EUREKA, Mo. — A Missouri mom's Facebook post is going viral after she was denied entrance into a popular amusement park attraction.
Six Flags: it's ground zero for thrill-seekers. It's a place for families and friends to have fun, but for Kanisha Anthony it's not the tall rides or steep drops that make her experience alarming.
"I'm different from almost everybody in that place, and when I'm standing in line, there's people that will move their hands to make sure that I don't touch them, to make sure that I'm not close because my scars are different than what they've seen," Anthony said.
Like most survivors, Anthony's scars are part of her story. She was badly burned in a Wentzville house fire and lost multiple fingers on Thanksgiving Day back in 1993. Her brother died, but she survived.
After 25 years, Kanisha said most reactions no longer surprise her. But this one did.
"I've ridden on all the rides in Six Flags and this ride, in particular, is one that you just sit in as a family."
Thursday, she was in line for the Justice League ride, when the employee in front refused to let her on.
"I was told 'You can't get on this ride if you don't have two hands.' And I really didn't think she was talking to me, because I'm like 'Who doesn't have two hands?' And so she looks at my hands and counted out my fingers, literally counted them out and said you have to have at least 3 fingers to ride this ride," Anthony said.
All of this, in front of her two children and her friend at the six flags in Eureka, Missouri.
Her oldest son Tre said the incident made him sad because of the way it made his mom feel.
"That day, when she came home, she was just feeling embarrassed," he said.
"I want it to be fixed, I don't want it to happen again, I don't want people to feel that way," Anthony said.
5 On Your Side reached out to Six Flags. They provided the following statement:
We sincerely apologize for how this matter was handled. Our goal is to provide a day of fun for all guests, however to ensure their safety and the safety of others, guests with certain disabilities are prohibited from riding various rides and attractions. Our accessibility policy includes ride manufacturers’ guidelines and the requirements of the federal American Disabilities Act. The policy should have been explained with respect and compassion, and we will provide additional training to our team members so that future situations will be handled in the way that our guests should expect.
We went to the Six Flags website to check out their policy for this ride. It says:
Riders must have two (2) natural functioning arms with natural functioning hands capable of grasping and at least one (1) natural functioning leg with a natural foot.
Despite her disability, Kanisha says she has all of the things required.