Disney College Program for Parents Thread...

[wilkeliza]

wilkeliza and Wishes Count, thank you so much for your help. I hope you understand that I don't want to go into too much detail on a public forum about my daughter's medical condition so I really do appreciate your help as it all seems so vague. I stayed up late last night to speak to her when she came in from work to get a clearer picture of what had happened, she was very upset when she called me earlier in the day it was hard to make sense and I felt so helpless being on the other side of the Atlantic. She has a medical condition which isn't very well known but presents the same as another much more serious condition, she had to go and get assessed for work and the medic she spoke to didn't want to listen to her when she explained what her condition is, she offered a letter from her specialist and her local dr but its seems the medic didn't want to know and kept on about treating it as the more extreme condition which could be very dangerous to DD, DD felt that if she made too much of a fuss she would be sent back to the UK, working at WDW has always been her dream and she was heartbroken at the thought of this. Anyhow things did turn out well in the end when she went into work and handed over her form and explained how to treat her condition should there be any problems and everyone there was lovely, my faith is restored in the mouse , guess the medic was having a bad day and although it wasn't a nice experience for DD its something she can learn from as a life experience .

wilkliza we did look at the medical accommodation forms but the questions really didn't seem relevant to DD and according to the description,
"A disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more life activities." it seemed we would be wasting people's time filling it in for something which may or may not happen and was not a constant condition, it certainly doesn't substantially affect her.

There are only a few positions a Disney that I know of that require a medical evaluation and I for know any where you see a medic who would be treating the situation. Now if she got sick at work and a medic was called that is not Disney who responds than is Reedy Creek and that would be a whole different issue.

In either case if a medical professional does not listen you can always demand to see someone else.

 

[Ziggy]

Shelly DD had a letter from her specialist outlining her condition and how to treat it as its quiet uncommon, the Dr refused to look at it. I really hope your daughter gets sorted soon and enjoys the rest of the programme.

 

[Berlioz70]

We do that and they freeze her from her current role and just tell her they will try to find her a spot. So she is not working until then. They say that after 10 days she will be termed if no position is found. They are not kind in any way, they don't try to find out what is exactly going on. They dont realize that each disability or illness is so different. She has tried going there, calling and they just blow her off.
I am certian she will have another position soon, because her manager loved her and put in a word to the office. It shouldnt be this way at all.
I am thinking there is a problem regarding disability and how disney proceeds that needs to be adressed. Each illness really is a case by case. No two are alike. There needs to be communication if nothing else. Luckily with my daughters illness there is a large advocacy group that I can bring this up with.

Disney does treat each disability and illness independently, the frustration your DD is experiencing is related to the fact that she now works for a huge corporation, at a location of nearly 60,000 employees, in which over a third are covered by a union (which covers nearly all of the roles she'd be considered for as a transfer).

To make matters harder on your DD, Disney has a strict medical accommodation process. Once the doctor wrote that note, communication to DD probably became cut off immediately. It's not that Disney doesn't want to talk with your DD, but they can't. As a Leader, I see our CMs come and go through Modified Duty. Many try to bring me their dr's notes/recommendations, I am absolutely not allowed to read or review those notes (I am not a medical professional). All I can do is send them to our Health Services and wait for direction from that group. I have seen Cast come back with restrictions that they do not agree with, and try to get me to change them, or ignore them... I cannot do that. If they have a restriction where they cannot work in the sun for more than X time, or cannot stand for more than X time, then I can't work them at all. It's not about letting them work within their personal limits and trusting that they'll sit down/rest when they need to because.... that's considered unfair to the other CMs and let me introduce you to the Union!

So now let me talk about the recasting process; Disney cannot just create a position from thin air. Because these CP roles are linked to the Union, there are very strict processes here. Each location has a set number of hours that have to be worked, a certain % of those hours have to be available to the FTers to meet their 32 hour weekly minimum, and then there has to be a certain % available for CPs so that they can meet their 30 hour weekly minimum.
So lets say your DD restrictions allow her to work at X location, by just adding her to the team she will cut in on the overall available hours for the other CMs. Therefore, they have to wait for a location that has an opening & meets your daughters restrictions. Unfortunately, a Manager recommendation has no influence here, it's a huge Tetris game.

To make matters just a little worse, this is the beginning of the FA season, which means a bunch of new CPs have just arrived and haven't started quitting yet. If it were later in the season, the recasting probably wouldn't be as difficult as there would be more openings.

If they are unable to recast her in 10 days, I encourage her to talk with Casting to make sure she has a favorable rehire status; then she can reapply for the Spring and present all the Dr restrictions up front. Having that information at the start of the process will give them time to place her in a location that can accommodate her restrictions.

Shelly DD had a letter from her specialist outlining her condition and how to treat it as its quiet uncommon, the Dr refused to look at it.

There are two Doctor facilities on property, one is for FT CMs who have Disney Health Insurance, the other deals with Workers Comp. Neither care for Cast who have personal conditions outside of the EMTs who would provide immediate care then send them to the hospital.

 

[Ziggy]

I'm glad to say that DD is over all the upset now and I'm sure she will enjoy the rest of her time at WDW, she has worked so hard to get there.

 

[Shelly]

Thanks for the detailed response Berlioz. All of that makes sense, but there must be someway to give her a little explanation. She was just out of work sitting at home with no clue what was going on. If someone would have just explained that it is difficult to move her and they are working on it.

It all seems to have worked out. She went to her original manager where she was working and asked for his help on at least letting her know where she stands.
He sent an email to the dc office. He implored them to keep her, and find her another position he suggested a few.Said she was a great worker while he had her, He also asked if anything could be done with the dings on her record(she has to call in sick each day for some reason).
They responded that yes they would move her she will have her new role by sunday and that she would start with a clean slate.
I will be more relieved when she has her official new role, but very grateful to that manager. All she needed was someone to listen and give her a response whether good or bad.
Thanks everyone. Hope it is smooth sailing from now on.

 

[Berlioz70]

I'm glad to say that DD is over all the upset now and I'm sure she will enjoy the rest of her time at WDW, she has worked so hard to get there.

They responded that yes they would move her she will have her new role by sunday and that she would start with a clean slate.

Great to hear everything worked out for both your DDs!

 

[photos_101]

Days off??

I am trying to plan a trip to visit my CP daughter the end of Oct. I thought I had read that there is a chance she could ask off for the days we are there. For instance, she could get scheduled off for 2days (fri, sat) of one week and then 2days(sun, mon) of the connecting week. Which would give her 4days off with us but it would essentially be 2days off from each week. Does that make sense? lol
I guess what I would like to know is what is considered a Disney work week? Sun-Sat perhaps??
Thanks so much, we want to spend as much time with her as possible.

 

[Wishes Count]

Days off??

I am trying to plan a trip to visit my CP daughter the end of Oct. I thought I had read that there is a chance she could ask off for the days we are there. For instance, she could get scheduled off for 2days (fri, sat) of one week and then 2days(sun, mon) of the connecting week. Which would give her 4days off with us but it would essentially be 2days off from each week. Does that make sense? lol
I guess what I would like to know is what is considered a Disney work week? Sun-Sat perhaps??
Thanks so much, we want to spend as much time with her as possible.

Work week is Sun to Sat. Your DD can request off more than two days off per week. I requested off the entire week my family came. Once she requests it on the Hub she can check to see if it has been approved or denied. If it is denied she might be placed on a wait list for the days. Everything depends on her role/location and operational needs.

For me some of my days were approved but others were wait listed. My days eventually opened up and I was able to get them off. If she is not approved she can always try to give those shifts away to others.

I should mention that if you take the whole week off you won't make enough to cover rent. There is no penalty but you get double charged the next week!! Which might leave very little for other expenses

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[photos_101]

Thanks so much for the info. We will only be there from Thurs-Tues. So If she could get fri and sat plus sun. and Mon. for her days off that would be perfect! She would still be able to work full weeks perhaps and not loose any pay. Now hopefully it all works out that way. I guess it is worth a try. I will just be excited to see her whether she has to work awhile during my stay or not.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Thanks so much for the info. We will only be there from Thurs-Tues. So If she could get fri and sat plus sun. and Mon. for her days off that would be perfect! She would still be able to work full weeks perhaps and not loose any pay. Now hopefully it all works out that way. I guess it is worth a try. I will just be excited to see her whether she has to work awhile during my stay or not.

Just don't get your hopes up too much. Not trying to be a bubble burster...but I came down to visit my DD, and she tried to get a third day off the week I arrived but couldn't and then tried to request specific days off the next week and only got one of them. Then on top of it she couldn't find anyone willing to take her shift so she couldn't even give one away. And then with her working such a yucky shift (4pm to 1am) it's hard to visit for long. I hope you have better luck!

 

[Wishes Count]

I will say this. I would book ASAP and have her ask off ASAP. It you are coming at a slower time of year she may have a better chance. Like I said depends a lot in role and location.

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[photos_101]

I will be there the week before Halloween around the 24th. Booked the flights today so she would be able to get her request in as soon as she is allowed to do so. Her CP doesn't start until first of August. I think we will be fine. She has plenty of time to request it off and this will be our only visit so I doubt she will be asking for much if any other time off.
Plus I will be in Disney and she will be working in Disney. It is a win no matter what!

 

[Berlioz70]

She has plenty of time to request it off and this will be our only visit so I doubt she will be asking for much if any other time off.

Not really... FTers have been asking off their 2013 dates since November 2012... so she's coming in at a 9 month disadvantage. Each day has a limited number of approvals depending on the location/operation. So if she's requesting dates that others already requested in her area, she will be wait listed. I know in my area we cut back the number of time off approval during Sept-Nov because I work at Epcot and we're busier during that time for F&W.

 

[photos_101]

I understand that she could not get the days off. No problem. I will see her either before or after work. It isn't like I won't come to see her if she doesn't get days off. If I don't get to see her as much as I want on that trip, I will go see her again! I can never have too many trips to Disney!!

 

[wilkeliza]

I understand that she could not get the days off. No problem. I will see her either before or after work. It isn't like I won't come to see her if she doesn't get days off. If I don't get to see her as much as I want on that trip, I will go see her again! I can never have too many trips to Disney!!

Just another point of view. I worked in Epcot and had no problem getting days off in October. If I didn't get the days from labor services I asked to switch with other people in my attraction. I even had Christmas and Thanksgiving off on my CP even though I know that is rare.

 

[photos_101]

Thanks wilkeliza. Glad to hear it is at least possible! I have no doubt that whatever happens with the work schedule, we will make the best of it. I am willing to adjust my day around hers, no precise plans for us, just enjoying spending a fews days catching up!
Life is what you make of it and we plan to make it the best week possible with what we are given!

Thanks again everyone for all the posts/suggestions!

 

[stitchlovestink]

Just another point of view. I worked in Epcot and had no problem getting days off in October. If I didn't get the days from labor services I asked to switch with other people in my attraction. I even had Christmas and Thanksgiving off on my CP even though I know that is rare.

My DD just found someone who would take one of her shifts but they wouldn't approve it because it put the other CM at the OT pay rate whereas DD was reg time. So they wouldn't allow her to give the shift away. I guess it depends on your area's manager.
We were rather disappointed, but it is what it is.

 

[Wishes Count]

You often have the most luck giving away shifts to seasonal or part time cast members. Most areas have a shift exchange board where people post their contact info. Now most locations have a Facebook group to post in. It can be tricky but it all depends on how people where scheduled. When I went seasonal I didn't get any hours when I was supposed to go down. None of the other people who were seasonal got shifts either so everyone was looking for shifts. Of course at other times it can go the other way and no one needs hours. Just keep your fingers crossed!!!

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[wilkeliza]

My DD just found someone who would take one of her shifts but they wouldn't approve it because it put the other CM at the OT pay rate whereas DD was reg time. So they wouldn't allow her to give the shift away. I guess it depends on your area's manager.
We were rather disappointed, but it is what it is.

Oh yeah company policy is straight time for straight time. It can't put the other CM into OT for the week or even day. Now you could plead your case to a manager and they can over ride labor services decision. That is up to the area manager though and the CMs.

 

[photos_101]

I have another quick question.
Is the time around Christmas available for CM room discounts? We will be going back to help DD move back home during the last 2 weeks of Dec. I am just wondering if I should book with a regular discount or is it possible for her to book with her discount?
We all have AP's so will not need park tickets, just a room.
Thanks!