People shouldn't rely on DIS or Yahoo for news.
The plaintiff didn't sue for 8 k. The case went to trial. The judge found Disney guilty and awarded 8k. It was a non-jury trial. Half was ADA related due to issues regarding wheelchair access to the first aid station. Disney corrected that issue before the trial.
Was this a plaintiff looking to make a few bucks. Maybe. Was this a plaintiff who discovered Disney didn't properly follow ADA rules regarding the first aid station and used that to make a few bucks? Maybe. Is Disney a big enough company to have lawyers competent enough to read ADA rules and correctly follow them, to the inch if necessary? Absolutely. Would the "issues" with It's a Small World been enough to sustain the case if the plaintiff didn't have the ADA issue? I don't know.
I suspect Disney spent more in legal fees then the 8K verdict.
edited to add What dissapointed me are the posters, particularly the OP, who defended Disney without bothering to read the complete facts. A judge fined Disney 4K for not properly following ADA requirements. Sorry but Disney doesn't have an excuse.
I am not saying that Disney does not have some fault in the matter, just that guests need to understand that there are some risks you take, everyone takes, when you get on a ride at any theme park.
It doesn't appear to me that the case involved the plantiff being denied access in regard to ADA regulations to the first aid station, but in regard to the fact that Disney was unable to get him off the ride when other guest were allowed off. Yes, that can be considered a violation of ADA regulations if it's determined that Disney didn't make enough effort to get this man off the ride, but if they deemed it was unsafe to do so at the current location the boat was stuck, you can also understand Disneys position on safety (OSHA regulations come in to play as well). It appears that Disney was basically faulted for not posting that the ride could get stuck and guests with disabilites might be limited in being able to get off... such as the warnings with back problems, neck problems, pregnancy, etc. Disney can not stop you from riding and ride in the park, but it is their responsibility to warn you of possible scenarios that you might want to avoid. If Disney had something posted that referred specifically to disabled guests, there might not have been grounds for the suit.
I don't know if there are currently any specific 'disability warnings' signs in the Disney parks, or at least there are not any that I am aware of. My daughter's are both disabled, as I mentioned earlier, and I have to know BEFORE my daughter with Epilepsy gets on a ride if there is something on the ride that could trigger a seizure because that is not posted outside the ride as a 'warning' and everyones seizure disorders are different. It would be difficult to post a warning for every diability for every ride. We all assume some risk, disabled or not, when we get on a ride at any theme park.
Regarding getting news from Yahoo and Disboards, most national 'news' comes from the same place, the Associated Press, as cited in several of the news stories posted on the internet about this lawsuit (you can only access AP if you work for a media entity). So to discount one news source, such as Yahoo, as being less 'newsworthy' than another is not factual, and I doubt you will find any press release on this matter from Disney. The media only tells you what they want you to know anyway, I should know, I've worked in the broadcasting industry for over 20 years now and there are a lot of untold stories and half truths out there. You're right in stating that you should find the facts out for yourself, but even then you have to wonder if the 'facts' are really the 'facts'. Most news stories about this incident state the same thing... the man was stuck on the ride for 30-40 minutes, others got off the ride but the location of his 'chair' on the ride/boat made it difficult for Disney employees to get him off, he suffered from Dysreflexia (which can be life threatening), and felt that not everything was done that could have been done to help him. Wether the music was playing the whole time is still debatable; it may just be assumed since that would annoy anyone! I could not find any info. about 'wheelchair access to the firstaid station' as you mentioned. Having a child in a wheelchair in the parks, I know that the firstaid stations are all ADA accessable.
Check this link:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/27/disney-small-world-ride/2025273/
. I wonder, however, if the music was turned off after a time because I can't imagine that they would let it just keep running and running.
