The fundamental basis of the ADA is not to segregate people by disability and have separate areas for them; it is to create an inclusive environment for equal access. I've found Disney to go above and beyond the basic outline of the ADA, so I'm not sure how it could be declared that it was at some point subpar? Sometimes Disney goes too far, actually, and violates a part of the ADA that declares it illegal to offer a service to one population and not another.
I'm concerned about the cleanliness of the kennels too, and what would happen if there was an issue with fleas, mites, etc. It seems the weight of responsibility is shifting from the individual to the corporation.
Agreed, but by not doing something for ADA Disney has segregated people out. I do believe Disney goes above and beyond with some ADA and some disabilities. Especially autism and w/c's. but I find Disney has fallen short on other disabilities. Disney in 20 years of going has never offered me the experience of a parade and for most if not all has never offered me the experience of being able to go along, and has never offered me the ability to ride with my family. I don't see how Disney has gone beyond ADA by offering these things. Now wether I will use them is a different story, I fear for my dog and may not use a kennel, but that is my choice, to now spend 2 hours to go on soaring, when I could do it in 45 minutes, or to seperate my family when I can keep us all together. Before Disney offered me no choice, now I have the choice. Just like those with a GAC card, they do not have to use it but they have the choice to use it.
My choice for the parade is to have the device, so at least I would know Cinderella is coming or Mickey Mouse. At this point my option is very limited if null. Go to a parade and see nothing, and not know what is going on and not have enough space for dog and myself. Or don't go to the parade. The experience is suppose to be equal. Not giving me a seperate place but a device would make me equal, although I realize they come hand in hand, the device will only work at a certain place so they will be giving me the space. Just giving me a space with w/c persons does not give me the experience of a parade, it only gives me the frightening experience of being placed in the middle of a mob with a dog and no way out.
I do not know what your disability is, but I will agree to disagree with Disney goes above and beyond, because as a blind individual that has not been my experience. As a matter of fact, just the opposite, Disney for years (in the past) refused me a GAC and told me that was what my family was for, dlr stopped doing that years ago, but if I am correct that is what part of the law suit was about, wdw was still telling blind individuals that their family was to guide them. I am an adult, Disney could make all queue lines straight and I would not need help, they could make traffic all go in the same direction, they could take out all stairs and then I even blind could navigate. Don't laugh, most of America went out and redid every side walk for w/c persons, remember the old days. Disney does not tell w/c people that their family can carry them through the part, no it goes above and beyond and offered w/c's to anyone who has the money.
My real big big fear of the kennels is like the w/c's, since they offer them on site everyone has a family member that needs one, sorry I don't mean those who really do, I know many do, but we all have seen the ones who don't seem to need one and have them, making the park harder to get though, the lines longer at w/c enterences and such. Anyway, when persons with un service dogs see that they now have kennels, my fear is everyone in America will have a service dog to bring to Disney. When my dd was little and in a w/c from cp, we went to Disney and we saw no more than one or two other w/c's in line for a ride, then Disney started to become known to having w/c's and then renting out motorized ones and now you can not go to any ride and not find at least 20 w/c's in the back enterance (talking mostly dlr). My fear is by putting kennels at the exits, we will see more and more unserviceable dogs in the park. Yes, Disney can ask if it is a service dog, but Disney's staff I am sure can not determine the other question they are allowed to ask, what service does he do, I have hear it all from the un service dog persons, like he is my companion (no does not qualify), he helps me with night time seizures ( no does not qualify, at least at 10 am on a sunny day), he brings me my news paper (no does not qualify), and I think my all time favorite was a little thing on a EVC who's owner said, he barks and keeps everyone off the EVC when I get off it (no does not qualify). To me it is redundant that Disney (or anyone can ask), since you can say anything and that is always as far as it goes because Disney is not allowed to ask what your disability is, so how do they know if your dog is going to do a task for your disability, and how does a lay person know if that task is even needed for that disability. My fear is in the next year you will see more and more pet un service dogs in the park, and those of us who really need it will be less and less able to bring ours, for fear of getting hurt. I can not imagine my dog having to do Disney with meeting 20 chaweenie s, 10 pit bulls and a bunch of other dogs, on top of all the other distractions. And yes, pit bulls are service dogs (supposedly), I am on a task force in my town on how to deal with the pit bulls who are service dogs and over 100 registered just last year. Our town did something that was special, all dogs need licenses except for service dogs. So now all owners of pit bulls are claiming they have a service dog that is a pit bull, no license and does not have to follow some rules, like in the parks here, a dog can be off leash if training as a service dog or if doing a service. Anyway, it has become a huge huge problem, and that is what I fear Disney has coming up. I have a service dog, who is for my blindness, in 8 years I have only seen my friends with service dogs for blindness. I work exclusively with the disabled community and have never seen a service dog for anything but blindness. My case load is 375 children with autism, and our agency services over 2000 children with autism, yet I have never seen a dog for autism do service. I have seen the unserviceable dogs come to our office, I am the ones who ask the questions and then ask then to leave the dog at home if not requiring them to do a service when in our office.i have never been sued over it. Every time we have gone to Disney we have seen the little dog that sits on the
scooter, or the lab that tried really hard to climb over the wall and jump into the river at grizzly run, or the dog what was run over by the scooter, or the dog that chased my dog at dumbo. I know there is not that many service dogs out there, although I know it is growing. I just hope that service animals don't grow as fast as w/c's grew in Disney. Sorry if anyone takes this personally, I know and understand that there are service dogs that may not look like it, my ex has one for PTSD, and I know I am niave at times because even I have a hard time understanding what service he does, although I will admit that my ex is a different person ever since he has had the dog. But neither of us will take our dog for a full Disney trip. I am very concerned with the people who will take a pet even a well behaved pet and go to Disney. I don't mean to hurt or judge those with a service animal that is truly doing a service and I know they are out there.