Haunted Mansion has not changed for those walking with GAC

[A Mickeyfan]

As promised my update on the HM. Nope no change. I went today as a matter of fact. I did something I said I would not do too, I went alone to the HM. I had gone to the parks 3 days, with friends/family, but we really didn't stay long in the MK therefore we didn't do the HM. We did a few attractions then headed to other parks. Today I went to the MK alone. I decided since I was going home tomorrow, I wanted to go on the HM even if it meant alone.

I went on line, and told the CM in the dark room I could not do the stretching room due to my vision. He was great. Had me stand by the door, even opened it for me. I went down the hall came out to be greeted by another CM, who was nice, he escorted me to the next CM who was inside. He was my problem. He insisted that I go to where the line merges in the standard line. I explained to him that I could not, explained my vision problem. He said I had to go that way. I told him I could not, due to the lighting and the pushing/shoving etc. He finally said to me, "I ain't gonna argue with you, go this way" I told him that I couldn't. He said fine, to go the other way but to wait for the next CM at the rope. I went and did. That CM was very nice. He walked me down, even walked backward once we got to the moving walkway to be sure I was ok stepping onto it. He even stayed near me until I got into the buggy.. so to sum it up, it really hasn't changed. You still more or less have to discuss it with the CM over there until you are blue in the face. I just don't get it... I did write to Mark Jones to update him on it as things really have not changed here. If it is for safety reasons, they need to think of the safety of those with low vision who can easily fall in the dimly lit areas... there is not enough lighting, there are no rails to hold onto, then when you get up to the moving walkway, they are telling you to step lively.. hello.... when you cannot see well, you walk slower! so where is the safety at?????

 

[disney david]

Now that one cm ruined it for the other cms that was nice and helped you out. After three times trying to explain it to him he finally gave in wouldn't it been better for him the first time to listen to you . So it dose not turn out a bad experience may be if he didn't understand what you was asking he could ask a question not just tell you to go through a way you told him you couldn't. It sad your working so hard to get that ride better for everyone and all your trying to do is enjoy the ride in a safe way. I guess your moving a very little in the right direction you had three nice cms that tried to help. Well I hope they are able to fix the problem for once. I am sure you did it already but I would tell them the names of the nice cms that helped you out because then they can look and see these three helped you so they should be recognized and the one who didn't can be retrained to handle the problem better. It sounds like he wasn't meaning to do wrong just trying to follow policy and not understanding that you couldn't do what he was telling you to so and get on the ride safe.

 

[SueM in MN]

There is one thing about the Stretching Rooms that I think may be adding to your difficulty.
There are at least 2 Stretching Rooms at WDW - I think there are only 2.
Both enter the hallway that bypasses the regular boarding area in different ways.

One has a door that leads from the Stretching Room directly into the hallway. This door is away from the door that goes from the stretching room into the 'regular' boarding area.

The second room does NOT have a door that goes directly into that hallway.
ALL guests in that Stretching Room HAVE to use the same exit door and enter the regular boarding area.
The queue for the regular boarding area is to the left of that area and the door to the bypass hallway is to the right, very soon after leaving the stretching room. when we were directed to just follow the crowd with DD's wheelchair into that room the first time, I thought there was a mistake, but trusted the CM was sending us to the correct place, since he could clearly see the wheelchair. Once we got into the boarding room, the door to the hallway visible and was lit more than the surrounding area. We waited there until a CM came.

My suggestion would be to use a collapsable white cane with some reflectors/glow in the dark stickers on it, even if only for that attraction. That would clearly identify you to CMs as someone with a visual impairment. Even though you are posting that you are telling them that, it seems to not be evident to them in the short time they have between Stretching Rooms opening.

Also, if you told the first CM you could not do the Stretching Room due to your vision, they may not understand that you are not only asking to avoid the stretching room, but also to board at the unload area. There are people who ask to avoid the Stetching Room (even some with low vision) who would be OK with boarding in the regular boarding area. So, the CM you got to who directed you to the regular boarding area may not have known.

Although it is still dim, my impression is that the boarding area is brighter when we went in April/May 2012 than when we were there in October 2011.

 

[I Love Pluto]

I would like to add something more on the positive side, please. We were at HM in April. I was on an ECV, and had many other invisible health issues.

We stopped when we had to, a male CM explained that we had to do it the way everyone else did, etc. At that - I started to explain my issues which wouldn't allow me to do it the regular way. The male CM kindly got a fema;e CM who was obviously "in charge" of what happens at that ride.

When we explained everything, both the male and female CMs helped us get to the ride safely. They were Sooooooo Polite - even giving me tissues to wipe my tears. They went above and beyond what is expected of any CM at any part of WDW.

We stopped at Guest Relations on the way out of MK to tell what 2 very caring CMs did for me. I will never forget their kindness.

 

[cm8]

I would like to add something more on the positive side, please. We were at HM in April. I was on an ECV, and had many other invisible health issues.

We stopped when we had to, a male CM explained that we had to do it the way everyone else did, etc. At that - I started to explain my issues which wouldn't allow me to do it the regular way. The male CM kindly got a fema;e CM who was obviously "in charge" of what happens at that ride.

When we explained everything, both the male and female CMs helped us get to the ride safely. They were Sooooooo Polite - even giving me tissues to wipe my tears. They went above and beyond what is expected of any CM at any part of WDW.

We stopped at Guest Relations on the way out of MK to tell what 2 very caring CMs did for me. I will never forget their kindness.

 

[bumbershoot]

This sort of thing is near and dear to my heart, having 3 cousins with vision issues (and since Lasik messed up my own eyes with being able to see in the dark, which has given me an inkling of what others must go through to a much bigger degree).

Is there a reason they aren't looking at your GAC? That they are doing this verbally? Is there something you could work out with the CMs making up your card to make it extremely obvious to the HM CMs so they know exactly what to do without anyone having to make a fuss about it?

When I think of my cousins having to stand their ground and insist over and over like you're having to do, it makes me so sad.

Also, is there a way to let the good CMs know what the bad CM is doing? So they know what they are sending a guest into, or what the guest has just been through?

 

[SueM in MN]

This sort of thing is near and dear to my heart, having 3 cousins with vision issues (and since Lasik messed up my own eyes with being able to see in the dark, which has given me an inkling of what others must go through to a much bigger degree).

Is there a reason they aren't looking at your GAC? That they are doing this verbally? Is there something you could work out with the CMs making up your card to make it extremely obvious to the HM CMs so they know exactly what to do without anyone having to make a fuss about it?

When I think of my cousins having to stand their ground and insist over and over like you're having to do, it makes me so sad.

Also, is there a way to let the good CMs know what the bad CM is doing? So they know what they are sending a guest into, or what the guest has just been through?

GACs have general information, not so specific. Even with an incredibly obvious thing like DD's wheelchair, there are always things they can't see and need to ask us.

Such as, can DD transfer or does she need to stay in the wheelchair?
Does she need moving walkways slowed or stopped?
And, for some shows with wheelchair seating both in the front and the rear, she really needs to sit near the front because of visual field and attention issues.
(in many shows, the wheelchair seating is in the rear, so someone with a visual impairment might want to use wheelchair access ONLY for rides).

I don't expect them to know those things just from looking at the GAC - they need some information from us at many attractions to find out how to make things work for us.
If the GAC had that much detail, the CMs would not be able to read it anyway and, since each attraction has different things available, there would be too many ifs, ands and buts.

I wonder if the OP has ever had her GAC stamped with a wheelchair stamp that would allow her to use the wheelchair accessible boarding areas?
That stamp is to let CMs know that people without a visible need (wheelchair, ECV, crutches, etc) to use those areas have invisible needs that make that the best place for them to board.
Sometimes it is a mobility need, but other people have used it because the moving walkways or stairs are difficult for them, even though they have no mobility problems. I do know some people with visual impairments who have used the wheelchair boarding areas for those reasons.

That seems to be what the OP is asking for and the CMs are not understanding in this situation.