Marie, I hadn't heard that as Disney's new policy, which does make a lot of sense in some ways, except for the autistic child who becomes completely obsessed with the ride. Anyway, what I am really upset about is the survey question and results. The question itself does not represent the policy that you describe, it just asks if people with disabilities should be able to skip the line. The 62 percent majority represent what I already knew but this survey anecdotally proves, which is that our society doesn't have a lot of empathy or sympathy towards those with disabilities. Like Susan, I face much discrimination because of my son. It is quite possible that some of that discrimination has come from the 62% who don't feel it necessary to make accommodations for people with disabilities. I have to wonder if the train of thought is that if people with disabilities truly need to skip the line and it is taken away from them as an accommodation, then perhaps they will not go to Disney at all, thus cutting the wait time the 62% would have to do and they wouldn't have to deal with families like ours. Unfortunately, for the 62% Disney is not the only place they will find people with disabilities and I certainly have no intention of keeping my family in our house even though being out and about may be an inconvenience for them.
Susan - 11 years ago
I visited Disney for the first and last time this summer with my disabled brother. My guess is that half of these people doing the complaining would not last a day at Disney if they had to endure what a disabled person and their caretaker goes through trying to navigate throughout the parks. Many of the hardships we faced during our week in Disney were the direct cause of the actions of so called "able-bodied" guests. Ignorance and lack of common courtesy for others is not limited to people who take advantage of a Guest Assistance Pass. Though we did have many negative experiences during our visit, we also were fortunate enough to encounter equal amounts of patrons and Disney cast member whose actions or kind words were much appreciated. Thank you ! Shame on Disney for discontinuing a system that,although it was not ideal, assisted delivering a limited degree of Magic to those who would not otherwise be able to enjoy the parks.
Marie - 11 years ago
Disney's new policy will allow a person with a disability to not enter the line queue at all. They will be required to wait the same length of time as others, but will be allowed to do anything they want during that time ; walk around, visit shops, eat, use the restroom, go on other rides, see a show.
If people would actually read what Disney is proposing instead of clutching their pearls in horror, they would see that the new system has been tailor made to assist children with disabilities that preclude them from waiting IN an actual line. It gives a parent flexibility to attend to their child away from a line queue.
Isn't that what everyone is asking for? "My child can't wait in a line." well, Disney is saying that your child does not have to wait in a line.
Nancy Marin - 11 years ago
This is just adding to my anger at the issue. The American mentality of protecting what is mine, and screw everyone else in order for me to get ahead has gotten way out of control. This is just another example. I wonder what the results of the poll would be if the responders were only people who have to wait in line for 2 hours while a child with a intellectual disability is having a meltdown the entire time because they are having trouble waiting in line. There are so few places a family with a child with an intellectual disability can go to. It is a true loss and shame that Disney is becoming another place we can't take our children to. Yes, we could always wait the line. I hope there are families that are strong enough to endure the tantrums their child will have so that others will understand the necessity of the line cutting. However, my family is not one of them because that just sounds like a waste of money to have to endure that kind of torture.
Marie, I hadn't heard that as Disney's new policy, which does make a lot of sense in some ways, except for the autistic child who becomes completely obsessed with the ride. Anyway, what I am really upset about is the survey question and results. The question itself does not represent the policy that you describe, it just asks if people with disabilities should be able to skip the line. The 62 percent majority represent what I already knew but this survey anecdotally proves, which is that our society doesn't have a lot of empathy or sympathy towards those with disabilities. Like Susan, I face much discrimination because of my son. It is quite possible that some of that discrimination has come from the 62% who don't feel it necessary to make accommodations for people with disabilities. I have to wonder if the train of thought is that if people with disabilities truly need to skip the line and it is taken away from them as an accommodation, then perhaps they will not go to Disney at all, thus cutting the wait time the 62% would have to do and they wouldn't have to deal with families like ours. Unfortunately, for the 62% Disney is not the only place they will find people with disabilities and I certainly have no intention of keeping my family in our house even though being out and about may be an inconvenience for them.
I visited Disney for the first and last time this summer with my disabled brother. My guess is that half of these people doing the complaining would not last a day at Disney if they had to endure what a disabled person and their caretaker goes through trying to navigate throughout the parks. Many of the hardships we faced during our week in Disney were the direct cause of the actions of so called "able-bodied" guests. Ignorance and lack of common courtesy for others is not limited to people who take advantage of a Guest Assistance Pass. Though we did have many negative experiences during our visit, we also were fortunate enough to encounter equal amounts of patrons and Disney cast member whose actions or kind words were much appreciated. Thank you ! Shame on Disney for discontinuing a system that,although it was not ideal, assisted delivering a limited degree of Magic to those who would not otherwise be able to enjoy the parks.
Disney's new policy will allow a person with a disability to not enter the line queue at all. They will be required to wait the same length of time as others, but will be allowed to do anything they want during that time ; walk around, visit shops, eat, use the restroom, go on other rides, see a show.
If people would actually read what Disney is proposing instead of clutching their pearls in horror, they would see that the new system has been tailor made to assist children with disabilities that preclude them from waiting IN an actual line. It gives a parent flexibility to attend to their child away from a line queue.
Isn't that what everyone is asking for? "My child can't wait in a line." well, Disney is saying that your child does not have to wait in a line.
This is just adding to my anger at the issue. The American mentality of protecting what is mine, and screw everyone else in order for me to get ahead has gotten way out of control. This is just another example. I wonder what the results of the poll would be if the responders were only people who have to wait in line for 2 hours while a child with a intellectual disability is having a meltdown the entire time because they are having trouble waiting in line. There are so few places a family with a child with an intellectual disability can go to. It is a true loss and shame that Disney is becoming another place we can't take our children to. Yes, we could always wait the line. I hope there are families that are strong enough to endure the tantrums their child will have so that others will understand the necessity of the line cutting. However, my family is not one of them because that just sounds like a waste of money to have to endure that kind of torture.