MK cast members need sensitivity training

[karliebug]

Just got back from the world. My DD,18, had to use a wheelchair for most of the trip. She has ulcerative colitis and is so fatigued she couldn't walk around the parks. She did okay the first 2 days but then just couldn't do it anymore. Since this in an "invisible condition" I expected some comments from guests whom don't know any better but not from CM's . Most were friendly and acoomodating but we encounterd two, both at the MK, that I thought were not only insensitive, but rude. The first we encountered at rope drop in frontierland while waiting to head over to splash mt. We were near the front of the line. He looked my daughter up and down and then said "what's the matter with you? Did you sprain your ankle or something?" My DD doesn't like to discuss her illness as it is embarassing so I simply said that she has a chronic illness.My DD said "I get tired easily". I could have sworn he rolled his eyes. I know that CMs probably see "fakers" on a daily basis but they need to realize that not all disabilities are visible. The second incident was at Big Thunder Mountain. This is one of the only rides where you actually enter through the exit, so having the wheelchair may allow you to have a shorter wait unless there are several wheelchair parties ahead of you. The CM took one look at her and said "What's with the wheelchair?" What did you do?" I again repiled that she had a chronic illness an DD explained that she tires easily. He told her that she should "take a nap". I was angry. They should keep their comments to themselves. I must say that in all the other parks, as well as on the buses, the cast members were polite and helpful.

 

[DisDreaminMom]

I don't blame you for being offended. It almost makes you want to rattle off a list of things your DD goes through everyday to show them what jerks they are. I don't think you can train people enough to make them not be insensitive. That takes years, and empathy. Sorry, but don't let two lousy people ruin your trip!

And tell DD that most average teens working at WDW don't have a clue what UC means, so she should just tell them the real name of the condition. It's nothing to be embarrassed about, and it would have made the response from the CMs totally different.

 

[Hook's Girl]

I hope that you stopped by City Hall on the way out so that they could contact the appropriate people!


While I'm not defending anyone, is there any chance that they were trying to joke around? Perhaps a joke in poor taste though, and I'm sorry you were offended.

 

[CheshireSmile]

And tell DD that most average teens working at WDW don't have a clue what UC means

Please do not paint yourself in the same light by insulting the intelligence of the Cast Members.

 

[bookwormde]

I cannot imagine that new or not that WDW does not “brief” CMs that making personal comments and interrogations like those are inappropriate. Since occasionally some do not “get it” on the initial go around it is important to document the time, place and name if you can so you can let guest services know what happened. I have only once heard a comment similar to this and a “senior” CM heard it and quietly pulled the offending CM aside (and did not look happy at all).

It still amazes me how great the vast majority the CMs are and I can surmise that they are even more bothered by a “bad apple” than even you are.

Just remember all the great CMs along the way, the others are unimportant.

bookwormde

 

[Joanna71985]

I am so sorry to hear that. Most CMs usually are great. It's unfortunate you found 2 that weren't as great.

 

[DisDreaminMom]

I agree with the point that maybe they were trying to joke around. What I meant by my saying that younger cast members would not know what UC is, is that DD need not be embarrassed by being honest about nature of condition and it would serve as a polite reminder to those CM's that perhaps just because someone looks "fine" does not mean they are. "I get tired easily" can open up a can of worms and invite the snarky 'tude. It shouldn't. But it could. Don't flame me- I'm just being honest. Maybe not PC, but honest. If upon hearing, "Oh, I have UC" from guest causes CM to say "Eww, gross!" or something like that, then there is a huge problem. Like nuclear.

Or how about just saying, "Fred in Guest Services, who issued my GAC, is aware of my condition. Would you like to talk to him? I'll be happy to tell him you were so interested on my way out tonight! Let's see, your name is Joe in Fantasyland, right? " with a big grin.

Why not do your own sensitivity training? I do for my kid. If you say it with a smile, it's just called being assertive.

 

[jrt1176]

I understand how you feel...

But, they see people faking all the time. They were inquring in a nice way it seems, but the explanation you gave wasnt exactly a good one when you say, "she tires easily."

Granted, its no ones business what her illness is... But, maybe telling the name of the condition in the future would clear things up.

It doesnt apply to your daughter's condition, but imagine if you worked there and were trying to keep fakers out, then someone is in a wheel chair and looks healthy, yet gives a vague reason.

There are two sides. I agree with you, but there are two views.

 

[mechurchlady]

It aint none of their business why a person is in a wheelchair. It aint their job to stop people from using wheelchairs when they are not disabled. It is their job to greet the guest, do their job and be nice to guests. I have celiac but I do not want to spend my precious time in the park explaining to everyone what celiac is and go into detail about the symptoms. I am in the park to have fun and socialize with friends not do lectures on my ailments.

Educate, ignore, and report are your solutions. I would have educated then reported. A lot of people do not know medicine and would not know what UC is or really care that much. Even us old folk might not know.

I think this was a random event.

 

[McCall]

I understand how you feel...

But, they see people faking all the time. They were inquring in a nice way it seems, but the explanation you gave wasnt exactly a good one when you say, "she tires easily."

Granted, its no ones business what her illness is... But, maybe telling the name of the condition in the future would clear things up.

It doesnt apply to your daughter's condition, but imagine if you worked there and were trying to keep fakers out, then someone is in a wheel chair and looks healthy, yet gives a vague reason.

There are two sides. I agree with you, but there are two views.

Yes they see people faking all the time BUT they have no right in fact it is illegal for them to INQURE politely, unpolitely or any other way and if this had happened to me or my daughter I would have immediately had a superior called to the spot. No waiting till I was on the way out. They cannot ask what is wrong with you. If you are in a WC. If you have some other condition that requires accomodation you have to go to City hall and get a Guest accomodation card, again they cannot ask what you have just what accomodation you require, then the CM's can and should request to see the GAC but that is all no questions about what is wrong with you that requires the accomodation.
Let's have our facts straight here.

 

[Tissa]

I would have been livid! asking someone in a wheelchair "what's wrong with you?" WTH? Seriously I don't care if she looks like she could run a marathon there is no reason for rudeness like that. Especially since being in a wheelchair doesn't shorten the wait time, in fact we usually wait longer. I would have reported that CM.

Thankfully in all of our trips I have only encountered one very rude CM. I reported him to a supervisor immediately and also wrote a letter. All of the other Cast Members have been wonderful(especially the characters)and they are what keep us coming back.

 

[Disneylvr]

I understand how you feel...

But, they see people faking all the time. They were inquring in a nice way it seems, but the explanation you gave wasnt exactly a good one when you say, "she tires easily."

Granted, its no ones business what her illness is... But, maybe telling the name of the condition in the future would clear things up.

It doesnt apply to your daughter's condition, but imagine if you worked there and were trying to keep fakers out, then someone is in a wheel chair and looks healthy, yet gives a vague reason.

There are two sides. I agree with you, but there are two views.

It is illegal to ask what condition or illness the guest has! I sometimes offer information about my daughter's disability (autism) but if I was ever asked like the OP's daughter was I would be making an immediate trip to Guest Services with that CM's name. I am glad the rest of the CM's were nice and helpful!

 

[Mary976]

I am so sorry this happened to you. It's not pleasant when strangers put you on the spot about something that is none of their business.

My DD17 uses a wheelchair. She looks perfectly healthy and if you didn't see her try to stand up you might think she could walk. Even among people who know why she needs the chair, some will still make unfortunate jokes about how "lucky" she is she gets to sit down, how they'd like to switch places with her, the "special treatment" she gets, etc. I leave it up to DD as to how she handles it. Sometimes she corrects people, sometimes she just gives them the "that's not funny" stare. I think your response about having a chronic illness is fine, but I'm still sorry you had to experience this.

Mary

 

[KPeveler]

I understand how you feel...

But, they see people faking all the time. They were inquring in a nice way it seems, but the explanation you gave wasnt exactly a good one when you say, "she tires easily."

Granted, its no ones business what her illness is... But, maybe telling the name of the condition in the future would clear things up.

It doesnt apply to your daughter's condition, but imagine if you worked there and were trying to keep fakers out, then someone is in a wheel chair and looks healthy, yet gives a vague reason.

There are two sides. I agree with you, but there are two views.

There may be two sides, but one is the right side and the other is the rude, illegal, and wrong side.

1. It is against Disney rules (i am sitting next to a former CM now) to question a disability. It is also against the law.

2. "what is wrong with you?" is NOT a polite way of asking. There is NOTHING wrong with me, I just happen to have a chronic illness... And "take a nap" is just plain rude...

3. The answer the mother gave is just fine. I don't know if you know what UC is, but it is not a pretty thing, and a teenage girl tries to hide acne, much less something like this. It is none of their business, and the CMs shouldnt even have been asking...

4. it is not the CM's job to keep fakers out. In fact, there is nothing they can do by law. She can give a vague or exact reason, it is none of their business. I look perfectly healthy, but am actually very sick... It is for doctors to decide who needs a wheelchair, not a CM!

Sorry to disagree with you, but the CMs here were just plain rude and insensitive

 

[LMC]

Well the CM's got off easy see you. I would have had several replies I could have used for my son such as:

He has xxx syndrome and other chronic conditions what's your problem?
or
None of your business

or, this is the best.....

He has xxx syndrome/autism and chronic conditions, but at least he's not like you. (hope that one there doesn't offend anyone)

 

[MousekeMommy]

For your daughter AND you!
Sorry to repeat our own story, but it may help your daughter to know that she is not alone!!! My DS, 4 at the time, had several CM comment to the effect of "you're too big to be pushed around in a stroller" and "you should park your stroller and carry your child if they're tired, just like everyone else". Even though we had a stroller-as-wheelchair tag and GAC, we still received the looks and several CM comments. But, hind sight makes everything 20-20, and the CM comments were 10 or less in a 7 day stay of 15-20 rides per day, so much less than 10%--not bad!!!
I'm sure that as a teen girl, she is very sensitive to comments, but, believe me, a 4 year-old "big boy" was extremely upset by the comments, as well! He, too, has an invisible disability (heart condition/pacemaker) that made the heat and long walks impossible. If only the CMs had seen him for 5-10 minutes consistently and noticed the flushed cheeks, rapid heart rate, blue nails and lips . . . Personally, injustices to my child bring out the "mama bear" in me, and I'm ready to do battle!!! However, my children are well aware of my reactions, and sometimes I do more harm by drawing attention to them (their words, not mine) so I kindof understand where you are coming from.
I hate to say this, but by the end of our stay, DS was "playing sick", asking DH or I to "carry him" from the stroller to the ride although he could transfer on his own, since this was a point that drew the most comments from both CMS and other guests.
Anyway, that's our experience. You are certainly NOT alone! I'm personally dreading the next visit when he's big enough to fight me about using a wheelchair because of the looks, but, unfortunately, he'll be miserable without one. So please update us with any thoughts from or other experiences with DD, as we can all learn from each other.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have been known to ask people with casts on their foot or leg if they had injured themselves while kicking their spouse or parent or child too hard. And of course I always tell people in wheelchiars or ECVs that racing in the parks is not permitted. But my smiling, tone of voice, and other conversations show that I am only kidding around with them.

 

[PatMcDuck]

We had a similar situation years ago, in of all places, Blizzard Beach. My son with Down Syndrome/Autism was a few months post double ankle surgery. He loves the water slides, and was getting too big for Dad to bring him up the big hills. DH got in the handicapped line at the ski lift. The rest of us climbed the hill with the big family raft (back in the DAY, you had to roll that sucker up the hill yourself!) They waited for a long time, finally yelled to a CM for help. CM looked up and down at Sean and said "he looks like he could walk fine to me", or something like that. DH was like, "excuse me??" The CM repeated it. The situation got heated, finally a supervisor came and pulled the CM off the lift position for the day and promised "retraining". Luckily, this son has no clue about such things, even now, and does not get embarrassed. We have since quit the water parks, it is just too hard to get Sean up the hill, and I accept that. (he still has very poor balance and tires easily)

I now have a second teen with a rare rheumalogical condition, which has caused many invisible type issues, from massive hip and knee surgeries to fatigue. She DOES feel uncomfortable using the wheelchair at WDW or DL, but needs to do so........ SO I never judge others.

People who cheat, using un=needed wheelchairs are nuts anyway. They are heavy and a pain to push up and down all those hills all day long!

 

[Leajess99]

I understand how you feel...

But, they see people faking all the time. They were inquring in a nice way it seems, but the explanation you gave wasnt exactly a good one when you say, "she tires easily."

Granted, its no ones business what her illness is... But, maybe telling the name of the condition in the future would clear things up.

It doesnt apply to your daughter's condition, but imagine if you worked there and were trying to keep fakers out, then someone is in a wheel chair and looks healthy, yet gives a vague reason.

There are two sides. I agree with you, but there are two views.

You can have lung cancer and "look healthy" but tire easily as well but that still does not give them a right to make rude comments to people. I don't tell people about my medical condition because for one my children do not know about it as they do not need extra stress and for two, it is NONE of their business. I would probably have just said I have a medical condtion and left it at that. I would also have reported them for the rude comments. It does not matter how many "fakers" you see you can't assume everyone is just faking it.

 

[BroganMc]

It aint none of their business why a person is in a wheelchair. It aint their job to stop people from using wheelchairs when they are not disabled. It is their job to greet the guest, do their job and be nice to guests. I have celiac but I do not want to spend my precious time in the park explaining to everyone what celiac is and go into detail about the symptoms. I am in the park to have fun and socialize with friends not do lectures on my ailments.

I agree with the point that maybe they were trying to joke around. What I meant by my saying that younger cast members would not know what UC is, is that DD need not be embarrassed by being honest about nature of condition and it would serve as a polite reminder to those CM's that perhaps just because someone looks "fine" does not mean they are. "I get tired easily" can open up a can of worms and invite the snarky 'tude. It shouldn't. But it could. Don't flame me- I'm just being honest.

Yowch. Talk about two very different points of view.

Maybe I'm blessed in that my disability is extremely visible. Damn hard to hide multiple joint contractures due to RA. People have been curious about why I'm so different since I was in nursery school.

I'm genuinely not offended when someone asks me "what's wrong". They don't mean it in the negative way but rather out of curiosity and concern for my differences. Much better for them to be curious, I figure. Curiosity is the first step to learning. Broaden your understanding of the world and you as well as everyone you encounter will be better off for it.

One thing to keep in mind, that may elude some folks with the more hidden disabilities, is what the CMs encounter in the day. They must allow access to everyone claiming a disability, whether that's true or not. So when a CM sees someone like me who obviously can't board rides or move the way others do have to sit back and wait another few turns for others, they can get a little more suspicious of those who look to have fewer obstacles. It's a variation of the old "man who had no feet" sentiment.

I've encountered a few CMs who were outraged on my behalf because another guest was so focused on enjoying themselves they completely ignored me. The kind who step over folks or in someone's way completely oblivious. I could see younger, less mature CMs lacking the social skills to keep that bias out of their voices. I highly doubt they're looking for a long drawn out expose of someone's medical history. But when someone says "they're tired" that doesn't seem different enough from what everyone experiences in the park.