Article: Is Disney Dissing the Disabled?

[OneLittleSpark1]

It has already been stated....increased use(abuse, legit users whatever) is the reason for the change. A person makes a facebook post saying Disney emailed them they are going to allow repeated rides similar to the old GAC. How would Disney issue these? This would be no different from the current GAC that is not working. I would caution believing everything you read unless it is posted directly from Disney and not on someones wall.

Agreed. I can't find this or anything like it in all the searching I have done online.

 

[Planogirl]

So now they will allow immediate access or multiple rides "in certain situations"? How does the DAS actually change anything then?

 

[OurBigTrip]

So now they will allow immediate access or multiple rides "in certain situations"? How does the DAS actually change anything then?

It doesn't. Lots of fluff, no real change.

 

[Robbi]

So now they will allow immediate access or multiple rides "in certain situations"? How does the DAS actually change anything then?

There will be a picture of the person with the DAS and that person has to ride. Before someone- like the cheaters- could get a GAC and then give it to someone to use after charging them, of course. Others had a family member/friend with a GAC and that holder may not have ridden but others in the group did. Now, that can't happen.

 

[Talking Hands]

Based on a e-mail from Disney being passed around the autism advocacy community, Disney is still going to offer pretty immediate access and multiple rides on the same attraction.

Which means that all of the effort to replace the GAC was pointless. The same people will be able to abuse it that abuse it now, it will just be called something different.

I completely agree with you here. Multiple rides on the same attraction unless it is very slow should not be given. Social stories can be used here to let the child know that they can ride one time and then if they want to ride again they will have to come back at another time to ride again.
For myself, as long as they can mesh the needs of my several issues I don't mind waiting. As far as I am concerned they can just schedule everything at Guest Services and I will be glad to follow a schedule. I only ride a few rides now anyway.
Disney has never given the deaf and hard of hearing equal access but at least we have access. Equal access would be every show and interpreted ride be interpreted everytime, everyday. Not going to happen

 

[OurBigTrip]

It has already been stated....increased use(abuse, legit users whatever) is the reason for the change. A person makes a facebook post saying Disney emailed them they are going to allow repeated rides similar to the old GAC. How would Disney issue these? This would be no different from the current GAC that is not working. I would caution believing everything you read unless it is posted directly from Disney and not on someones wall.

It didn't originally come from someone's wall, it was posted on another discussion board (Mouse Planet, not sure if we're permitted to link) and was purportedly forwarded by Judy Mark of the Autism Society of Los Angeles.

While it's entirely possible that she made it up, she is a rather well known person in the LA autism community, and would definitely be risking her own reputation if she allowed a bogus e-mail to be circulated in her name.

 

[OurBigTrip]

There will be a picture of the person with the DAS and that person has to ride. Before someone- like the cheaters- could get a GAC and then give it to someone to use after charging them, of course. Others had a family member/friend with a GAC and that holder may not have ridden but others in the group did. Now, that can't happen.

Cheaters, aka non-disabled using someone else's GAC was not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that so many people were requesting, and getting, a GAC.

Had Disney stuck with the original intent of the DAS, i.e., everyone waits, but not necessarily in line, the value of the DAS would have dropped considerably, and fewer people would have gotten them.

By now apparently capitulating and once again simply taking the word of someone that their child can't wait at all and "needs" (translation: wants) to ride the same ride multiple times, the DAS will be just as much of a mess as the GAC.

 

[Disfanx4]

I think the new system is a good compromise. Our fear/issue is the change from the old way to a new one. If anyone knows someone with autism, you know that sticking to routines is common and change in that routine can lead to serious issues and/or meltdowns. We have been going since 2009 and have used a GAC for our son who is minimally verbal, but we have encouraged him to use language as much as possible at Disney World. He loves it there and really opens up and functions very well when we're there. But, he does not understand abstract concepts or complex language. How do we explain to him that he can no longer go onto a ride the same way. That now he has to ask permission from someone and it could be a while. That's my concern - the change from the old way and the inability for our son to understand. So, I guess we'll just be accepting our lot in life and if it doesn't work, we won't be coming back to Disney World. So that will give all of you who don't want us to take your space in line to get on a little quicker. Meanwhile you'll go home and be able to watch your kids go to school on their own, learn to drive, get married and have kids of their own while we'll sit in our living room hoping our son says more than two words at a time and live our life the same way until we are gone and he's in a group home or an institution with no one to hug him or tell him they love him. At least for that one week in Disney World, we climb out of that sadness and despair and enjoy our life together as a family having fun, because Disney went out of their way to do that for us. And I guess that's gone for good.

Exactly, the same thing will happen when the special needs child is standing in line for their return time of 90 mins but the ride broke down while,as it has been put you get to stroll around and do what you want and as sensory overload sets in the child has a meltdown of epic and yes I'm using the word epic proportions and all the people waiting behind said child will have to wait because in no way can you logically talk to or explain anything to this child during this meltdown. These meltdown can last a long time and there is no way Disney will ever ask for this child to be removed from the queue as it is next to impossible to do and could cause harm to themselves and others around them

 

[OurBigTrip]

.

I don't look for sympathy, I'm not playing a pity me card here.

And yet you make a post stating that maybe we'll all be happy when you don't go back, and that when we are all home watching our children graduate, get married and have children, you'll be sitting at home, hoping your son will say two words.

It looks as though Disney will capitulate to families like yours, and allow you to have the run of the park at everyone else's expense.

 

[Robbi]

Cheaters, aka non-disabled using someone else's GAC was not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that so many people were requesting, and getting, a GAC.

Had Disney stuck with the original intent of the DAS, i.e., everyone waits, but not necessarily in line, the value of the DAS would have dropped considerably, and fewer people would have gotten them.

By now apparently capitulating and once again simply taking the word of someone that their child can't wait at all and "needs" (translation: wants) to ride the same ride multiple times, the DAS will be just as much of a mess as the GAC.

Not everyone thought the GAC was a mess.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Not everyone thought the GAC was a mess.

I agree - the people that obtained it and then abused it to treat WDW or DL like their child's own private park loved it, as evidenced by the outrage once Disney said "no more".

Too bad that Disney is apparently already backing down, thus making the changes meaningless.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

And yet you make a post stating that maybe we'll all be happy when you don't go back, and that when we are all home watching our children graduate, get married and have children, you'll be sitting at home, hoping your son will say two words.

It looks as though Disney will capitulate to families like yours, and allow you to have the run of the park at everyone else's expense.

Jeez...

I don't blush around here much...but I'm a nice rosy hue right now

There's something wrong with this entire debate...because there's alot of hate juice flowing here.

Maybe both sides of this debate are completely right and 100% wrong...

Some of the things here seem to be "everybody pays the same, so the line for space mountain should never be affected in any way"

On one hand that's right...on the other it's immature and...well...so small.

I mean the above is an acknowledgement that circumstances are different...but you can't have it affect the wait time by 10 minutes.
I'm all ears if I misread that?

 

[OurBigTrip]

Jeez...

I don't blush around here much...but I'm a nice rosy hue right now

There's something wrong with this entire debate...because there's alot of hate juice flowing here.

Maybe both sides of this debate are completely right and 100% wrong...

Some of the things here seem to be "everybody pays the same, so the line for space mountain should never be affected in any way"

On one hand that's right...on the other it's immature and...well...so small.

I mean the above is an acknowledgement that circumstances are different...but you can't have it affect the wait time by 10 minutes.
I'm all ears if I misread that?

I'm all for reasonable accommodations. Making someone with a DAS wait outside of the line, doing whatever they want until it's time to return is very reasonable.

Letting them move to the front of the line with little or no wait, and then allowing them to ride multiple times while other people have waited a very long time just to ride once is not reasonable.

My kids have as much right to have a good time at Disney as a child with autism, and when the wait times are consistently made longer by the situation described above, that's wrong.

The post that you quoted was simply to point out that for someone that is saying she doesn't want pity or sympathy, she sure seems to asking for a lot of both.

 

[ssuro11]

It didn't originally come from someone's wall, it was posted on another discussion board (Mouse Planet, not sure if we're permitted to link) and was purportedly forwarded by Judy Mark of the Autism Society of Los Angeles.

While it's entirely possible that she made it up, she is a rather well known person in the LA autism community, and would definitely be risking her own reputation if she allowed a bogus e-mail to be circulated in her name.

Serious question....When was the last time Disney used a non official channel to announce changes? Does it sound like something Disney would do by saying "please email these changes to your members" instead of posting it for everyone on the Disney website/press release?

 

[OurBigTrip]

Serious question....When was the last time Disney used a non official channel to announce changes? Does it sound like something Disney would do by saying "please email these changes to your members" instead of posting it for everyone on the Disney website/press release?

First, I didn't see where Disney said "e-mail these changes to your members". Second, I can't imagine someone in her position forging something like this.

YMMV.

 

[ssuro11]

First, I didn't see where Disney said "e-mail these changes to your members". Second, I can't imagine someone in her position forging something like this.

YMMV.

The forum you pointed to claimed Judy emailed him(the forum owner) what she had received. Judy claimed in an email that Disney wanted her to email her members about this latest change. That doesnt sound like something Disney would do but I could be wrong.

 

[Robbi]

I agree - the people that obtained it and then abused it to treat WDW or DL like their child's own private park loved it, as evidenced by the outrage once Disney said "no more".

Too bad that Disney is apparently already backing down, thus making the changes meaningless.

Umm, there were people who used it because it was needed. I can tell you that 99% of the time, we went through the FP line with the GAC. Only on Haunted Mansion were we sent to an alternate entrance for the ride.

I'm all for reasonable accommodations. Making someone with a DAS wait outside of the line, doing whatever they want until it's time to return is very reasonable.

Letting them move to the front of the line with little or no wait, and then allowing them to ride multiple times while other people have waited a very long time just to ride once is not reasonable.

My kids have as much right to have a good time at Disney as a child with autism, and when the wait times are consistently made longer by the situation described above, that's wrong.

The post that you quoted was simply to point out that for someone that is saying she doesn't want pity or sympathy, she sure seems to asking for a lot of both.

The thing is either you don't or won't understand that some children with autism have a hard time waiting for long periods of time. They don't understand. I think that if your child had this syndrome, you might be more understanding. No one thought, "Hey, I hope my child is autistic so we can get a GAC!

We never moved to the front of any line with the GAC. We went through the FP line. Even at Haunted Mansion when there was an alternate entrance, we never went to the front of the line. We merged with the regular line. Youforgetting or maybe you don't know that those of us who had to use the GAC missed a lot of the neat features along the way.
When we use the GAC, we don't see the pre show or the interactive line for HM. I'm sure there are other attractions with cool things to see while in line, we've never seen those except in pictures.

No one here said that your child does not deserve a good time at WDW. The thing that's hard to understand is why you begrudge some disabled kids a little perk that allowed them to have a good time.

Oh and as for riding something multiple times in a row, we've not done that either. I can see how others might though because kids with autism get very focused on something in particular. If it happens to be a ride at WDW, then it doesn't bother me if they ride it multiple times.

 

[ssuro11]

Umm, there were people who used it because it was needed. I can tell you that 99% of the time, we went through the FP line with the GAC. Only on Haunted Mansion were we sent to an alternate entrance for the ride.



The thing is either you don't or won't understand that some children with autism have a hard time waiting for long periods of time. They don't understand. I think that if your child had this syndrome, you might be more understanding. No one thought, "Hey, I hope my child is autistic so we can get a GAC!

We never moved to the front of any line with the GAC. We went through the FP line. Even at Haunted Mansion when there was an alternate entrance, we never went to the front of the line. We merged with the regular line. Youforgetting or maybe you don't know that those of us who had to use the GAC missed a lot of the neat features along the way.
When we use the GAC, we don't see the pre show or the interactive line for HM. I'm sure there are other attractions with cool things to see while in line, we've never seen those except in pictures.

No one here said that your child does not deserve a good time at WDW. The thing that's hard to understand is why you begrudge some disabled kids a little perk that allowed them to have a good time.

Oh and as for riding something multiple times in a row, we've not done that either. I can see how others might though because kids with autism get very focused on something in particular. If it happens to be a ride at WDW, then it doesn't bother me if they ride it multiple times.

Would you agree that using the Fastpass line for every ride greatly decreased your wait vs. Stand by or waiting for a Fastpass return? Would the use of GAC allow you to ride several "headliner" attractions in a short period of time vs Standby or waiting for Fastpass?

 

[3Gsandme]

I've been reading along on these threads. It's so hard because it's an emotionally charged issue. Of course, I'm very sympathetic to people who are disabled or have disabled children. I think to suggest that someone who would like a different system ISN'T sympathetic to disabled people or doesn't care about them is really unfair. I think it's very hard to have this debate because parents come in and throw down the "you don't care about disabled kids" card and it kind of shuts the whole thing off. Who wants to go on after that? It's like saying, "I'm not racist, but...". You never come out of something like that feeling good.

The issue, as I see it, is a two pronged problem. First, there is abuse. We all know that. We know that there are people who are paying for "guides" who could obtain the GAC to ensure they toured with no wait. Do I think it's a huge problem? I don't know. The second problem, is that based on the number of people in the country who can claim disabilities, the system is being overwhelmed. It was stated that the GAC was never intended to be a line/wait by-pass but over the years that's how it evolved because it was probably easier for CM then for them to try and figure out who could REALLY wait vs those who couldn't.

Would I mind letting a disabled family go ahead of me to minimize their child's wait time so they could have a better experience in the park? Absolutely not. Would I mind waiting so a disabled child could have one more go 'round on a favorite ride without getting off? No. Of course, that means my children are a little disappointed as they wait at the front of the line for the next opportunity to get on, but I'm okay with a little disappointment. That's life.

But, if everyone is claiming a GAC, how long are the people who don't have one waiting and where's the line? I'm more than happy to wait a little longer for you (generally) to have an easier time. The problem would be waiting for extended amounts of time to accommodate people who cannot wait. At what point does it start becoming more than unfair? It doesn't make me a cruel or small person to wonder at what point is it okay for me to be unhappy that my kids aren't getting to ride as much as they could have otherwise. The idea I keep getting is that it isn't okay for people who don't claim GACs to be upset by how that affects their wait time. People are supposed to get the warm fuzzies for allowing numerous disabled people and their families to go ahead of them and if they don't like it they most not care about disabled people.

I know no one said that, but it's how it feels.

Disney is a company that uses vast amounts of technology. It seems as though it would be so much simpler to find some way to use technology, perhaps via the magic bands, to manage the flow of disabled guests who cannot wait because of their limitations.

 

[OurBigTrip]

The forum you pointed to claimed Judy emailed him(the forum owner) what she had received. Judy claimed in an email that Disney wanted her to email her members about this latest change. That doesnt sound like something Disney would do but I could be wrong.

No, it doesn't say that Disney asked her to e-mail the info out, it said that it was an e-mail from Disney that her organization had been asked to distribute. I didn't take that to mean that Disney had asked them to distribute it.