very disappointed

[lc1965]

Just got back from WDW & was very disappointed in cast members' reaction to my friend's disability. She has cerebral palsy & is very mobile, but her right hand is obviously turned in & of little use & her legs are quite bowed & climbing onto & off of rides can be awkward.

She was never once offered assistance or even advice by any cast members working at rides & attractions & I wondered what happened when I wasn't with her. (She wouldn't complain EVER.) I can understand if they are not allowed to touch her because of insurance issues, but they never even SUGGESTED how best to approach a ride & never offered to stop walkalator for her. She was terrified at the walkalator at Haunted Mansion. At Kali River Rapids, we were told to hurry into the raft. I said, "My friend has trouble walking & climbing, so this raft is not exactly positioned well for her." (It was turned at an angle to the deck & I had to hop in.) The cast member huffed & said, "Well, try the other side!" & he walked away. I certainly didn't mind helping her & always did, but he could have offered her another raft, better positioned.) And so it went.

I will say that the staff at POR was outstanding in that respect, though. She got lost the 1st night & since our travel to Orlando was so fraught w/ difficulty anyway she was extremely frustrated. One cast member not only drove her to our door, but wouldn't leave until he was sure she was safely inside -- then he saw her 2 days later at MK & checked on her trip!

Anyway, I found the disregard for her abilities & limitations very unDisneylike.

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm sorry that your friend ran into these problems.

It sounds like the CMs were sort of rude, but it also sounds like they did not recognize that she had a disability and needed any extra assistance/time for boarding. If she was not using a wheelchair, ecv or cane, it is very likely that they did not see her as anything other a slow boarder. I may be mistaken, but it sounds like she was using the regular boarding areas, not the accessible ones.

When you board the moving walkway rides at the regular entrance, the CMs can't stop or slow them except in an emergency. So, for safety, people with disabilities that affect their mobility or abilility need to board at the exit.
Here's a a link to a past disABILITIES thread about boarding rides with moving walkways.

For Kali River Rapids, the regular boarding is on a revolving dock. The boats keep moving along and need to be boarded rapidly. Once the dock revolves to a cetain point, the boat is going, ready or not. Because of the way the dock and the line feeding people into the dock are set up, you can't just walk to another boat. The ones farther ahead of you are already pretty full and are closer to the boat leaving. The ones behind already have people directed to them while you are boarding your boat. It sounds like the CM at the regular dock was not making sure everyone was quickly and safely boarding, which is the job of the boarding CM. Your friend should probably not been boarded at the regular dock.
There is a separate dock area for people with disabilities where the boat is secured until everyone is boarded. Because it is secured, you can take as long as needed to board and they won't let the boat go until everyone is ready.

In the "way past", they had more staff for each ride and the CM greeting people was more able to size up who might need assistance. Once you are actually in line, unless you have some very visible sign (like wheelchair, ecv or walker), you sort of blend into the other people in line. Your friend's legs were probably not noticed at all by the CM at boarding.

If your friend goes again, she should stop at Guest Services in any of the parks and ask for a Guest Assistance Card (GAC). That is a tool to let CMs know that extra assistance is needed for people with invisible disabilities. It is not meant to give special treatment or shorten/eleminate the wait in line (and probably won't). What it is meant to do is give the CMs some information about what the needs are.
She may have thought that her disabilities were visible, but it sounds like no one noticed her need for extra assistance. She should explain to the CM what happened on this trip and that she needs to be able to board at the accessible entrance for her own and everyone else's safety. If the first CM doesn't agree, she should ask to speak to a Supervisor.
Show the GAC to the first CM you see at the ride. In most cases, you will be waiting in the regular line until just before boarding. If you see a gate with a wheelchair symbol on it, stop there and wait for assistance.

Even though she was hoping that the CMs would have some suggestions for her, they don't know what her abilities are. She needs to be proactive and tell them what she needs so they can try to provide it. (That's not complaining, just asking for what you need).
Not everyone needs the moving walkway slowed or stopped. Some people just need the extra space (and not having people behind them crowding) in order to board. In our own experience, the CMs at the alternate boarding area do usually slow (but not stop) the moving walkway. They will stop it if you ask (except at Peter Pan, the walkway to exit Pirates and the TTA). They don't usually give advice about how to approach a ride (because they don't really know what will work for you). They can't lift or physically transfer someone, but can offer a steadying hand, hold a wheelchair or walker and move it out of the way once the ride is boarded.

Good luck on another trip and hope you find lots of pixie dust.

 

[lc1965]

I have had many friends with disabilities & some are very willing to be helped & others are stubborn about it & insist that they will do the best they can. Unfortunately, the best they can does not mean they can keep up with able-bodied guests & it slows everyone down & even leads to some dangerous moments. I can certainly understand the desire to try & the frustration w/ impatient people. I expect that an OBVIOUS disability will be noticed by someone whose main job is to ensure safety. In any case, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask this of CMs & I don't think it's necessary to ask her to always use the handicap entrance to rides. BTW, I know how Kali is set up & boarding works -- & I still don't think it was unreasonable for the CM to say she could or should wait. Intsead, he let the raft go more than half-empty & she was near hysterical w/ fear from the boarding -- it affected everyone's ride. She is VERY mobile under most circumstances & I am just as annoyed with her for being so stubborn as I am for the CMs to be so callous.

 

[Absimilliard]

If you tell them you can't board at the revolving dock, Kali River Rapids is one of 3 rapids rides in the world (others are at DCA and at Hersheypark up in PA) to have a separate area for loading people with trouble negociating the revolving dock. There's usually a CM at the fast pass merger point, you can show them a GAC or explain to them she can't use the revolving dock. That CM will send you down to the special dock. What happens there? A boat is left empty at the normal area. Special rails keep that boat from proceeding to the ride lift and holds it in a separate area till you finish loading... since there's no endless stream of boats, you can take all the time you want. Once the ride is over, you just stay in the boat at the normal dock and get off at the same place you entered.

If your friend can walk, but needs to use wheelchair entrances (for the reasons the others mentionned), there is a GAC that says exactly that: please allow to use wheelchair entrance.

 

[lc1965]

I'm not saying that Disney doesn't make accommodations. They do if you show up & ask for one. What I'm saying is that my friend sometimes didn't think she needed one, sometimes didn't know one was available, and was always completely ignored by the CMs, even when she was clearly having a hard time. No one said, "Miss, if you can't board here...." I work with the public & frequently have to hop in & stop a patron from doing something potentially dangerous to themselves or others because of a disability. It's "Sir, you needn't go downstairs -- we have a men's room right on this level." Or whatever. I do appreciate everyone's feedback, though, & will be sure my friend is more assertive & less independent next time!