No more 'cuts in line' for many disabled Knott's guests

[Hoodie]

Repeating a lie over and over does not make it true.

Exactly. I understand the frustrations of the disabled, but to ignore that there ARE people who abuse the system is frankly ignorant. Take your frustrations out on those who are causing the problems, they are the ones that are making it more difficult for all.

 

[Biscuitsmom31]

I certainly understand why this issue is such a sore spot for the disabled. It is easy for those to get frustrated by having to wait a few extra minutes while a wheelchair user and their family boards a bus. You must understand that many of these familys (mine included) live with the constant struggle of dealing with a disability in a world that is designed for the able bodied. We have to buy expensive equipment and modify our homes to make them wheelchair accessible. We cannot stay in regular hotel rooms, we cannot ride in regular cars, and there are many things we miss out on because of steps or narrow doorways. We have to buy wheelchair modified vehicles that drink gas and cost 3x as much as the same vehicle w/o the modifications. Trust me, these are not "benefits" that you want to have.

I do not use a wheelchair but my DH does. He cannot stand or walk at all. Therefore, most of the attractions he isn't able to board at all. The only ones he can ride at this point are the ones made to accomodate wheelchairs - and there aren't that many. When they do accomodate a chair, we have to wait for the special car, while others happily walk on the ride.

As for the bus, I understand there must be frustration when some people abuse the system. However, this is most frustrating for those with serious disabilities. I must also recount an experience we had while waiting for a bus at MK. We were going to POP and there were two lines waiting. We stood in one line and watched two charter buses come and go (not accessible) and then a regular Disney bus pulled up in the line next to us where there were no wheelchairs waiting. I walked over to the driver and asked if they could load DH. The people standing at the front of that line actually yelled and cussed at me in front of my young children. If we hadn't had the chair we could have easily boarded either of the other two charter buses. We had been waiting there long enough to see several people come and go - yet we were the evil line-cutters.

 

[Hoodie]

I have never seen such callousness and jealousy directed toward handicapped individuals .

Interestingly I see a lot of jealousy of handicapped individuals towards the able bodied on this thread.

No one is saying "don't come". Most are just pointing out that there are abuses, not that every single person is guilty of it. Get mad at those abusing the system and causing a pall on the rest.

 

[Hoodie]

i preboard using a airline wheelchair, but walk off on my own too. that is because they load my personal chair and i walk off to where it is waiting for me. however, i cannot wait in line and need to preboard because i need certain seats.

That's the thing - there were two wheelchairs waiting. one personal and one airline one. The other 6 people got off and walked all the way down and out.

 

[breezy1077]

????

I've seen no one suggest that terminally ill children or anyone else not be able to enjoy Disney. What I have seen is people getting offended when it is pointed out that there are problems with the current system. There are problems; if there weren't companies wouldn't be trying to find solutions. There's a middle ground. It doesn't have to be all or nothing and there is room for compromise on both sides of this debate.

No. There is no room for compromise. I feel that disney does an excellant job with the accomadations they provide. To alter that because some find a way to take advantage is not a compromise I'm willing to make. Besides, the frustration offered by some posters including the OP (who suggested that Disney get rid of their current accomadations) is the fact that they are the least little bit inconvenienced. There are always going to be abusers no matter what system you put in place.

And there are always going to be prejudices and complainers about what "they" have to endure because of handicapped people. Sad - very sad.

How about this for a compromise.....

Non-handicapped individuals count their blessings during the few extra minutes they might, on occasion, have to wait in order to accommodate the needs of a handicapped person.

 

[pooh6890]

Oh wow, how horrible...able bodied people waiting in line. I would wait in line for hours for my daughter not to have an 11mm hole in her heart, a tethered spinal cord, imperforate anus with fistula, possible colostomy, fused and missing ribs, multicystic dysplastic kidney, a feeding tube and Reactive Airway Disease. I would wait in lines for eternity to have her healthy and whole in a heartbeat.

We used a GAC once when MAW coordinated her trip and only five people where allowed to get in with her, which was her dad, myself, and her three brothers. We where told only five besides her each time and we where just five. Luckily, WDW is very accomodating to their special needs guests and through all her struggle and pain, she gets to go to DW and forget her problems and feel joyful. She is 4yo and will be having surgery June 30th to have her fistula closed and her anus reconstructed. July 14th, she is having heart surgery.

Go ahead, take her place to have the privilege of "cutting in line" but take her burdens too, we won't be complaining, I promise.

The next time my healthy twin daughters complain about waiting for a wheelchair to be loaded onto a bus while we are waiting in line.....I will think of you.....

 

[KPeveler]

Interestingly I see a lot of jealousy of handicapped individuals towards the able bodied on this thread.

I am sure you did not mean to sound rude and callous just then, but that is definitely how it came across...

what exactly are we jealous of? your ability to live as a normal person does? your health and wellness? the ability to hear your child say "i love you."

YES, a lot of us with disabilities, especially those of us with progressive diseases (who remember being well), wish we could be able bodied again.

so what is wrong with us saying "count your blessings?"

what a lot of us ARE saying is that unless you are disalbed to have a family member who is, you cannot possibly judge whether accommodations are "equal access" or "satisfactory." to you, having someone show up at a ride, get a card telling them to come back in two hours, then having them leave and come back is "equal access." however, that will rarely work well... how long will it take to wait in line to get the card? is there going to be a special CM for that? a help desk? how does it work?

i dont mind waiting in line, but i have to be in the shade or AC as much as possible... like the lines!

disney is not perfect, but i think it is the best compromise.

yes, i wish i could be well, but I am not angry about. my disability is part of my identity...

I think everyone has gotten a little upset about this whole thing. I know I will never go to six flags or knotts because of these new rules. I refuse to be separated from my party (there are only 4 of us, including me), and I cannot "shop" rides. I have very limited endurance, even in my wheelchair (my trunk muscles are weak and do not hold me up well), so I cannot run all over fantasyland collecting times, then run back through to ride them, epecially if the wait is only 15 minutes. I don’t know how long my endurance goes, so I cant necessarily plan for 5-6 hours in advance.

Also, for autisic children, this works not at all. Trying to explain the concept of time and the idea that YES, there is peter pan, but we must leave and come back… that just doesn’t always work...

 

[sha_lyn]

Interestingly I see a lot of jealousy of handicapped individuals towards the able bodied on this thread.

No one is saying "don't come". Most are just pointing out that there are abuses, not that every single person is guilty of it. Get mad at those abusing the system and causing a pall on the rest.

You just don't get it do you?
No one has said that there are never abuses to the system. However people keep pointing out the out and out lies on this thread...IE having a wheelchair=front of the line in MK.
Why don't you try getting mad at those abusing the system instead of implying that every person that uses a wheelchair/EVC do so to inconvenience you. You can't even seem to grasp the concept that needing a wheelchair some times does not= being in one 24/7.

 

[breezy1077]

Interestingly I see a lot of jealousy of handicapped individuals towards the able bodied on this thread.

No one is saying "don't come". Most are just pointing out that there are abuses, not that every single person is guilty of it. Get mad at those abusing the system and causing a pall on the rest.

That is exactly the result that will happen if the OP has her way and the accomodations are done away with.

Oh, and again, poor able-bodied folks

I disagree BTW about the jealousy of able-bodied - just because one wishes they didn't have a handicap does not equate.

Never ceases to amaze me that folks don't understand that they are spewing prejudice. Prejudice does not belong to race alone.

 

[Stella3]

Interestingly I see a lot of jealousy of handicapped individuals towards the able bodied on this thread.

No one is saying "don't come". Most are just pointing out that there are abuses, not that every single person is guilty of it. Get mad at those abusing the system and causing a pall on the rest.

Exactly. I don't understand why those with handicapped loved ones would take this thread as a personal affront. Don't internalize everything and don't make the thread about YOU, because it is not, but rather the abusers. I thought that was pretty cut and dried, but apparently not.....

 

[freckles and boo]

Interestingly I see a lot of jealousy of handicapped individuals towards the able bodied on this thread.

No one is saying "don't come". Most are just pointing out that there are abuses, not that every single person is guilty of it. Get mad at those abusing the system and causing a pall on the rest.

I don't know that I would call it jealousy, but I certainly wish my kid didn't have the huge challenges associated with her condition. I have to be honest, though. Before I had an autistic child, I had no freaking clue. I would have looked a child who, from the outside looks "normal", and been irked that they could get a GAC. I have learned a lot about disabilities that aren't obvious from the outside and I tend to give others the benefit of the doubt. My job isn't to determine who is or isn't abusing the system (although those who do are morally bankrupt and deserve a special kind of justice). My job is to parent my child and to get her through each day.

 

[Biscuitsmom31]

That's the thing - there were two wheelchairs waiting. one personal and one airline one. The other 6 people got off and walked all the way down and out.

The stories of abusers are what enrages me. For people to pretend they have a problem if they don't is horrible.

I have an airline wheelchair story too. DH, who as I mentioned cannot stand or walk at all, was stuck needing to use the restroom while our landing was delayed and we circled in the air. He was miserable and thought his bladder would explode but we were told they couldn't assist him while the plane was circling. Then, when we finally landed, a hoard of able bodied people blocked the aisles and stampeded the restrooms. These people could've easily gone while we were in the air. DH couldn't. The airline employees were completely unhelpful about the whole thing.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

No. There is no room for compromise. I feel that disney does an excellant job with the accomadations they provide. To alter that because some find a way to take advantage is not a compromise I'm willing to make.

Sorry, but I think this is the problem. No one willing to budge from their position. You expect one group to compromise but refuse to do so yourself. No wonder these threads deteriorate every time they come up.

 

[breezy1077]

Exactly. I don't understand why those with handicapped loved ones would take this thread as a personal affront. Don't internalize everything and don't make the thread about YOU, because it is not, but rather the abusers. I thought that was pretty cut and dried, but apparently not.....

Because when the "loved one" is a child - we are their only advocate!!!

And....to prevent the abuses means my child or some other handicapped individual who needs the accomodations as they are right now might suffer from the changes. Again, there will always be abusers. And, don't be so quick to judge - as mentioned in a PP, what might look like an abuse might very well be a legitimate need being met.

I don't know that I would call it jealousy, but I certainly wish my kid didn't have the huge challenges associated with her condition. I have to be honest, though. Before I had an autistic child, I had no freaking clue. I would have looked a child who, from the outside looks "normal", and been irked that they could get a GAC. I have learned a lot about disabilities that aren't obvious from the outside and I tend to give others the benefit of the doubt. My job isn't to determine who is or isn't abusing the system (although those who do are morally bankrupt and deserve a special kind of justice). My job is to parent my child and to get her through each day.

Well said.

 

[breezy1077]

Sorry, but I think this is the problem. No one willing to budge from their position. You expect one group to compromise but refuse to do so yourself. No wonder these threads deteriorate every time they come up.

My compromise might mean that my children do not get to enjoy WDW...your compromise means a few extra minutes in line....

So how about this....you be the "bigger" person and compromise this time.

 

[KPeveler]

Sorry, but I think this is the problem. No one willing to budge from their position. You expect one group to compromise but refuse to do so yourself. No wonder these threads deteriorate every time they come up.

most of us dont feel a compromise needs to be made - we think it works fine the way it is in Disney! what compromise needs to be made? i dont think there are as many abusers as people claim (i think people generally just dont understand), and i dont think disney should change their policies just to get those few people!

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

My compromise might mean that my children do not get to enjoy WDW...your compromise means a few extra minutes in line....

So how about this....you be the "bigger" person and compromise this time.

As I said earlier, compromise means both sides coming to a mutually agreeable decision. Compromise is not one group being guilted into blindly accepting the demands of the other.

No one gets everything they want, and if you choose to not take your child to WDW because of a change in queues or procedures that's your issue.

 

[Hoodie]

I certainly understand why this issue is such a sore spot for the disabled. It is easy for those to get frustrated by having to wait a few extra minutes while a wheelchair user and their family boards a bus. You must understand that many of these familys (mine included) live with the constant struggle of dealing with a disability in a world that is designed for the able bodied. We have to buy espensive equipment and modify our homes to make them wheelchair accessible. We cannot stay in regular hotel rooms, we cannot ride in regular cars, and there are many things we miss out on because of steps or narrow doorways. We have to buy wheelchair modified vehicles that drink gas and cost 3x as much as the same vehicle w/o the modifications. Trust me, these are not "benefits" that you want to have.

I do not use a wheelchair but my DH does. He cannot stand or walk at all. Therefore, most of the attractions he isn't able to board at all. The only ones he can ride at this point are the ones made to accomodate wheelchairs - and there aren't that many. When they do accomodate a chair, we have to wait for the special car, while others happily walk on the ride.

As for the bus, I understand there must be frustration when some people abuse the system. However, this is most frustrating for those with serious disabilities. I must also recount an experience we had while waiting for a bus at MK. We were going to POP and there were two lines waiting. We stood in one line and watched two charter buses come and go (not accessible) and then a regular Disney bus pulled up in the line next to us where there were no wheelchairs waiting. I walked over to the driver and asked if they could load DH. The people standing at the front of that line actually yelled and cussed at me in front of my young children. If we hadn't had the chair we could have easily boarded either of the other two charter buses. We had been waiting there long enough to see several people come and go - yet we were the evil line-cutters.

I can understand the frustration. There is no justification for cursing at you, whether in front of you kids or not. It is equally frustrating to be waiting in line through several buses for upwards of an hour just to have someone in an EVC zip around front and get on, especially when they bring 20 of their closest friends and family with them. Overall Disney needs to bump up their transportation as the past few times it's been pretty bad (but that's a different topic altogether).

Honestly, one of the reasons I browsed Disboards was for the DisAbilities thread. I was so frustrated by my last trip and EVCs that I came just to be reassured that there was actually people who needed them. I also find it a bit sad that I actually had to search out legitimacy because the experience at the parks was so bad.

Here's the thing - we're all at Disney, everyone gets hot and tired and everyone has to wait. Whether it's standing in line for 45 minutes or waiting that long for the accessible car/bus you need, most of us have to wait. Yes there are people who abuse it, but those that do annoy all of us alike. Focus should not be on who has more benefits (perceived or not) but on those who are actually committing the fraud.

 

[breezy1077]

As I said earlier, compromise means both sides coming to a mutually agreeable decision. Compromise is not one group being guilted into blindly accepting the demands of the other.

No one gets everything they want, and if you choose to not take your child to WDW because of a change in queues or procedures that's your issue.

As I've stated b4, the accommodations the Disney has currently in place is perfect. You would have them change that because of abusers. My point is that the abuses do not outweigh the benefits IMO. There are always going to be abuses no matter what you put in place. You are very strongly advocating for the able-bodied...why so passionate? Hmmmm.
We are able to enjoy Disney because of folks who have come before us and advocated for the handicapped. You would set us back because of the abuses. That is not acceptable IMO.

 

[RitaZ.]

Clearly selfish thoughtless able bodied people complained and maybe they should be hit by a bus and made quads and then think about what a privilege it is for people to get an alternate line.

Wow!