IOA and customer service/handicapped access

[nancycels]

We were at IOA last week. I have to say we were very disappointed w/the park! While it says wheelchair accessible on a lot of the rides, most are NOT ECV accessible!! DUH! Supposedly they have a regular wheelchr to transfer to...NOT! Plus employees did not mention this little tidbit of info before we got on! Almost got killed by freaked out kids in Posiedan and employees directed me to enter on a side that meant i had to back out in my ecv!(This was after I had been hit by two kids w/umbrellas who were scared and jumped over the metal rails right onto my knees!) Plus when my husband indicated to the employee in charge that i needed assistance, he said " I know" and just stood there as I was run over by hoards trying to escape poseidan! FInally I managed to lift my ecv to turn it around, in the process I killed my back which already has 4 bad disks! Then when we complained, they gave us a pass to watch the fireworks from the handicapped area. We got to the fireworks and Universal was having an employee party in the handicapped area! Also the carousel operator told me i could not wait in the front of the line for the next seat on the carousel i'd just have to get in the BACK OF THIS LINE I'D ALREADY WAITED IN AND TAKE MY CHANCES! Then there was the hour we had to wait in line to get an ECV... and the trash guy who almost tipped me over he hit my ecv and me so hard with his trash dumpster!! TO MAKE IT SHORT, we will never go back to this park! I have never been treated so badly in such a short amount of time in my life!

[fboy9287]

sorry you had such a bad time at the park. My brother is disabled and he loved this park.

[CoasterFEV]

The three viewing areas for disabled guests are in Port of Entry, Marvel Superhero Island, and Seuss Landing.

There have been no employee parties nor employee events yet this summer, in fact the first one isn't until August 14th when we go back down to the 8pm close. We never host employee events during peak season - due to the longer operating hours.

[Earl]

It was unfortunate that you did not enjoy your visit. I would like to explain the need to transfer to a standard wheel chair. For the rides where the chair actually goes on the ride, it is impossible to to configure a restraint system that can safely handle every type of ECV. Traditionally, the ECV is desgined for ride comfort and ease of getting on and off. They have a very high center of gravity and narrow wheel base.

The rides that actually take the chair on the ride vehicle as fully compliant with the federal standards for wheel chairs. The government actually states the standards for height, width, etc., of the chair. Even then, wheelchairs are available in various configurations and not all will fit. Universal is unique in the industry as to the number of attractions that can actually carry a wheelchair on board a ride vehicle. The restraint systems are very complex to see that those guests can experience the attractions the same as others do.

Just as information, Universal employees are not allowed to assist in the physical transfer to and from a wheelchair. It is a liability issue as the employees can not possibly be understand every persons physical limitations in handling the person. A family member or other person traveling with the guest must make the transfer.

[nancycels]

ecv problems were not a result of problems transferring to another chair, the problem was there was no wheelchair to transfer to for the 'ride' which in actuality is one that you 'walk' or 'roll' thru, it doesn't require any loading etc! if they had designed this w/about an extra 2" in the lines, it would have been fine, also if they had employees who bothered to direct you as to which way you would be exiting... they were too busy standing around chatting.

As to the there not being any parties, let me tell u, there WAS one last friday the 13th, i saw the bar, food etc. and the roped off area which was where all universal employees who numbered >5 directed us to as the handicapped viewing area. Universal Security Personnel were the ones that told us it was a party for Univ. personel.

I don't require anyone to transfer me, i just need wheels to get around the park, short distances are not a problem(or weren't...before that kid landed on my knees!) I am not the first person I know who has had major problems with access at these parks... believe me, if i'd known it was going to be like that, I certainly would have gone to disney!

THEIR BIGGEST PROBLEMs are lack of signage, or personel to direct you correctly. AND ECV's that lack horns or lights~! Posiden was DANGEROUS to anyone in an ECV and should have been labelled as such. THEIR other BIG PROBLEM was RUDE personnel! We ran into two reasonable employees, but that was after the damage was done!

I don't go to the parks to be miserable believe me~~! I had no problems at Sea World or Disney for 9 days~it was only when i got to IOA that i ran into problems~!

[EpcotBill]

I'm sorry you had these problems. My daughter requires a wheelchair to tour the theme parks. We have noticed over the past 2 years Universal's treatment of guests using wheelchairs has deteriorated. They used to be better at handling these guests special needs then Disney. Then something happened about the time IOA opened. I won't get into any specific problems we had, but there were problems. I hope things improve before our next trip.

[EUROPA]

Originally posted by nancycels

THEIR BIGGEST PROBLEMs are lack of signage, or personel to direct you correctly. AND ECV's that lack horns or lights~! Posiden was DANGEROUS to anyone in an ECV and should have been labelled as such. THEIR other BIG PROBLEM was RUDE personnel! We ran into two reasonable employees, but that was after the damage was done!


We had a great time when we wend to IOA and USF last Dec however,
We also have a big problem with the way lines and queues are handled at the parks. Often you are sent into a never ending maze to find your own way with little or no signs and often in the dark. How about some of the Express lines? "UP the exit" ? You have got to be kidding me! We often were stuck going through the maze(I felt like a mouse) while other people were jumping over the rails. In some of the shows you are shoved into a big room for 10-15 minutes full of people with no idea what is going to happen. (Twister,Terminator) .

Of course these are only problems the first time around. But there should be intermidete help within the queues to direct guest or help with problems. (read kids or adults who are still kids)

[UrbanMoon]

When UIoA was built, the park was designed to allow each and every guest to experience the attraction the same way, thus making each and every queue line accessible to wheelchairs. In this case, there is no need for signage considering all wheelchairs should enter the normal queue just like every other guest. ECVs are a completely different ballgame. From my experiences while working in the park, no 2 EVCs are alike. It would be impossible to build a queue that could accomodate them all. Each and every attraction does has wheelcahirs available to transfer into so that you may use the regualr queue. The actual complaint here should be the employees that you encountered. One major problem is that the Greeter position, which is a very important position is one of the first positions to be covered by a rescue attendant. This is someone that doesn't normally work at the specific attraction you are visiting; therefore, they are not always up-to-par on the procedures for that attraction. This is being worked on with new rescue training procedures currently being implemented. The addition of Universal Express made things even harder as Express queues were built using previous evacuationpaths and such. Most Express queues are not wheelchair accesible. I am sorry that you had a bad experience and I have no excuses for the way some employees treated you while you were there. If you do ever decide to come back, I would suggest finding a lead or supervisor upon encountering a problem. We cannot fic things if guests don't relay the information to us. If you have any further question or comments don't hesitate to post them here.

[nancycels]

lines that don't accomodate ecv's that the PARK rents to you are inexcusable! i understand that individual ecv's may be harder to judge and accomodate for line size, but the ones the park rents to you be able to make it thru the lines. Also, if there is supposed to be a wheelchair/s at the entrance to the ride, and there isn't one, or one isn't offered, or NO ONE bothers to tell you the ECV is going to have trouble getting thru the lines, someone has fallen down on the job, as has their supervisor.

I notified Universal of the problems we had while we were there, and will be sending them a detailed letter of accomodations that woud be inexpensive, yet make it a much better experience! I really hate it when i feel like i spend my day at the park having to complain because people aren't interested in doing their jobs. This was definitely the case with the people at posieden and the carousel.

I don't mind paying the price to get into the park so i can see my family enjoying themselves, even if i can't do a lot of the rides, but when it seems like the company who runs it can't be bothered with simple efficiency and some very simple signage, i take it to mean they just can't be bothered.

[UrbanMoon]

To get to the point of this reply, and ECV or Electronic Convenience Vehicle is not a wheelchair; therefore, it's not recognized by the government agencies as a wheelchair; therefore, it's wasn't included when designing the queues since everything is based on the ADA specification. Also, here's a note, the original ECVs at Universal were smaller and could fit into most queues; however, they were very cheap and started falling apart so they were replaced with not even the current model, yet another model before this one, and finally the model they currently rent.

Like I stated earlier, there is no excuse for the employees at Poseidon or the Caro-Suess-el. They were absolutely not doing their job as trained. I can even bet that the transfer wheelchairs existed, but these employees didn't bother to mention it.

Since this is an opinion board, I am going to give you my personal opinion that has no reflection on the job I do. ECVs should be banned from the parks. They cause a nuesance wherever they are in the park. The people who drive them can't drive them properly causing major destruction to the parks. Just look at Ripsaw Falls! If you remember, Universal used to have plenty of signage at USF, but then disabled people started complaining because they didn't want to be treated different than regular guests, so the ADA specification was created and the signage was all removed. It really irks me that you have the balls to say the stuff you say about Universal, a company that has alot of experience in this business. This is no different at any other park! So don't single out Universal. Why don't you build your own park for ECVs and see how it turns out. I bet it won't even be close to what Universal currently has to offer.

[WebmasterBarry]

OK, guys, we're getting into unfriendly territory. Please be civil or this thread will be locked. Thank you.

[UrbanMoon]

Locking the discussion huh?

it always seems that once the words disabled or wheelchair are mentioned, people hide behind a shallow wall of misunderstanding becoming more afraid that they might be offensive thus allowing themsleves to be stepped on.

It's unfortunate that only a select few of us are well adept to this brave new world. I for one tell things the way they should be told without hiding behind a wall of fear or misunderstanding.

But the gods have spoken, so be it...discussion ended!

[WebmasterBarry]

The complaint did not violate the rules. The tone of some of the responses were bordering on board rule violation. If you are not familiar with board rules, please read the board FAQ. Thank you.

[nancycels]

This is an important discussion to people who use these vehicles. Many of us use ECV's because navigating the parks in a regular wheelchair, is a burden to those we are with. No matter what our upper body strength is, some of the hills/bridges etc. would mean we would require additional assistance from our families. Some of us use them because the airlines have broken our wheelchairs on the trip down, or we are afraid they will. Most of the people i've seen do fine navigating the ECV's. BUT, it would be nice if they had working horns, or a flag like kids have on the back of their bikes so cars can see them so people don't run into us. I know I've listened to the conversations at the parks by the riders of ECV's and most of them agree on which parks are harder to navigate than others. While the ADA is an important piece of legislation, its just like every other piece of legislation...it needs to be interpreted and applied well. Unfortunatly those in charge of applying and writing this law did not take into consideration all forms of transport that handicapped individuals use in a place like an amusement park. If I were 100 % disabled I would have had an even tougher time in the park. Fortunately I am only 75% disabled. But I do wonder at the hostility expressed toward ECV users. Believe me, we'd all rather be walking around those parks than using an ECV, wheelchair, or any other way to get around! Just as I'm sure no one would choose to spend their days in a wheelchair. Believe me, I've been both mobile and not, and hoofing it on your own is far better in EVERY situation!

[Tiiiigergirl]

After reading this post and a phone call to the Customer Service department I have cancelled my reservations to Universal. While one person's experience is just that one person's experience the more frightening thing to me is the response from the employees. Whoever UrbanMoon is, he or she works there and wants ECV's banned. Speaking with Chris in Customer Service this morning did not help. Chris was friendly until I started asking questions about accessibility. He actually told me yes you can transfer to a regular wheelchair if you really want to come here. IF I REALLY WANT TO COME HERE!?!? I guess I don't. I will keep my disabled body and my money over at Disney where they belong. I feel really bad because they both look like fun parks but I have learned that the disabled are not welcome everywhere.:( This may be one of those times where policy is one thing but implementation is another.

[RUN]

Since this is an opinion board, I am going to give you my personal opinion that has no reflection on the job I do. ECVs should be banned from the parks. They cause a nuesance wherever they are in the park. The people who drive them can't drive them properly causing major destruction to the parks. Just look at Ripsaw Falls! If you remember, Universal used to have plenty of signage at USF, but then disabled people started complaining because they didn't want to be treated different than regular guests, so the ADA specification was created and the signage was all removed. It really irks me that you have the balls to say the stuff you say about Universal, a company that has alot of experience in this business. This is no different at any other park! So don't single out Universal. Why don't you build your own park for ECVs and see how it turns out. I bet it won't even be close to what Universal currently has to offer.

I completly agree with you Urban. I also believe the ECV's should be banned. They are really anoying and I've been ran into a number of times by them. Theres nothing like the front bumper of one of those things smashing into your ankle. :( I also know for a fact that there used to be tons of signs for wheel chairs because back when the PBH gave FOTL acces only till 12 you always went into the rides from the wheel chair entrance. The signs were everywhere on all rides and antractions. Even every show has special seats for wheel chairs. Just look at T2:3D they have a special line and the best row in the house for the wheel chairs.

I think that you people with these ECV's should just rent a stinking wheel chair. Tons of other peeps do, and both USF and IOA are completly flat and are very easy to navigate. They are also a lot smaller and less tiring than any of the Disney or Bush park. Universal goes out of their way to help the handicapped by adding special cars on Spiderman, MIB, P&BRB, Kong, JAWS, Cat in the Hat and by also adding ramps, paths, seats, and elevators on all the previous along with Hulk, JP:RA, Dudley, T2:3D just to name a few. Maybe you guys should stop complaining and think about the millions of dollars Universal has spent to help you guys out. Heck Universal could actually make you wait in lines, not give you priority seating, make you guys wheel yourself up hills and not give elevators or make it so you had had drop a few feet to get in the ride car instead of being able to ride smoothly down a ramp.

[nhrenee]

Tiiiigergirl and nancycels,

I'm so sorry both of you have been treated so poorly by Universal. The negative remarks in this thread obviously come from people who don't have a clue about the difficulties encountered by people who need wheelchairs and evc's.

Tiiiigergirl, I hate to see you miss the parks. They are incredible, IOA is a feast for the eyes. Please consider writing a letter to guest services about the treatment you received on the phone. They can't fix things if they don't receive complaints.

Take care!

[IOATech]

By the way, Ripsaw has two $56,000 boats with motor controlled ADA seats. They are very high maintenance and crews are under a very high level of stress ensuring they work daily. Same for JP. Bluto's Barges has 2 ADA rafts as well. One in circulation and one on standby. Universal has certainly done its part throughout the entire business to maintain accessibility standards over and above what is mandated by federal law, and at MONUMENTAL expense. This goes for park guests and employees as well. This is fact and I know it to be.

[EUROPA]

Originally posted by IOArules


I completly agree with you Urban. I also believe the ECV's should be banned. They are really anoying and I've been ran into a number of times by them. Theres nothing like the front bumper of one of those things smashing into your ankle. :( I also know for a fact that there used to be tons of signs for wheel chairs because back when the PBH gave FOTL acces only till 12 you always went into the rides from the wheel chair entrance. The signs were everywhere on all rides and antractions. Even every show has special seats for wheel chairs. Just look at T2:3D they have a special line and the best row in the house for the wheel chairs.

I think that you people with these ECV's should just rent a stinking wheel chair. Tons of other peeps do, and both USF and IOA are completly flat and are very easy to navigate. They are also a lot smaller and less tiring than any of the Disney or Bush park. Universal goes out of their way to help the handicapped by adding special cars on Spiderman, MIB, P&BRB, Kong, JAWS, Cat in the Hat and by also adding ramps, paths, seats, and elevators on all the previous along with Hulk, JP:RA, Dudley, T2:3D just to name a few. Maybe you guys should stop complaining and think about the millions of dollars Universal has spent to help you guys out. Heck Universal could actually make you wait in lines, not give you priority seating, make you guys wheel yourself up hills and not give elevators or make it so you had had drop a few feet to get in the ride car instead of being able to ride smoothly down a ramp.



Good luck with that attitude! Hope you never have to use a Wheelchair. God forbid anybody tries to give people like this a break in life.
Trust me Universal nore any other park would do these things out of the kindness of their hearts.

[nancycels]

if some of the opinions expressed are really from universal employees as they purport to be, its obviously not a place where the employees want to see handicapped people, and universal needs to do some intensive sensitivity training. I shudder to think there are even a few people in the world who are so out of touch!
(You all know which posts i mean...)
I'm not saying every universal employee holds these beliefs, but that even one does is a sad commentary on hiring standards! And from the treatment we got at various sites in the park, its more than just one!
I hope my letter to various individuals at Universal helps make some needed changes.

[UrbanMoon]

Though I told the MOD that I had ended my voice in this discussion, subsequent posts have forced me to the defense...

First off, let's set things straight regarding my personal opinion stated was regarding ECVs only, not disabled peoplein general. These opinions have been formed over years of working in the amusement park industry. How do you think that happens? If you for one day would work on the other side, you might change your opinions too.

Let's talk about the things we see as ride operators every single day. The other day I had a situation involving a ECV. A rather large women (500+ pounds) was complaining about having to transfer out of her ECV to a standard wheelchair to access the ride. She was screaming obsenities and casting blame on employess and the park. What to do? Is she disabled? Of course not, she was merely fat and using the claim of being disabled to bypass the system. Now, the complaint arised because she witnessed another disabled group entering the ride through a special entrance. Mind you this group included a terminally ill child. C'mon show some compassion! And worse in her way out, she backed over a small boys foot with her EVC. Imagine how that must have felt to this child and what is his impression on people in wheelcahirs/ECVs.

Next, a group were complaining they can't wait in the line. Here we had a women being pushed in a wheelchair by her young son with no visible disability. I do realize that you cannot base being disabled on outside appearance, but it was clearly the attitude of the husband that gave it away. After being refused, he went crazy and started blurting obsenities in all directions. Finally on their way out the woman got up out of the wheelchair and put her 2 kids in it and were on their way. Hmm, what was her disibility that required the wheelchair. Again, there was none.

Are you seeing a pattern here. It's a very common pattern park employees see each and every day. This merely explains how people can be swayed. In both cases these people were yelling obsenities in this family enviroment. That is unacceptable! Further more, what kind of values are these people passing onto children? Values that I want no part of knowing.

I'm sorry for disabled people and I would not like to be in their shoes. But you have to understand that being treated a certain way is not always the fault of policy and procedure. Do you think that policies are created out the blue? No, they are derived from actual situations. And you merely think it's ok to go off and write a letter of complaint because that's the easiest thing for you to do. But where do I get to complain? I don't. I must go on and face more and more of this each and every day with a smile hoping that in the afterlife these people will suffer for their actions.

The more unfortunate matter is that you fall into a class of the largest group of scammers, the ECVs. I would say that 9 out of 10 people in an ECV are scamming for something. This is fact I might add, fact from my personal experience. So maybe you should consider this before going off and writing some massive complaint. Maybe you should sit down and think over quite a few things. May I comment that most people who call themselves handicapped are faking it. That is not the proper term for a disabled person and for someone who is disabled, someone who has fought not to be treated differnetly would know that.

I must reiterate one more time that more people should stop and think. They should stop hiding behind a wall when it comes to dealing with disabled people. Look at our own moderator...enough said.

[EUROPA]

Originally posted by UrbanMoon

The more unfortunate matter is that you fall into a class of the largest group of scammers, the ECVs. I would say that 9 out of 10 people in an ECV are scamming for something. This is fact I might add, fact from my personal experience. So maybe you should consider this before going off and writing some massive complaint. Maybe you should sit down and think over quite a few things. May I comment that most people who call themselves handicapped are faking it. That is not the proper term for a disabled person and for someone who is disabled, someone who has fought not to be treated differnetly would know that.



With that kind of science who can desput you?

It's called Karma...people that are faking will get there just rewards. But the attitude toward everyone is not needed. You can't punish everybody for a few bad apples. I'm sure that you see more fakers than a normal person would, just becuase of the Job you do. (Which is ?)

Once again...good luck with the rest of your life with that attitude.

[johare]

I would have to agree that ECV's should be either eliminated or their use severely restricted within the theme parks. Standard wheelchairs should be sufficient for the majority of the people and those who truely do need an ECV should be required to reserve one in advance and provide medical documentation as to why one is required. I also would not consider obesity to be a valid reason for requiring an ECV.

[Tiiiigergirl]

To answer the question as to why ECV's are used instead of wheelchairs, the answer is simple for me. I lack upper body strength to push a wheelchair all day. I can do it for a short time but not for 2 weeks straight on a vacation. In my daily life I don't need a chair to get to work. I walk with my cane from the door of my house to the paratransit service. It drops me off at the door to my work where I work for 8-10 hours a day 5x a week. Then I repeat the process to go home. If/when I need to go to a chair full time then it will need to be electric due to part of the disability. The ironic thing is that when I am sitting down I look PERFECTLY NORMAL. However, I qualify for both a disabled parking placard and the paratransit service. Both require medical documentation and one an exam. But again to look at me sitting I look perfectly normal. How dare anyone sit in judgment on me. If Universal requires documentation then I would be happy to provide it. I don't think it is a good idea because theme parks are more taxing than is normal life. However if that is what it takes then bring it on. It will just be one more place that I have to push some paper for. All any of the able body have mentioned is that they are inconvenienced by electric carts. The disabled are just as inconvenienced by any fakers as you might be. Even more. We are the ones who have to wait longer for the special cars to come around but ask any of us and the reply is always the same, better to have a faker get through then have someone who is truly disabled be denied.

[eetsoop]

Tiiiigergirl it sounds like you have been to Universal. I'd be interested in hearing your opinion on the accesibility of the park to those who are disabled. Did you think that it was not wheelchair or ECV freindly? What were your experiences with employees?

[Tiiiigergirl]

I don't have any experience with Florida just California. They were pretty good but that was before I was very disabled and I did not use an ECV. I do have experience with ECV's at Disney and that is why I know you have to wait longer for the cars. It's that way at every park. I based my decision to cancel our trip on the phone conversations I had with customer "service". As I said earlier the one guy actually said after he found out I was disabled, "if you still want to come." I don't. Vacations are too expensive in both money and especially time to take a risk that we will not be treated courteously.

I'm curious as to why you asked. Do you have a family member who is disabled or are you merely curious? Do you work there?

I think one of the big problems with IoA is that it is geared to a younger crowd most of whom have no idea what the needs of the disabled really are. They don't have a clue as to how inconvenient it is to be disabled.

[eetsoop]

I was just curious about the subject. It is something I have not really noticed or payed attention to before not being handicapped myself, even though I have been to the park so many times. It interests me because I have read mostly bad things about IOA and this sort of thing. I'd like to just know if anyone had a positive experience at the park to fully understand what is wrong.
It seems to me that nancycels post seemed somewhat exagerated, although I am not really qualified to determine that. If IOA has a problem with this I'm not sure if it reaches to the extend of outright "hostility" towards handicapped guests. I know that the park has spent a great deal of money making everything accesible, but they also spent alot of money on the old Poseidons Fury and the Express System and they ended up having to change both. All I'm saying is that I dont think IOA is hostile and insensitive to handicapped guests (although that customer service guy sounds kind of bad) and I think that if this is indeed a problem they will be willing to make even drastic changes to satisfy everybody because that is the business they are in.

[DEE DEE]

After Universal opened IOA I saw a large group of people that had
walkers arrive at the Rotunda. I assume they had no idea it was going
to be so difficult getting to the parks.I could not believe they had to get
on the moving sidewalks with a walker .Then they still have that long way
to get in the parks.I just wanted to say that I hope the people with a motor
scooter come so they enjoy the parks. Also any problems you have you can
work on it to make the next trip better.Surely you do not want to give the
satisfaction to a few people that have such a rotten attitude.I know there is
a lot you can enjoy .You will enjoy having nice meals and seeing how pretty it
is.That alone is worth it and you could even take in a ride or two. Ok maybe
a lot more but give it a try and give WHOEVER stops you from having 100% fun
a HARD TIME!!
:wave:

[EUROPA]

Originally posted by eetsoop

It seems to me that nancycels post seemed somewhat exagerated, although I am not really qualified to determine that. If IOA has a problem with this I'm not sure if it reaches to the extend of outright "hostility" towards handicapped guests. I know that the park has spent a great deal of money making everything accesible, but they also spent alot of money on the old Poseidons Fury and the Express System and they ended up having to change both. All I'm saying is that I dont think IOA is hostile and insensitive to handicapped guests (although that customer service guy sounds kind of bad) and I think that if this is indeed a problem they will be willing to make even drastic changes to satisfy everybody because that is the business they are in.

Did you read URBANMOON'S POST? Seems like a perfect example of what NACNYCELS is talking about. Seems to be an employee with a real problem towards disabled guest.
Once again Universal does not spend this money out of the goodness of their hearts....they must becuase of laws.

[Tiiiigergirl]

I don't think they have to be hostile to let me know that I'm not overly welcome. Just unhelpful and unfriendly. I know they can't forbid me from coming but they don't have to go out of their way to make me feel good about being there either.

I am very curious as to the response of Universal to my letter. I finished it last night and will mail it today. As far as Urban Moons statements that I should think about it from his/her perspective I wonder what makes them think I havn't ever been in that position.

I know I could go to Universal and make certain I was treated right but that would not be a vacation. Besides I am queen of rides. I like going on them. That is one of the reasons we are spending our retirement money now traveling. We don't know if I will be able to when I'm older so I want to get everything in I can now!:)

[eetsoop]

About UrbanMoons post he/she stated clearly:

"I am going to give you my personal opinion that has no reflection on the job I do."

While I may not fully concur with UrbanMoons personal opinion he/she seemed like a helpful employee:

"I am sorry that you had a bad experience and I have no excuses for the way some employees treated you while you were there. If you do ever decide to come back, I would suggest finding a lead or supervisor upon encountering a problem. We cannot fic things if guests don't relay the information to us. If you have any further question or comments don't hesitate to post them here."

Hostile was the word used by Nancycels to explain the way she was treated at the park and to me this sounds like an exageration.

Universal does not spend this money because they HAVE to. As I said before the reason they built the park was obviously to make people happy and give people a good time (and to make money doing this). They want people to come to their park and they want people to have fun and spend some dough, this includes people who are handicapped (if you think Universal does NOT want these people to come then you are very close-minded). I know for a fact that several Universal employees are handicapped themselves. If you go thinking everyone is against you then of course you will never have a good time. If Universal gets enough complaints what makes you think they wont fix a problem like this?

[Tiiiigergirl]

As I said I based my decision mostly on the discussion with the customer service representative who said, "if you really want to come."

I never said that Universal had to do those things.

As far as Urban Moon I'm not sure if he/she is helpful if he/she thinks you are a scammer or faker. That is my point. In their post they stated that 9 out 10 are faking. If they are judging it then it I am certain riding up on my ECV I would appear to be one of the fakers in their opinion. I can provide medical documentation to show I'm not but I look perfectly healthy while sitting down. As soon as I stood up and started walking it would become evident.

I am sure that Universal the organization wants me there. But indivdual employees that have a misconception about hidden disabilites do not. Again most of this is based on conversations directly with Universal. Could I take the risk? Certainly. Do I want to? No. I do not consider it a vacation to have to defend my right to use the medical equipment I need. I also think that this is very possibly the opinion of a few employees and I had the misfortune of running into them. Again, though, it is not a risk my husband and I wish to take. I also am entitled to share my experience with other disabled people so they can investigate on their own. I hope my letter generates some positive changes within their organization. I'm just not sure that they can make those changes in time for my trip. Again my money and time on the line.

[EUROPA]

Originally posted by eetsoop


Universal does not spend this money because they HAVE to. As I said before the reason they built the park was obviously to make people happy and give people a good time (and to make money doing this).

I understand that a business does not have to spend moneyto build a Theme park.

Issofar as the money spent on making the park "accessable"; Trust me if it was not for the Amercians with Disabilities Act these places would be much tougher on those with Disabilities. That was one of the main reasons why it was passed. Businesses were not doing the things necessary for those types of people. So yes they had to spend money on that. It is now the law. I really can't speak on how accessable Universal is as I'm not in that situation in my life. I prey never to be. But I do have a soft spot in my heart for these types of issues. Maybe Universal does go above and beyond the call of the law in making the park accessable. I'm not really an expert but it seems form the few post I've read there may be a few issues.

I personaly love the park. We had a great time and are planning on going back in December for Christmas. We did have isolated incidents of rude behavior and downright stupid things that we came across while in the parks. Still we loved our visit. Universal has me hooked.

I would love to meet some of the great people that work at Universal and post on this board. Most of them do a great service to their company. While others that claim to work there ,I would rather never meet or hope they do not have much customer interaction. As it seems they really do not have a cheerfull attitude about their job. Or seem very open minded about the world in general.

[johare]

quote of the day
I understand that a business does not have to spend money to build a Theme park.

Well, if they are free then I'd like one! :)

[EUROPA]

Not exactly my point...The previous posters made if seem if Universal spent money to make the park more accessable becuase they generally cared for the guest and wanted to make money off those people as well.

My point is that I understand that Universal did not have to build a theme park...nobody forced them to. However they are forced to make it more accessable based on the Amercians with Disabilites Act and for that reason is why they have made it accessable...Not out of the kindness of their hearts or whishes for more money. In fact I bet it was...is a loss.

[nancycels]

************************************************** *
Hostile was the word used by Nancycels to explain the way she was treated at the park and to me this sounds like an exageration.

Universal does not spend this money because they HAVE to. As I said before the reason they built the park was obviously to make people happy and give people a good time (and to make money doing this). They want people to come to their park and they want people to have fun and spend some dough, this includes people who are handicapped (if you think Universal does NOT want these people to come then you are very close-minded). I know for a fact that several Universal employees are handicapped themselves. If you go thinking everyone is against you then of course you will never have a good time. If Universal gets enough complaints what makes you think they wont fix a problem like this?
**************************************************
I hate to tell u, but hostile is not an exaggeration. I wish it were! We never go to the parks expecting not to have a great time! This is one reason we were so very disappointed in IOA. We also do not go expecting service to be impeccable, we know that's unrealistic. We expect 'glitches' on occasion and deal with them as they come up. But IOA was unfortunatly the exception! They were so woefully inadequately prepared for ECV'rs and were inhospitable as well!
To those of you who think ECV'rs are scammers, well, let me tell u, I wish I were! If I were a scam artist of some sort I wouldn't need to shell out the cash for an ecv rental, which believe me! I could happily spend elsewhere! Also to the person who said there was a 500lb woman who didn't need an ecv... well, i doubt she was 500 lbs(although anything is possible)... she'd have more problems than just needing an ecv if she was! And besides, I have no problem with anyone whose mobility is impaired for any reason using an ecv! The fact that some of them are fat, and some of them are thin shdn't matter! The fact that some people have an invisible disability also shdn't matter! It is not a park employees job to determine if someone needs an ECV! Like many others I could and did travel w/documentation (in case I needed it). The park employees job is to be sure all visitors have a good time. With or w/o an ecv or wheelchair! It is not up to them to decide to act w/hostility toward any park attendee. Their job is to make my visit pleasant. If they do even half of that I am happy! This is why I have sent Universal a detailed letter complete with suggestions that would be easily implemented w/o great cost. I did not just start this thread to cause everyone to be up in arms! I did it to raise conciousness of the problems we are all facing out there. I hope it will have some positive results!

[UrbanMoon]

Originally posted by EUROPA
I would love to meet some of the great people that work at Universal and post on this board. Most of them do a great service to their company. While others that claim to work there ,I would rather never meet or hope they do not have much customer interaction. As it seems they really do not have a cheerfull attitude about their job. Or seem very open minded about the world in general.

Would you be referring to me? It's always amazing to see someone judge a person based on what's written on the internet, a forum where emotions cannot be truly passed on because you lose the other senses of real life. You consistantly judge me as having an attitude. I have no attitude! And what I consider personal opinion never enters my mind while I'm on the job. If you would like to be terrorized, you should read some of the amusement park employee boards/newgroups where everything is a complaint ab ut guests expecially the disabled. Do you think that these people just stand there and smile while being friendly all day. If you do that you are living in a shallow world. You would fall flat on your face if you heard what it said behind the guest's back, somtimes even in front of guests.

I merely responded my personal opinion to a post that was clearly exagerated. I happed to have gotten the other side of the story involving her experience at Poseidon's Fury. Again, heed some advice i stated in earlier posts about hiding behind the great disabled wall. Just because a person is diabled doesn't always mean they are right.

[EUROPA]

Originally posted by UrbanMoon


Would you be referring to me? It's always amazing to see someone judge a person based on what's written on the internet, a forum where emotions cannot be truly passed on because you lose the other senses of real life. You consistantly judge me as having an attitude. I have no attitude! And what I consider personal opinion never enters my mind while I'm on the job. If you would like to be terrorized, you should read some of the amusement park employee boards/newgroups where everything is a complaint ab ut guests expecially the disabled. Do you think that these people just stand there and smile while being friendly all day. If you do that you are living in a shallow world. You would fall flat on your face if you heard what it said behind the guest's back, somtimes even in front of guests.

I merely responded my personal opinion to a post that was clearly exagerated. I happed to have gotten the other side of the story involving her experience at Poseidon's Fury. Again, heed some advice i stated in earlier posts about hiding behind the great disabled wall. Just because a person is diabled doesn't always mean they are right.


Oh where to begin... I try my hardest not to read tone from emails or postings on the internet, still sometimes in cases such as this it can clearly be seen. You say that you never let your personal thoughts enter you mind at work. Well I'm glad that you can turn those thought off at work. I would say that you are one of the few people that does not let their personal opnions affect their work in some way.

I've worked in customer service, infact I put myself thought college working the front desk at hotels in resort areas. So I know a thing or two about the the demanding public. I know how guest blame the person in front of them for everything that goes wrong while on a trip. I've been personally blamed for destroying about 50 different family's vactions at one time or another. All of them out of my control. I've even been blamed for the pool being cleaned. I've worked in support for a major software company, I been blamed for bad software that was written 5 years ago. I've been cursed , yelled at, hung up on, threatened. I've had the entire kitchen sink thrown at me. Yes I thought at that time everyone of those people were a-holes. You just have to remember that most of these people are just venting on you. For a lack of a better word I often called myself a "Bit@hing Post ". In all of my customer service jobs it was my job to tell the customer the bad news deal with the problem unitl they asked for a manager. Then the manager would come along and play "good cop" and magicaly fix all of their problems for them. Making me look like the a-hole. That is just the way the world runs.

So I can guess what is said about cusomters behind their back or even in front of it sometimes.

Just smile and tell them to have a nice day. I really don't think the majority of disabled people are hiding behind anything. I would guess that most of them would want to be just like you or me. Do you really think that getting to the front of the line at some rides in a Theme Park is worth a lifetime in a wheel chair ? I'm sure that most of them would trade all of the FOTL access in the world to be free from what ever has them using the Wheel chair.

As far as the other side of the story. Remember there are two sides to every story and the "TRUTH" is always somewhere in the middle.

[Nan]

Just as a side note:

I work in a physician's office and we have 2 patients who weigh in excess of 500 pounds. This is not just an estimation, they have to be weighed and they do weigh 525 and 590. They, also, do get out and about, with difficulty and assistance, but they do, so it is possible that a 500 lb. woman could be at IOA.

Nan

[Tiiiigergirl]

If you would like to be terrorized, you should read some of the amusement park employee boards/newgroups where everything is a complaint ab ut guests expecially the disabled.

Thank you for making my point. That is why based on my conversation with guest "services" at Universal I'm not risking it. Because if I read your statement correctly you are accepting of the disabled but everyone else is complaining about the disabled. And people are questioning why we are offended?:rolleyes:

What are these complaints? What have we done that is so terrible?

[UrbanMoon]

Let's stick to the point of this original post. Islands of Adventure welcomes thousands disabled guests each and every day. All queues at UIoA are wheelchair accessible including all electronic wheelchairs. The queues are not accessible to ECVs and are not permitted in the lines. Each attraction has several designated standard wheelchairs for guests traveling in EVCs to transfer to while experiencing the ride. Most rides have special ride vehicles designed to make the transfer from a wheelchair as easy as possible.

As far as EUROPA's last post I don't feel the need to explain myself to you, but I too have been in the customer service business for a long time giving me enough experience to reach the poing I am at. I can very easily separate work from home!

[Tiiiigergirl]

I never questioned that Universal's facilities are disabled accessible. What is in question and the point of the post is that the transmittal of knowledge by employees was not helpful to the original poster.

This post took a turn when someone mentioned that ECV's ought to be banned. That is when I felt I had a right to defend my use of medical equipment. An ECV is not a wheelchair but it is medical equipment. To me there is no difference in saying ECV's ought to be banned than my cane or a prosthetic device ought to be banned. They all assist with mobility.

UrbanMoon's statistic that 9 out of 10 ECV users are fakers causes me to question NOT Universal's facilities but the employees. I am guessing, and please correct me if I am wrong, that many of the employees talk about that statistic as though it is fact. Human nature being what it is, people would have a hard time hiding that kind of bias. Even over the phone it was apparant that the employee I spoke to was not overly enthused to have another ECV in the parks.

Universal is to be applauded for their facilities it sounds like. I am grateful for the ADA and for companies that try to meet and exceed the requirements. That's why it is so frustrating to run into INDIVIDUALS who think they get to be the judge of who qualifies and who does not.

Some people accused the original poster of exagerating. I think the stat that 9 out of 10 ECV users are fakers is an exageration. If not I want to know the basis for the findings.

[johare]

They, also, do get out and about, with difficulty and assistance, but they do, so it is possible that a 500 lb. woman could be at IOA.

Maybe Universal should start charging by the pound...

[WebmasterBarry]

Please watch your remarks. Please do not make me close this thread. Thank you.

[nancycels]

************************************************** *

I merely responded my personal opinion to a post that was clearly exagerated. I happed to have gotten the other side of the story involving her experience at Poseidon's Fury. Again, heed some advice i stated in earlier posts about hiding behind the great disabled wall. Just because a person is diabled doesn't always mean they are right.

************************************************** *

and I suppose your interpretation of employee gossip should be taken as truth? uh huh! for someone with years of experience in customer service you have clearly violated some serious confidentiality rules here!

either that or u are taking employee gossip as fact? hmmm... makes me wonder....just who universal is employing.... and if anything reported to them is truly confidential! since i was assured that my report was confidential obviously someone has been gossiping... do u remember that game whisper down the lane? ah! yes! amazing what happens to the distortions as the story is passed along!

So u think its an exaggeration? I assure it was not. I wish it was! In fact, by now I wish I'd never gone to universal in the first place! I only posted my experience because I didn't want someone elses vacation to be ruined if they weren't forewarned.

[eetsoop]

UrbanMoon's statistic that 9 out of 10 ECV users are fakers causes me to question NOT Universal's facilities but the employees. I am guessing, and please correct me if I am wrong, that many of the employees talk about that statistic as though it is fact.

What UrbanMoon posted was a personal opinion. UrbanMoon also made it a point to say that it had NO BEARING on their work.
How could you say that many of the employees think that anyone in an ECV is scamming? As I said before, this kind of thinking is as close-minded as thinking ECVers are scammers. I'm sure every employee who posts on this board can correct that assumption.

[UrbanMoon]

This discussion just keeps getting more and more amusing! I feel like I am back in grade school passing names back and forth. Look, I am sorry for your disablilty, sorry that you had such a bad time at Universal. But let's face it, you are such a small percentage compared to positive guest interactions.

I have tried to open minds in this discussion to the fact that everything is not always as seen or heard. That each and every person needs to experience things for themselves. And that people should not automatically run and hide when a disability is brought into the matter.

But anyway, I am through with this discussion because it just doesn't concern me. I'm not the person you had issues with on your visit. I will continue to defend Universal not matter what situation emerges. The fact of the matter is if indeed there is a problem, it has already been corrected or a plan to correct it is in the works...

[EUROPA]

Originally posted by eetsoop


What UrbanMoon posted was a personal opinion. UrbanMoon also made it a point to say that it had NO BEARING on their work.
How could you say that many of the employees think that anyone in an ECV is scamming? As I said before, this kind of thinking is as close-minded as thinking ECVers are scammers. I'm sure every employee who posts on this board can correct that assumption.


Orignally posted by UrbanMoon


If you would like to be terrorized, you should read some of the amusement park employee boards/newgroups where everything is a complaint ab ut guests expecially the disabled. Do you think that these people just stand there and smile while being friendly all day. If you do that you are living in a shallow world. You would fall flat on your face if you heard what it said behind the guest's back, somtimes even in front of guests.


These two quotes really seem to contradict each other than don't they.

[commecicommeca]

When you are saying that ECVs should be banned you are in effect saying that the user should be banned as well. Why don't ECV users just use a manual wheelchair? Because they can't push it, obviously no one wants to pay $25 more per day for a machine they don't really need if a wheelchair is just as convenient to use. Believe me as a regular ECV user navigating these things is not always easy, especially if you've got a big fancy model like I do, and most people in theme parks don't use them in their every day lives but need them because of the walking distance incurred so obviously they're not going to be the greatest drivers in the world if someone like me who's been using one for a year still crashes into things occasionally and this inability to drive well isn't helped by being forced into small spaces. I have never met anyone using an ECV who didn't need one at that point in time. An ECV is as much of a mobility device as a wheelchair and should be treated with as much consideration.

[VondaP]

I've kept up with this thread and have kept silent until now. I suffer from an "invisible" disability. To look at me, I look fine (with the exception of a large scar on my knee). I have good and bad days. On the bad days, walking is painful and I tire easily. On the good days, I still hurt but it's manageable with meds.

My family visited USF/IOA last summer. I had an unexpected surgery prior to our trip that forced me to use an ecv the entire time. Normally, I only use one on the "bad" days. Because of this, I phoned and e-mailed guest services inquiring whether or not there was anything I needed to know ahead of time. I was told not to worry that the parks were handicap accesible. When I arrived, I found that the majority of the employees I encountered were not very friendly to those in ECV's. I was treated more like a nuiscance than a welcomed guest. I was not expecting any special treatment nor was I expecting or asking to go to the front of the line. In fact, I sat and waited for my family to ride the majority of the rides. The few rides that I felt I could go on ( a couple of water rides, Spiderman, and a few others) we waited longer than "walking" folks to get on. There were definitely no perks to being in a scooter. As much as we enjoyed the parks, we did not like the treatment I received. I won't say EVERYONE was unfriendly, that would be untrue. I am a very kind and patient person and it took a lot just to smile and say thank you. I wanted my family to enjoy themselves so I just grinned and beared it.

I took as much as I could until our final day. We went to see the Wild, Wild, Wild, West Show. I parked my scooter in a handicapped spot and my family sat behind me. A USF employee (I'll never forget his face and name) came up to us shortly before the show started and asked me for my pass or something like that. I had no clue what he was referring to. Remember, I had called and e-mailed prior to going and was told I didn't need to do anything special. He told me that I would have to move out of the handicapped spot immediately. He then motioned to my family that they had to get out of the seats they were in. I was in shock, this man was incredibly rude and quite loud. When I refused to move, he tried to push me out of the way, but couldn't because I had turned the ECV off. He then yelled at us telling us that we have to move. My husband started to get up and take my girls with him and I told him to sit down that we weren't going anywhere. I stood my ground and the show started. The employee was loud enough that quite a few folks were watching and listening to what was happening. I had several people tell me that they could not believe how I was treated. One gentleman said he was an attorney and that I should file a suit against the employee and the park. Let me just say, that I have been discriminated against on more than one occasion (not just at USF/IOA) if I filed a suit everytime this happened, I would spend the majority of the time in the courts. Not my cup of tea.

After the show. I scooted my humiliated self over to guest services and let the gentleman behind the counter know what had happened. I was so upset, I could hardly talk. He apologized profusely and filed a report. He also said that I should have been told when I called that I would need a pass for the handicap access. He offered me comp. tickets and I told him that I would never be back.

I returned home to a phone call from guest services. I explained again what had happened. He kept asking me if I was sure of the name of the gentleman at the show. I kept telling him that I was positive what his name was, not only was he wearing a name tag, but I asked another employee just to be sure. I could describe the man down to the color of his glasses. The man on the phone said he had to be sure, because sometimes employees use others name tags. He also stated that this man was one of his better employees. The man on the phone apologized and told me that if my family ever decided to come back that he would give us comp. tickets. I told him also that I had no plans to ever return.

Now the irony, we are visiting Florida in October and my kids really want to go to USF/IOA and stay at the Hard Rock Hotel. I, on the other hand, have a hard time going back. Finally after months of pestering, I gave in and made ressies at the HRH. Just a few days ago, I wrote a letter to guest services. My main questions to them are, "will my bad experience last year happen again?", and "have any changes been made regarding guests with disabilities?"

I am going with a positive attitude. I will not arrive with a chip on my shoulder and will give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I only want to enjoy the parks with my family like everyone else.

To those that use ecvs/wheelchairs just in hopes of by passing the line, I hope the day never comes that you have to have one.

Just one persons experience,

Vonda

[Tiiiigergirl]

Well I just heard from Universal and I am underwhelmed. They did not address my concerns about the employees at all. They just wasted an entire page of paper and ink in telling me that they are fully ADA compliant. I never stated that they weren't fully compliant but that their employee training might be a problem. All they said was that their staff is specifically trained to help their guests who may need assistance. That's it! Half a sentence of a full letter.

On an interesting side note they also said they were including a disability guide for my review. Unless it's invisible they didn't.

All I know I am very glad we cancelled all our reservations for Universal and until I hear consistently good reports about Universal I will avoid them. I'm always hearing on this board that you should vote with your wallet. That's what I'm going to do.

For your sake Vonda I hope you have a great time and all of the letters start to make a difference. Please let us know!

[lisapooh]

Originally posted by UrbanMoon
Let's talk about the things we see as ride operators every single day. The other day I had a situation involving a ECV. A rather large women (500+ pounds) was complaining about having to transfer out of her ECV to a standard wheelchair to access the ride. She was screaming obsenities and casting blame on employess and the park. What to do? Is she disabled? Of course not, she was merely fat and using the claim of being disabled to bypass the system.
You do not know if this person was handicapped or not. Obesity in itself is a disability plus you have no idea as to the cause of her obesity. There is no excuse for screaming obscenities but if the ride operator had the type of attitude you show I can fully understand her fustration.

The more unfortunate matter is that you fall into a class of the largest group of scammers, the ECVs. I would say that 9 out of 10 people in an ECV are scamming for something. This is fact I might add, fact from my personal experience. So maybe you should consider this before going off and writing some massive complaint. Maybe you should sit down and think over quite a few things. May I comment that most people who call themselves handicapped are faking it. That is not the proper term for a disabled person and for someone who is disabled, someone who has fought not to be treated differnetly would know that.
This is not a fact at all. Yes there are some who are scammers but they are few. There is no advantage to using a ECV. You get no special priviledges, they are a nuisance to drive and quite frequently you get abuse from park employees and other guests. I've gotten this aT IOA and Universal myself and I use a motorized wheelchair not an ECV. Handicapped, disabled, physically impaired, whatever, it is not your place to determine what term we wish to use. We'll call ourselves whatever we darn well please. Most people who called themselves handicapped are faking it. I think not. Maybe you are the one who needs to do some thinking about your attitude towards the disabled(handicapped).

[lisapooh]

If Universal and IOA are accessible to motorized wheelchairs then why was I told I needed to transfer to a manual wheelchair? And why was the worker nasty when I pointed out that it was a motorized wheelchair and if I could operate a manual wheelchair I would not be using a motorized chair. And again why was I then told that my motorized chair was not a motorized chair but an ECV. It is a Jazzy 1103, which is a power wheelchair.

So don't give me the bit about them being accessible.
And btw while I was at IOA I meet a castmember who was in the exact same power chair so the people in that area should know what it is.

[eetsoop]

the reason you would need to transfer to a manual wheelchair is b/c it would be impossible to make a ride vehicle compatable to every kind of ECV. If your motorized wheelchair is the same as a manual wheelchair then I'm sure the only reason they made you transfer is for saftey reasons. For your saftey and the saftey of other passengers it is necessary to make sure that everything works properly. The ride manufacturers cannot test their vehicle with every single make and model of wheelchair or ECV. As for calling it an ECV, who cares?

If you do care to get into the semantics:
Is it really that important what it's called? It's a motorized wheelchai right, so it IS electric. Since the definitin of a vehicle is: A device or structure for transporting persons or things. it is a vehicle too. It seems to be convienient as well. Hence the term ECV would fit it properly.

To clarify, the reason they made you transfer was not because they mistook your wheelchair for an ECV, but because they don't want you to sue when your wheelchair doesn't fit the ride vehicle properly and breaks. I assure you the park is accesable. If you could ride the rides it is accesible.

You have NO special privledges because you are disabled except for ability to access the rides and all sections of the park. Univesal AND IOA have accomodated those privledges. Hearing both sides of the story it is evident that there is a great misunderstanding between both parties. The employees might be just a little to rash in characterizing disabled customers as trying to gain special privledges and scamming, but disabled customers know they are disabled and need to take responsibility for knowing what rules apply to them when they access the park, they are a minority of the customers and so the park is not tailored specifically for them (although it IS fully accesable to them), if you ask guest services nicely they WILL happily tell you what you need to do and what you will encounter, this will NOT happen by itself and that is why Guest services is there. It is not difficult to do. When an employee asks you to transfer to a wheelchair or if he/she asks for a pass then IT IS THEIR JOB TO DO SO and being a customer you should comply with such a simple requests. There may be reasons that are not entirely clear and it is YOUR responsibility to ask about them, not assume the employee is wrong.

[Tiiiigergirl]

but disabled customers know they are disabled and need to take responsibility for knowing what rules apply to them when they access the park, they are a minority of the customers and so the park is not tailored specifically for them (although it IS fully accesable to them), if you ask guest services nicely they WILL happily tell you what you need to do and what you will encounter

She tried.I phoned and e-mailed guest services inquiring whether or not there was anything I needed to know ahead of time. Remember, I had called and e-mailed prior to going and was told I didn't need to do anything special. He also said that I should have been told when I called that I would need a pass for the handicap access.

She tried by both phoning and e-mailing them and was given incorrect information. Because of this she was treated in a way that was unacceptable regardless of whether or not she was disabled. The employee pushed and shouted at a guest.he tried to push me out of the way, but couldn't because I had turned the ECV off. He then yelled at us telling us that we have to move. If the employee felt that strongly that she was in the wrong place then why didn't he call security? Unless manhandling guests is Universal's policy. You stated that she should have turned over a pass. if he/she asks for a pass then IT IS THEIR JOB TO DO SO and being a customer you should comply with such a simple requests. How could she turn over a pass when she didn't know about it?! Wouldn't it have been so much better for the employee to have asked if she was aware of the policy and explained how to get one? Or even one better to call ahead and say she was coming. Wow can you imagine this thread if she had that to say about Universal instead.

I think she is very open-minded to even consider going again. I am very conservative with my vacation time and money. I get two weeks a year and a few thousand dollars and they are too precious to waste anywhere I am not treated with respect. This currently includes Universal.

Everytime I keep hearing how Universal is disabled accessable and I should be grateful to them for that. I am but they can have the best facilities in the world and if they don't have well trained people to accompany it then I'm not interested.

You have NO special privledges because you are disabled except for ability to access the rides and all sections of the park. Univesal AND IOA have accomodated those privledges. I certainly hope you miss-typed when you stated that the ability to access the rides and all sections of the park are a privilege.

[KHansen454]

Hi!!! I work for Universal out here in CA. I really think that if anyone has any problems at all with the park ( especially ones relating to poor signage or problems with disablity access) that a letter should be written to Universal Guest relations. I know that Universal does take comments very seriously and is constantly making changes to better serve visitors to the park. If enough people write letters and voice their opinions, Universal will recognize that they have a problem and need to make a change. Your letter may make a difference for other visitors or for you on a return trip to the park. I always try to write letters to theme parks, stores, hotels, ect... both when I have bad and good experiences. - Karen

[lisapooh]

Actually there is a big difference in an ECV and a motorized wheelchair. As I stated before, if I could use a manual chair I would. That said there is absolutely no reason my motorized chair cannot go through any line at US or IOA. This is true of the vast majoruty of motorized wheelchairs. It is not true of an ECV which is a scooter and operated with a handle bar like a bike not a single hnad controller. If a transfer is needed to a manual chair it should be done at the ride vehicle not at the beginning of the line. Or since I can transfer independently with my sticks (many motorized wheelchair users cannot) to the actual ride vehicle. I would say that the majority of ECV users are able to transfer from the ECV to a ride vehicle. Plus my motorized wheelcahir can be secured on all the special ride vehicles at Disney so I don't see any reason why the same cannot be done at US and IOA except for pure laziness on the part of the workers!
You claim it is semantics. Sorry you obviously don't know what you are talking about. It is not semantics at all but a difference in the actual equipment being used.
US and IOA are the only parks I get hassled by workers. My Power chair has been to Sea World, Busch Gardens, all of the WDW parks( w/ a guest assistance card), Miami Metrozoo, Monkey Jungle, Seaquarium and Parrot Jungle with no such hassles. Says something about the training being given to workers at US and IOA and it isn't good.

You can be sure I will not be spoending my money at US or IOA with the attitudes I have recieved there and from their employees on this board. It is obvious they don't want the business of disabled guests and their families and only comply with handicapped access to the barest minimum required by law. They also train their workers poorly as to manners and guest interaction. There are many more theme parks in Florida that welcome the disabled.

No one is asking for special priviledges. What the handicapped do demand, not request, is access be available with respect to our needs and courteous and respectful treatment without the attitude that you are doing us a favor. You aren't. Our access is mandated by law and we pay just like anyone else. An my buck is a good as anyone elses.
And btw the handicapped parking is a farce and not in copmpliance with the law.

[Tiiiigergirl]

Karen,

Thank you for your post. For whatever reason it just made me feel a little better about Universal. Thank you for realizing that maybe there is room for improvement and that there is nothing wrong in pointing it out to them. Thank you.

[VondaP]

I received a very prompt "canned" reply to my concerns regarding my past experiences. The very short letter does not address my concerns in the least. The letter is signed by Shawn M. (hope it's ok, to put that here). Anyhow, I would like to write to upper management. Does anyone know to whom I should send the letter to?

Thanks,

Vonda

[Tiiiigergirl]

Not a clue. I wish I did but frankly I don't think they really care.

[VondaP]

Tiiiigergirl, I'm afraid you may be right. I don't give up easily and will keep trying!

Vonda

[lisapooh]

eetsoop,
a motorized wheelchair is not an ECV. There is a big difference. There are many models of both manual and motorized wheelchairs. Not one is standarized. One thing that can tip you off it is not an ECV but is a motorized wheelchair doesn't have handbars in front like an ECV. It has a controller on either the right or left armrest unless it has a specialized controller such as one in the headrest or a sip and blow controller. No basket in front either. A motorized wheelchair can be tieddown on a ride if the guest chooses to remain in it. I usually do not and prefer to transfer with my sticks. As I have said before, if I could use a manual chair I would.
It is not a safety issue as you claim but a laziness issue on the part of the workers who do not care to ask the users about where to place tiedowns on the particular modeel in use. Trust me, when you use these mobility devices day in and day out you know better than some theme park worker where to placec tiedowns and what is safe and feasible and what is not.