister so much pain. Needless to say, they didn't enjoy their birthday bowling. By the way the alley in new albany may need maintenance but they have never refused our special needs child a light weight ball or bumpers. This was discrimination at its best, and I'm on a mission to spread the word clear and wide about the treatment that my special needs child received. Because if they did it too her, they do it to other special needs folks also. I will never return. By the way, there are no signs stating bumpers are for a certain age, and they shouldn't have house rules against handicapped folks participating in their activities...besides it against the law!

Go, great night out for a reasonable price, Loved the atsomphere, had a great family night. If you like bowling, then your gonna love it.