From Yahoo:
“Disney's new theme park
disability policy sparks anger”
Some Disney fans with
disabilities are rethinking their summer plans in light of the company’s new
rules limiting who is eligible to skip the line at their popular parks. Annie —
who suffers from multiple sclerosis and asked not to be identified by her real
name to keep her diagnosis private — goes to Disney World every year with her
husband and friends and has used the Disability Access Service (DAS) pass over
18 times since November 2023. With the pass, she can reserve a time to show up
for a ride, sparing her the need to wait in line for long periods of time. “It
really was life-changing,” she said. “To not have to wait all day in heat or
extreme cold, which my body cannot handle.” But after the company changed its
policy on who is eligible for the service, Annie was denied a pass. “It makes
me mad at Disney,” she said.
New rules On May 20,
Disney instituted its more restrictive policy on who qualifies for its DAS
program. Previously, those who “have difficulty tolerating extended
waits in a conventional queue environment due to a disability” were eligible
for the program. But under the revised policy, only those with a “developmental
disability such as autism or a similar disorder” are eligible to request a
return time. The company didn’t respond to a request from Yahoo News to
provide concrete details on how many DAS passes are issued each year and how
the new policy will affect that number. Several people who had been granted a
DAS pass before described a lax vetting process in which most simply obtained a
pass after requesting one. Now guests have to go online and schedule an
interview with a Cast Member (Disney employee) to discuss their medical issues
and reasons for needing the pass. “Guests may discuss their needs with a
Cast Member via live video chat as soon as 30 days prior to their park visit,”
the company says on its website. “Cast Members will work with Guests
individually to discuss specific requests and offer assistance.” Once
approved, a guest’s DAS is valid for 120 days.
‘DAS Defenders’ The
changes to the program have sparked outrage among guests who benefitted from
it. Organizers started a group called “DAS Defenders” who launched a Change.org
petition seeking to restore the old policy for passes. The petition currently
has over 21,000 signatures. “The recent changes to Disney's DAS program
significantly harm the disabled community by excluding many individuals who
genuinely need this service to safely and enjoyably navigate the parks,” Kate
Martin, a co-creator of a petition, told Yahoo News. Disney, which
historically has been recognized for its disability inclusion efforts, says
that it was prompted to make the change to its disability policy because people
who did not really need assistance were abusing the system, according to a
spokesperson from Disney. “Disney is dedicated to providing a great
experience for all guests, including those with disabilities,” Disneyland
officials told Yahoo News in an email. “Which is why we are so committed to
delivering a wide range of innovative support services aimed at helping our
guests with disabilities have a wonderful time when visiting our theme parks.”
‘Traumatic’ interviews Michelle
Pajak, 55, a co-creator of the Change.org petition, said she was initially
denied a DAS pass on May 20, the day the new policy went into effect. Pajak,
who said she suffered from autoimmune conditions such as lupus and Hashimoto’s
disease, and a bone disease called hypophosphatasia, described the new process
as demeaning. “It triggered my medical PTSD and I cried. … The first
Cast Member just … decided I didn’t qualify,” Pajak told Yahoo News. “No matter
how hard I tried to get him to listen, he refused. He told me that other people
were waiting and hung up on me.” That rejection was the first time Disney had
shown “any sign of anything other than pure inclusivity,” she said, adding that
other people she has spoken to have been equally put off by their recent
encounters with company employees. “So many are even afraid to call because of
how traumatic the calls are,” she said. “The worst thing is healthy people
insulting me and telling me I’m entitled and looking for things I don’t
deserve.” But as someone who has gone to Disney World regularly since
childhood, Pjak was determined to get a DAS pass. So she applied to speak to
another Cast Member to try the process again, and eventually Pajak was granted
a pass.
Other options Other theme
parks, such as Universal Studios Hollywood, require documentation in order to
obtain privileges like reserving a spot in line, and some guests affected by
Disney’s new policy think that that approach is preferable to Disney’s. “The
new DAS pass rules have had us considering getting annual passes with Universal
instead next year,” Annie said. Patricia Martinez, who suffers from
psoriatic arthritis and autoimmune disease, was denied a DAS pass despite the
fact that the medication she takes requires her to stay out of direct sunlight
for an extended period of time. When she discussed those concerns with a park
employee, she said she was told she would need to rent a wheelchair and wait in
line like everyone else. “DAS would’ve been a perfect fit for me. … Even
if I had got a wheelchair, I have to stand and sit frequently because I also
have a clotting disorder,” she said. “That’s not accommodation. That is
actually profiting off of the disabled. I personally will never go back to
Disney.”
^ I went with my Mom to Disney
World 2 times when she was in a wheelchair (and 6 other times before she needed
one.)
This was before the current
Disability Access Service (DAS) or even the previous DAS Program.
We stayed at the Shades of Green
Resort (Soldiers, Veterans and their Families – I was there because my Mom had
a Military Dependent ID Card) which is on-site of Disney World, but not owned
by Disney (but the US Defense Department.)
Staying at Shades of Green still
gives you all the extra perks of any Disney World Resort.
Before each trip I notified (by
phone and by e-mail) both Disney World’s Guest Services and Shades of Green
about my Mom’s Medical Condition and even supplied a Letter from her
Nephrologist and her PCP confirming what I told Disney and Shades of Green.
We had no expectation of “cutting
through any lines” at the attractions or anything else like that.
We simply wanted to know what was
Accessible and what was not.
We took the Magical Express from
Orlando Airport to Disney World (and paid extra since it wasn’t covered by
staying at the Shades of Green Resort.) There were no issues either trip with
Magical Express.
There were also no issues with
the Disney World Security when entering the Parks. There was also a Female
Officer to check my Mom and her wheelchair and they were always very Friendly
and Professional (I can’t say the same about the TSA at the Airports.)
Our room at Shades of Green
Resort was also good and Accessible.
It was at the actual Theme Parks
and on Disney Transportation that things didn’t go very smoothly.
I would push my Mom in her
Wheelchair (through hundreds of People who never seemed to see the wheelchair
and so they would bump into us – eventually we placed a bumper like item on her
wheelchair so if someone bumped into the chair it would hurt them and not my
Mom.)
As for going on Rides my Mom and
I would wait in the regular line, just like everyone else, only she would be in
her wheelchair. Occasionally a Disney Employee would see us in the line and let
us go a head (but we never asked for that – my Mom was too proud for that.)
On the rides that weren’t Wheelchair
Accessible I would carry my Mom onto the ride and ask the Disney Employee to
watch the wheelchair so we could get it afterwards when I would carry my Mom
off the ride and into her chair.
We got a few nasty comments from
Riders (such as: “How can they let someone like that onto this ride” or why did
they have to wait the extra minute for me to carry my Mom onto the ride - we always waited for everyone to get off the
ride before I would carry her off the ride.)
Even when I was clearly
struggling (with bumps, the crowds, the heat, the humidity, trying to open a
door with one hand and push the wheelchair with the other hand, trying to hold
a tray of food for 2 people with one hand and push the wheelchair with the
other, etc.) we never got any help from either the Disney Staff or Regular
People - although many did make loud
comments.
The Employees at the Disney
Stables were really nice and helpful. My Mom wanted to ride a horse and so I
had to pick her up from her wheelchair and get her onto the horse and then do
the same when we were done.
The Staff offered to help, but it
was easier for Me to do it.
We didn’t have any issues with
the Monorail System or the Boat Transportation, but did several times with the
buses taking us to/from the Parks to our Resort.
The buses were Wheelchair Accessible
so you would think it would be easy to get on and off, but it never was.
Sometimes the buses were so
crowded that we were told to wait the 30 minutes (in the sun, heat and humidity)
for another bus.
Sometimes there were Non-Disabled,
Non-Wheelchair Users sitting in the Disabled Seat and the Driver refused to
tell them to move to a free seat so we could get on (again having to wait
around 30 minutes to hope the next bus was better.)
One time there was no one on the
bus except the Driver. He pulled to the bus station, asked us where we were
going to and when we said the Shades of Green Resort he said he was full and told
us to wait for the next bus and drove away.
I wrote down the buses number and
made an official complaint to Disney World and Shades of Green (they looked at
the onboard cameras and saw their Driver was lying to both us and them when he said
he couldn’t take us because his bus was full and he got in trouble for it.)
There were some issues with
Dining too.
We made reservations (by calling their
number and speaking with someone– not on an app on a cell phone like you can
now) to several places including a fancy Steakhouse on Disney World.
We took a taxi from our Resort to the Resort where the Steakhouse was (we didn’t want to take the bus as we were all dressed up) and they tried to change both our reservation right then and there as well as tried to move us from the table we were sitting in to one hidden away.
They said it was because of my Mom’s wheelchair, but she never ate
in her wheelchair. I would bring her and her chair to the table move her to a
regular chair and then take the folded-up wheelchair to a place out of the way
since we didn’t want to inconvenience the other Patrons or get in the way of
the Waiters/Waitresses/Busboys, etc.
We overheard the Manager tell his Staff to “hide us away” so people won’t see my Mom’s Disability (which you couldn’t see since she wasn’t in her Wheelchair. I immediately complained and asked for the Manager’s Supervisor and when they eventually came he didn’t believe his Manager when he tried to lie his way through not getting in trouble.
We
were offered our meal for free, but neither my Mom nor I would accept that
saying we weren’t complaining to get a free meal, but to let the Supervisor
know what was going on and how we were being treated.
Note: Whenever I or my Mom
complained at Disney - or anywhere else – we would never accept anything for
free except an apology.
At one of the Dining Places at Disney (again I had called and spoke to a Person and told them my Mom was in a wheelchair and that she needed a seat with a back on it when I made the Reservation) only to find out that they had given us a table with high stools (and no backs) to sit at.
They then expected us to wait an hour for another table to come available
even though they saw on our Computer Reservation the need for a chair with a
back on it and they had messed-up (not us.) We weren’t going to wait an hour
and after speaking to someone higher (there is always someone higher) we got a
table within 10 minutes.
I tried to shield my Mom from
most of the issues while at Disney World (or any other place) when I could.
I wanted her to just have a good
time and let me deal with everything. Sometimes that was possible and sometimes
it wasn’t.
We aren’t talking about all of
this happening in the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s or the 2000s, but in the
2010s.
No matter what my Mom continued
to love Disney and Disney World until she passed.
Sadly, most places across the
United States and around the World are not truly Handicap Accessible or
Handicapped Welcoming – even when they say they are or are forced to be by Laws.
Also, the vast majority of People
(both Employees and Regular People) continue to have a negative attitude on the
Disabled and would rather make nasty comments than hold a door open or help in
any way.
To sign the Petition click on the
following link:
^
https://www.yahoo.com/news/disneys-new-theme-park-disability-policy-sparks-anger-231613241.html
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