OT- Ya never know, wheelchairs and teens

[KPeveler]

So if my DD gets to use her stroller as a wheelchair you would think that's wrong? My dd can't stand for a long time and being active when she is fatigued will make her lose her muscles faster(she has muscular dystrophy). I don't want her to become weaker because she can walk. Alot of disabled people can walk. Take my DH for instance he has walked for 15 years with his muscular dystrophy but at the parks ( and anywhere with a 5 minit walk since he doesn't have much muscle and bone stacks+ his back is so bent when he stands up it looks like he's going to break in two)he really needs a wheelchair. He is getting a new electric one because he's getting worse My DD will be worse then him due to her symptoms showing as a baby. I think that as long as they have the card then that's ok

ok, maybe i was unclear. i do not have a problem with people using a stroller as a wheelchair, or even a wc as a stroller (meaning as a convenience, with their child having no special needs of any kind). my problem is with people who are using a WHEELCHAIR as a STROLLER and take it into the lines, while stroller (NOT one being used as a wheelchair) would not be allowed.

on a lot of rides there is a limit to the number of people with disabilities who can ride at once. since a CM cannot tell who is using a wheelchair as a mobility device, and who is using it as a stroller for convenience purposes only, they have to assume that everyone in a wheelchair has a disability.

i know some people with disabilities can walk - i am one of them!

i just wish more people were aware that their money saving measure of renting a wheelchair for their able-bodied non-disabled child can negatively affect those of us who use the wheelchairs as a mobility device, even if they do not mean to.

i am in no way saying there should be a change in wheelchair policy in disney... i just think it is a matter of education and teaching people that putting kids in a wheelchair to save $20 on a stroller may not be the best plan, and can negatively affect those around you.

 

[PatMcDuck]

fOLLOW UP, DD did not use a wheelchair at Six Flags, they just rested alot. They asked for a pass, though. DD has a disease that is a skin muscle auto immune thing. The pass let her sit instead of waiting on line, but she had to stay on that one bench, outside the ride, for the length of time the line was. Well, that is not that bad, but the benches were always in the sun.

They rode 3 rides all day, DD had to walk slowly and rest often. She should have used a wheelchair, and I would have pushed for a better access pass. I could have explained the disease better. She called before going, and they asked for a DR note, too, unlike WDW. I will get a better note from Dr for the future. And if I drop her off, I will take her inside to get that pass. then we can save it to get future ones, I think.

Well, DD also refused to wear a HAT like she is supposed to. She did apply 75 sunblock over and over. Despite this, she had a mild disease flare, only a very itchy rash on face for 5 days. (no obvious sunburn, but she did have the flare anyway). Hopefully her labs will be ok when we check them this week, indicating that her muscles did not flare as well.

 

[Schmeck]

The point of contacting a CM is not for a formal trip out of the park. The CM can go over to the rude guest and ask them to knock it off. I would not go to a CM unless it got so bad that they were nonstop with comments and snide remarks. CMs may not have the power to do anything at times but they do tend to scare off the creeps and annoying people. Should one guest not have a happy visit because of another guest "expressing their freedom of speech"? It would be aweful to have someone near you constantly commenting on how ugly you are, that you should not wear spandex, that you are so skinny or too fat, that your hairdo is atrocious, or that you are not caring for your kids properly.

People have freedom of speech but when on private property they can lose that freedom of speech. A church, for example, might not allow kids to cuss or sing rap songs. A theatre asks guests to not yell. A boss may tell employees not to discuss personal stuff with clients.

A CM does not have the authority to tell anyone to 'knock it off' for saying anything rude - they only have the authority to have a person's ticket revoked. There is no safety issue involved with being rude, so a CM getting involved would be rare, unless people were shouting/creating a scene.

People do not lose their right of free speech on all privte property. Property being used for commercial reasons falls under different laws than a church, etc. There is the "common nuisance" type of laws that allow removal of people causing a disturbance, but standing behind someone in line and talking to someone else about their appearance is not a common nuisance. It's mean and nasty and cruel, though.

 

[mechurchlady]

The original poster was actually talking about her teenaged daughter going to a park in a wheelchair and the attitude people may have given her.

Schmeck are you saying that if someone is sitting there being rude that I the guest am supposed to sit and take it. I do believe the parks have rules about guests interrupting the happiness of other guests and that guests can be removed if they are too disruptive.

Furthermore I would not want to be any business that allowed people to sit there and call me names or otherwise verbally abuse me. In the past I have at least once talked to a CM about a rude guest and that solved the problem. Just the mere act of a CM saying "Please, do not harrass the other guests or security will be called." is enough to shut up most people. I guess I will wait for Sue or Cheshire to please explain to me how the way parks have so changed. If it is the way Schmeck is saying then I doubt I will want to be in WDW or any Disney site or store any more as it would not be safe or happy possibly.

I guess I have met and known the minority of CMs though was lead to believe they were the majority. Also Sue is my guardian angel on this site and if I am wrong she immediately corrects me or adds more info. Cheshire also is there to watch over me. I am so confused now,

 

[BabyFu18]

I'm kind of worried about the same thing, about people looking at me and thinking I don't need to use a wheelchair because I don't have a condition that you can see on the outside.

At my age I'm afriad people will look at me and make comments about me trying to cheat the system, or that I'm abusing the system by using a wheelchair (because I plan to do some walking, but I won't be able to hold out doing a lot of walking). I have several medical conditions, but none of which are physically noticeable, and I'd hate to think a physically disabled person would have ill feelings toward my wheelchair use, that concerns me more than anything else.

I guess the best thing for you to tell your daughter is to ignore what other people say, she understands her restrictions and she knows that if she needs the wheelchair it's fine. People will say things, they can't help... if they don't understand something the easiest thing to do is criticize. It's just something you have to (hopefully) let roll off your back sometimes.

 

[Schmeck]

The original poster was actually talking about her teenaged daughter going to a park in a wheelchair and the attitude people may have given her.

Schmeck are you saying that if someone is sitting there being rude that I the guest am supposed to sit and take it. I do believe the parks have rules about guests interrupting the happiness of other guests and that guests can be removed if they are too disruptive.

Furthermore I would not want to be any business that allowed people to sit there and call me names or otherwise verbally abuse me. In the past I have at least once talked to a CM about a rude guest and that solved the problem. Just the mere act of a CM saying "Please, do not harrass the other guests or security will be called." is enough to shut up most people. I guess I will wait for Sue or Cheshire to please explain to me how the way parks have so changed. If it is the way Schmeck is saying then I doubt I will want to be in WDW or any Disney site or store any more as it would not be safe or happy possibly.

I guess I have met and known the minority of CMs though was lead to believe they were the majority. Also Sue is my guardian angel on this site and if I am wrong she immediately corrects me or adds more info. Cheshire also is there to watch over me. I am so confused now,

If someone is behind you and is bombarding you with constant harrassment, then yes, a CM will be glad to deal with the situation. I took your original statement to mean that someone came up in line and made one or two rude comments, or were talking to each other about you. Two people can have a conversation at WDW, even if it is not a nice conversation, and as long as it is not directed at you, they can discuss your appearance as much as they want. If they direct their comments to you, and you feel threatened, then by all means get a CM to deal with the situation.

For example, this past week when I was at WDW we had some line-cutters at the Land pavilion. A few guests tried to point out that the back of the line was about 40 feet past where they were standing. Two guests behind me started a conversation about the manners of that family, how they were either clueless or rude, and maybe they thought their family was more special than the others waiting patiently? As those comments were said in earshot of the offending family, but not directed to the family, what could a CM do? Everyone has the right to state their opinion. We're doing it here on this message board.

 

[mechurchlady]

apology accepted.

 

[rwrocksme]

I am a teenager in a very similar position. Unless you look very closely, (where you see that my lips and fingernails are a lovely shade of purple) I look fine. But I MUST use a chair, especially in a place like Disney. If I feel like someone is watching me, say, get into a ride, I put on a little show for them. I hate to need to do this, and I probably should have enough dignity to not feel the need to do it, but I fake a limp. Unless we're going on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, in which case, I don't care because that's my favorite ride and I get all excited.