Class-Action Lawsuit against Disney Parks filed - CORRECTION: not class-action

[SueM in MN]

This thread is in danger of being closed due to personal attacks.
I am on vacation with an almost dead cell phone, so am not going to leave it open much longer if it continues as it is now.

It does pretty much seem to have reached an end anyway, so expect it to close soon at any rate.

 

[smitch425]

This thread is in danger of being closed due to personal attacks.
I am on vacation with an almost dead cell phone, so am not going to leave it open much longer if it continues as it is now.

It does pretty much seem to have reached an end anyway, so expect it to close soon at any rate.

Enjoy the rest of your vacation, Sue!

 

[pbrim]

MAW and DAS serve and fall under different sections of the ADA. DAS is intended to give equal access and designed to enable handicapped people to access the rides with approximately the same wait time as non-handicapped people. Thus, Disney can not require a diagnosis, prognosis, or any proof, just ask what your need are and try to meet them.

MAW is not equal access, it is extraordinary access (FOTL, etc), so it falls under a different section of the ADA. Disney is allowed to set conditions, and require documentation that these conditions are met.

If some people are going to get access far above and beyond what the general public gets (like near-immediate access on demand), that group is going to have to be limited in number and is going to have to jump though hoops to get it. That is a simple matter of logistics. Just think about that before you start making demands.

 

[Vidia2]

Of course you don't and that is because our kids rode the ride once and then moved on (you tend to do that when you have to wait 20 minutes for an accessible-ride vehicle); whereas, those with autism rode the same ride countless times in the same period of time. The GAC was never intended as a unlimited FOTL FastPass, yet, that is what it became known as thanks to the abuse by this one group.

My child doesn't loop rides but I don't think that's really relevant anyway.

You obviously have a strongly biased opinion against people who have autism that isn't going to be changed by any discussion.

 

[Disneychick75]

She isn't waiting twice, she's waiting once.

I think maybe she meant that first you have to get in line to get a DAS, then there is sometimes a line to get to a cm for a return time and finally you get in line for the ride itself.
I know sometimes kids don't have to get in line to get a return time but if they are traveling with just 1 adult, then they probably do have to get in that line.

Of course you don't and that is because our kids rode the ride once and then moved on (you tend to do that when you have to wait 20 minutes for an accessible-ride vehicle); whereas, those with autism rode the same ride countless times in the same period of time. The GAC was never intended as a unlimited FOTL FastPass, yet, that is what it became known as thanks to the abuse by this one group.

We travel with an autistic child who has never once repeated a ride twice in a row in more than 8 trips. Not all autistic kids are alike anymore than any non autistic kids are alike. They share diagnostic similarities but degrees etc are different.

 

[Vidia2]

What on Earth are you talking about? Disney's policy is not stupid. They go above and beyond to help their guests on a daily basis. No one in this thread has stated that children with Autism should be locked away. Why are you trying to stir the pot here? No one is blaming your child.

Regarding the "locked away" comment. That has to do with the posters who say that if your child can't wait in line without bothering other people or making a scene, they shouldn't go to WDW, rather than getting accommodations that prevent that. You've seen those comments right? I'm not going to point those out.

I don't know if Disney's policies are stupid. A lot of people are complaining that people who don't have autism aren't getting a DAS and that it's unfair. I do think that if this is actually happening, it's pretty harsh for them to draw the line at only kids with autism getting it. I doubt that this is really happening but that's what was being complained about.

People are blaming children who have autism. You can see that if you look at the pp that I've been replying to and if you read all the other threads on this topic. Many people do blame the entire group of children with autism for the change in the GAC program. Either because there are just too many of them or because they "abused it" in their opinion.

Really? You haven't seen these comments? Over and over and over?

 

[Jedana]

We went to Seaworld this weekend (blasphemy I know, but we've been to DL twice and WDW 15 or 16 times...)


There were a lot of people there (I am assuming they were in a group as they all wore the same shirts) with an autism group. Lots of kids with different reactions and behaviors, ranging from cute and funny to destructive.


What we did see from the people in the autism shirts:
1. parents actively working with their kids ("Let's set our watch for 5 minutes and then it will be time to leave the penguins." 5 minutes "time to leave the penguins mama"
2. parents disciplining their kids ("you stomp one more time, and the toy goes back" stomp..toy went back)
3. families waiting in line (and not complaining about wait times. although, to be fair, the longest we waited for anything was 15 minutes, and that was for the Penguin ride this morning)


What we didn't see from the people in the autism shirts:
1. Parents yelling at employees for not allowing their kid on the ride or not giving the kid toys or for telling the kid "Shamu doesn't have a show today!"
2. Parents pushing their kids in front of other kids during shows and events and saying "my kid has autism and this is the only place that magic for him"
3. Parents stomping their feet because their kid didn't get what the other kid got. (it's the 50th anniversary, and they are doing things similar to what Disney did---we saw a kid win a bubble gun doing trivia, a man making sea otter noises to win a stuffed animal and a lady win a VIP tour simply for being in the right seat at a show)


After all our times at Disney, I truly expected worse from the parents, and found myself pleasantly surprised. Did we see some "negative" behaviors from those kids in the group shirts? Yes, but we also saw "negative" behaviors from kids not in those shirts as well.

 

[aaarcher86]

Regarding the "locked away" comment. That has to do with the posters who say that if your child can't wait in line without bothering other people or making a scene, they shouldn't go to WDW, rather than getting accommodations that prevent that. You've seen those comments right? I'm not going to point those out. I don't know if Disney's policies are stupid. A lot of people are complaining that people who don't have autism aren't getting a DAS and that it's unfair. I do think that if this is actually happening, it's pretty harsh for them to draw the line at only kids with autism getting it. I doubt that this is really happening but that's what was being complained about. People are blaming children who have autism. You can see that if you look at the pp that I've been replying to and if you read all the other threads on this topic. Many people do blame the entire group of children with autism for the change in the GAC program. Either because there are just too many of them or because they "abused it" in their opinion. Really? You haven't seen these comments? Over and over and over?

I've never seen anyone say not to give children accommodations to help with lines. What I have seen is that if someone still can not manage lines with those accommodations, especially to the extent that people have said, that WDW doesn't sound like a very good option. That's fair. We all have to evaluate what our kids can tolerate.

And those comments typically come out with the more outlandish claims - my 200 lb grown son will physically beat me up if we have to wait for more than 10 minutes, for example. It's outrageous to expect Disney to be able to accommodate something like that.

 

[smitch425]

Regarding the "locked away" comment. That has to do with the posters who say that if your child can't wait in line without bothering other people or making a scene, they shouldn't go to WDW, rather than getting accommodations that prevent that. You've seen those comments right? I'm not going to point those out.

I don't know if Disney's policies are stupid. A lot of people are complaining that people who don't have autism aren't getting a DAS and that it's unfair. I do think that if this is actually happening, it's pretty harsh for them to draw the line at only kids with autism getting it. I doubt that this is really happening but that's what was being complained about.

People are blaming children who have autism. You can see that if you look at the pp that I've been replying to and if you read all the other threads on this topic. Many people do blame the entire group of children with autism for the change in the GAC program. Either because there are just too many of them or because they "abused it" in their opinion.

Really? You haven't seen these comments? Over and over and over?

With regards to the first poster you mention, they were speaking of children who are prone to physical violence, not just a child who has a meltdown. Kids don't have to have Autism to have violent meltdowns either. No child who is prone to violence should be put in a position to endanger another person, for their own sake and for others around them.

As for the other comments you speak of, no one is blaming the children with Autism. Those comments about the changes are based on facts. More and more children are diagnosed with Autism every year, and the old system was being overloaded and severely abused. This thread is about a lawsuit in which many of the people complaining have not even used the new system. Again, no one is blaming the children. The parents who demand entitlement and the parents that lied about their kids needing the GAC are the only ones to blame here. Disney provides excellent service to those in need. What they are done doing is providing excess access to people who may or may not even have a child with autism (or any other invisible issue). The new system keeps everyone on the most level playing field they can create. It is not a perfect system, but it actually works well for most people.

 

[Aristomommy]

People seem to keep asking about this waiting once vs waiting twice with DAS. I spoke with my friend who returned from WDW using the DAS. For her, it was a waiting twice kind if a thing.

For example: she went to a CM when a ride waiting time was 50 minutes. If they would have joined the stand by queue, they would have waited that 50 minutes. Instead with the DAS, they returned after waiting 40 min and sill waited 25-30 min in the FP queue. Total 65-70 min. Plus side was that they could choose where to wait 40 minutes (going to another ride was not an option) but overall to enjoy a suitable ride for their needs, they waited longer. Add to that a family who needs a wheelchair accessible ride, they may wait an additional time on top of what was listed.

I don't personally care why people need the DAS (cognitive or physical) and I am glad that Disney is constantly seeking feedback from families to better serve SN population.

 

[SirDuff]

People seem to keep asking about this waiting once vs waiting twice with DAS. I spoke with my friend who returned from WDW using the DAS. For her, it was a waiting twice kind if a thing.

For example: she went to a CM when a ride waiting time was 50 minutes. If they would have joined the stand by queue, they would have waited that 50 minutes. Instead with the DAS, they returned after waiting 40 min and sill waited 25-30 min in the FP queue. Total 65-70 min. Plus side was that they could choose where to wait 40 minutes (going to another ride was not an option) but overall to enjoy a suitable ride for their needs, they waited longer. Add to that a family who needs a wheelchair accessible ride, they may wait an additional time on top of what was listed.

I don't personally care why people need the DAS (cognitive or physical) and I am glad that Disney is constantly seeking feedback from families to better serve SN population.

If the FP lines are consistently longer than 10 minutes, I really hope that they adjust the time that they subtract from standby time to get the return time. We'll be using the DAS on our upcoming trip and t was my understanding that the 10 minutes was to account for waiting in the FP line. It is worth it, to us, to wait longer if she doesn't have to wait in the line, but it would be nice to have the time close to the standby time.

 

[Disfanx4]

People seem to keep asking about this waiting once vs waiting twice with DAS. I spoke with my friend who returned from WDW using the DAS. For her, it was a waiting twice kind if a thing. For example: she went to a CM when a ride waiting time was 50 minutes. If they would have joined the stand by queue, they would have waited that 50 minutes. Instead with the DAS, they returned after waiting 40 min and sill waited 25-30 min in the FP queue. Total 65-70 min. Plus side was that they could choose where to wait 40 minutes (going to another ride was not an option) but overall to enjoy a suitable ride for their needs, they waited longer. Add to that a family who needs a wheelchair accessible ride, they may wait an additional time on top of what was listed. I don't personally care why people need the DAS (cognitive or physical) and I am glad that Disney is constantly seeking feedback from families to better serve SN population.

Thank you for this, it's not just me lol

 

[smitch425]

If the FP lines are consistently longer than 10 minutes, I really hope that they adjust the time that they subtract from standby time to get the return time. We'll be using the DAS on our upcoming trip and t was my understanding that the 10 minutes was to account for waiting in the FP line. It is worth it, to us, to wait longer if she doesn't have to wait in the line, but it would be nice to have the time close to the standby time.

I suspect that will happen in the near future. With FP+ still in testing, there are a lot of kinks to be worked out.

 

[Michigan]

We went to Seaworld this weekend (blasphemy I know, but we've been to DL twice and WDW 15 or 16 times...)


There were a lot of people there (I am assuming they were in a group as they all wore the same shirts) with an autism group. Lots of kids with different reactions and behaviors, ranging from cute and funny to destructive.


What we did see from the people in the autism shirts:
1. parents actively working with their kids ("Let's set our watch for 5 minutes and then it will be time to leave the penguins." 5 minutes "time to leave the penguins mama"
2. parents disciplining their kids ("you stomp one more time, and the toy goes back" stomp..toy went back)
3. families waiting in line (and not complaining about wait times. although, to be fair, the longest we waited for anything was 15 minutes, and that was for the Penguin ride this morning)


What we didn't see from the people in the autism shirts:
1. Parents yelling at employees for not allowing their kid on the ride or not giving the kid toys or for telling the kid "Shamu doesn't have a show today!"
2. Parents pushing their kids in front of other kids during shows and events and saying "my kid has autism and this is the only place that magic for him"
3. Parents stomping their feet because their kid didn't get what the other kid got. (it's the 50th anniversary, and they are doing things similar to what Disney did---we saw a kid win a bubble gun doing trivia, a man making sea otter noises to win a stuffed animal and a lady win a VIP tour simply for being in the right seat at a show)


After all our times at Disney, I truly expected worse from the parents, and found myself pleasantly surprised. Did we see some "negative" behaviors from those kids in the group shirts? Yes, but we also saw "negative" behaviors from kids not in those shirts as well.

We were there too on Saturday. I must have answered 100 questions from the autistic young adult man that sat next to us at the dolphin show.

You must have not been around when the 3:45 pet show was full but we were allowed in because of the wheelchairs and families with autistic kids were too. The reason we were allowed in was because the wheelchair and handicap seating still had seats available. Let's just say there were an awful lot of people yelling and screaming that they were being discriminated against because they didn't have disabilities.

 

[Vidia2]

With regards to the first poster you mention, they were speaking of children who are prone to physical violence, not just a child who has a meltdown. Kids don't have to have Autism to have violent meltdowns either. No child who is prone to violence should be put in a position to endanger another person, for their own sake and for others around them.

As for the other comments you speak of, no one is blaming the children with Autism. Those comments about the changes are based on facts. More and more children are diagnosed with Autism every year, and the old system was being overloaded and severely abused. This thread is about a lawsuit in which many of the people complaining have not even used the new system. Again, no one is blaming the children. The parents who demand entitlement and the parents that lied about their kids needing the GAC are the only ones to blame here. Disney provides excellent service to those in need. What they are done doing is providing excess access to people who may or may not even have a child with autism (or any other invisible issue). The new system keeps everyone on the most level playing field they can create. It is not a perfect system, but it actually works well for most people.

I'm not debating whether or not the new system is fair for children with autism. That's not my issue with this thread. I don't care to read the lawsuit as I don't have the time to waste. I don't care if they win or lose.

I think your other comment just verifies what I've been saying about children with autism and their parents being blamed for the changes in the GAC program.

 

[smitch425]

I'm not debating whether or not the new system is fair for children with autism. That's not my issue with this thread. I don't care to read the lawsuit as I don't have the time to waste. I don't care if they win or lose.

I think your other comment just verifies what I've been saying about children with autism and their parents being blamed for the changes in the GAC program.

Not sure which comment you are referring to, but why comment on a thread with a topic you can't be bothered to read about? Talk about wasting time! That makes no sense.

Done engaging. I will just agree to disagree and move on.

 

[Vidia2]

Not sure which comment you are referring to, but why comment on a thread with a topic you can't be bothered to read about? Talk about wasting time! That makes no sense.

Done engaging. I will just agree to disagree and move on.

It's the autism bashing that I have a problem with. I think I stated that pretty clearly. It's odd that you find it amusing.

At least these threads give me the opportunity to update my ignore list.

 

[Aristomommy]

If the FP lines are consistently longer than 10 minutes, I really hope that they adjust the time that they subtract from standby time to get the return time. We'll be using the DAS on our upcoming trip and t was my understanding that the 10 minutes was to account for waiting in the FP line. It is worth it, to us, to wait longer if she doesn't have to wait in the line, but it would be nice to have the time close to the standby time.

I understood that the 10 minute deduction accounted for the time it takes to walk to obtain the time for the DAS. Either way, I would expect the FP line to be longer than 10 min during peak times. We plan to return to the hotel and swim because the mid day is too much for us

 

[AndreaA]

I understood that the 10 minute deduction accounted for the time it takes to walk to obtain the time for the DAS. Either way, I would expect the FP line to be longer than 10 min during peak times. We plan to return to the hotel and swim because the mid day is too much for us

It is supposed to account for both. It's ridiculous that people with disabilities are forced to wait LONGER than standby, and they should fix the situation - and hopefully will. The whole "it might all equal out in the end" idea is just ridiculous when you consider that the point of the DAS is to help people who can't manage regular lines. Plus, oftentimes the early morning SB times are LONGER than actual, so people with DAS are already likely waiting longer overall.

In the meantime, I have heard that if you are waiting longer than 10min in a FP+ line, you should go to the ride CM and tell them, and they will give you an anytime/anyride FP.

 

[smitch425]

It's the autism bashing that I have a problem with. I think I stated that pretty clearly. It's odd that you find it amusing.

At least these threads give me the opportunity to update my ignore list.

I know I said I was done engaging, but I cannot let this comment slide. I find nothing amusing about Autism (and you probably know that). As I mentioned earlier, I have Autism in my family. My own son was tested at an early age because he was nonverbal for longer than the norm. What I find amusing is that you have read all of the comments in this thread, posted multiple times, but can't "waste your time" reading the details of the lawsuit that this thread is about. That, to me, is, indeed, laughable.