Why do some people ....

[Biyanna]

even bother coming to Disney? They are unhappy and frustrated before they come. And unhappy and frustrated by LITTLE things that happen there. They seem to think just because they have paid through the nose ( but so has EVERYONE else) that they are owed a PERFECT vacation. I don't allow these people to bother me. They have a right to go to Disney and voice their opinions. But it makes me wonder why do they bother coming?
And to stoop as low as to dump on the disABLED, well that's just plain ole SICK. Think about it people, think! Our parents and grandparents would have slapped our mouths or washed them out with soap for something like that. They knew in this life, what comes around goes aroundand vice versa.
It's bad enough that while waiting to board the resort buses EVERYONE in line stares at the person in the wheelchair being lifted onto the bus, like they are the entertainment, now they are making negative comments! Talk about bad influences! They were staring so hard that my dd turned around and started staring also.(And she knows better) You know I corrected that behavior immediately. And the lady standing in front of me, was looking right at me when I told my dd to turn around and" stop staring. Because staring is impolite and and makes the person you're staring at uncomfortable." Do you know she(the lady) had the nerve to smile at me and continue to stare at the man being lifted onto the bus?
And now people are using these boards to dump on the disABLED? Well, I'm going to break from these boards for a while because it's just too much evilness in the hearts and minds of some of the people here and I feel it starting to build up in mine (towards them).
I just wanted to get this off my chest and let you guys know that you all will be in my thoughts and prayers. And that I, understand SOME of what you go through. I was temporily disABLED 2 years ago. I didn't want that stopping me, so I went to Florida anyway. I had a great time at Universal. I was given the royal treatment, but at Disney things were very different. (SMILE)
I don't know but does it boils down to people spending so much money, having great expectations and trying to get so much out of it that they totally forget others around them and basic human tolerance and how to be decent? And it's my experience that this only happens at Disney. Hubby and I love amusement parks, and out of the 5 we have gone to, Disney has the worst guests. And you are not the only ones that get stares, a Africian American family came to the Crystal Palace and my hubby & I couldn't believe how people were staring at this family. But all that staring didn't last too long because the husband & wife started staring back. We laughed so hard at how insulted people looked when they got a dose of their own medicine. I wanted to give them (the African Americans)a high five so bad!
Sorry to ramble on so long. Just keep your heads up and remember you're in a big boat. Full of minorities, gays, South Americians, children in strollers, children period (yes, some people believe children should be a certain age in order to go to Disney)and many others getting mistreated for just being at Disney trying to enjoy themselves. <IMG SRC="/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif" alt="confused">

Biyanna
AS Sports 1/97'
AS Sports 1/99'
AS Sports 1/01'
Will hubby ever let us stay anywhere else?

 

[Rollwithit]

I don't know how my paraplegic husband felt, but I must admit I felt a tad uncomfortable bypassing the line for the busses and waiting right up front while all the able-bodied waited in line. BUT, that's what we were told to do. The part that bothered me most was that I don't think the people in line understood that we had to board first because of the special place they put disabled people and the job of getting him all strapped in for safety reasons.

I like to believe that by watching us so closely they soon figured it out. If anyone was staring, we never noticed. If they learn something by watching, good for them. But then again, I think I have an extremely attractive husband...maybe they thought so too.

 

[SueM in MN]

Any special treatment that people with disabilities get is usually to keep things flowing or because the area was designed with steps or other obstacles. unfortunately, when people see anyone being treated differently, they assume differnt means better and they want that same treatmnet without even knowing WHY or WHAT is occuring.
There are people who feel that their vacation will be ruined by having to wait an extra 15 minutes for a bus or if they don't have the perfect room with the perfect view. I would like to wave my magic wand on them and give them a disability or a disabled child for a day. I can't do that, so I post here and on other boards and just hope that some of those people read what we are writing here and get a little idea of how tiny some of their concerns are in the course of life.

SueM in MN
Co-Moderator of disABILITIES

ˇ

 

[welovedis]

Sue, that was really well-put about sometimes wanting to have people walk in your shoes for a day. During our 1st trip to WDW last fall, we decided to attend Fantasmic the first night. We showed up early & waited along with everyone else, then asked to be seated so DH could use the reflective captioning. Once the theatre started to fill up, many people were questioning why they couldn't sit next to us, etc.. in the center area-top row. When the CM stated that it was an area designated for those with handicaps, many people (at least 6 or 8 different times) said--"Well, what's their problem?" focusing on us! I mean, just because a disability is not visible to the naked eye, it does not mean that it doesn't exist. DH just tried to shrug it off, but it still bothers me --thanks for letting me get it off my chest!

Karen

 

[lisapooh]

Karen,
Sometimes even the CMs don't understand. I went to the CandleLight Processional and because I am in a wheelcahir was put in the handicapped seating. I told the CM seating use that I also needed to be able to see the interpreter. Well I was seated dead center to the show. I could see the interpreter from the side but could I really see to use the interpreter. No way. I was very upset and disappointed but was told. You can see her and this is where wheelchairs must be.
Well I can see the interpreter at church if I am in the back but in order to actually be able to read her I need to be in the front close to her. Which by the way I am. Not deaf but hh and getting worse. TG I know ASL

Pooh

 

[SueM in MN]

I think people in general have problems with understanding multiple handicaps. My dd is physically disabled, but she is also classified as severely multiply handicapped. The problem with a physical disability is that people sort of say "Aha! I've figured out what your problem is, it's the wheelchair." when that might not be what the most accomidation is needed for.
It's much harder w ith non-visible disabilities because if people can't see anything, they assume there is nothing and they want to have the special treatment you are getting.

SueM in MN
Co-Moderator of disABILITIES

[This message was edited by SueM in MN on 01-20-01 at 01:14 PM.]]

[This message was edited by SueM in MN on 01-22-01 at 07:53 PM.]

 

[Cinderella's Mommy]

My daughter is visually impaired. If she were totally blind and had a cane or dog, her disability would be "visible". We heard some comments at Disney about why we were in the GAC line. We also had a rather nasty runin with a CM at the afternoon parade at MK. She told me that if more wheelchairs needed in there, my 3 year old visually impaired daughter in a stroller woul d have to move. I got really angry and eventually got really teary eyed. Eventually she backed down, but it wasn't really a great experience.

I am often appalled at the behavior that people have towards people who are "different" whether that be disabled, a different race, purple hair or whatever.

Disney CM's except for the one incident, were very good about it.

Tammy

 

[SueOKW]

Thank goodness we can come here and gripe. I just don't think many other places on the web have a place where users/ visitors all understand each other so well.

I've never really thought about it - but at WDW people do seem to get a little testier. It has to be the money/time equation. We go to Cedar Point every summer, and really have very little problems with people being angry about our getting in another line. Mostly they seem happy to see us playing together as a whole family.

The problem is, my DS doesn't have as much fun at Cedar point as he does at WDW. My two regular DDs can have fun at both places. So - that makes WDW our vacation of choice. My DS can't see well (on top of everything else - severe CP and epilepsy), anyway, he can't see anyone staring at him or us. So, we absorb the comments and stares and act like they never happen. I DO sometimes stare back at the really really bad stare-ers and smile.

Just remember, for all the stares and bitter remarks - there are plenty of people that would probably love to talk to us, or give us high fives, or just have their hearts warmed to see special kids and adults having a good time. Unfortunately, they are too polite to really let us know how they feel. It's the unpolite ones that make sure we hear how they feel.

Does that sound right? I'd never really thought of it till now.
Sue

 

[mhopset]

My wife, son and I were at Disney during Christmas. We went to Downtown Disney and when we left to go to the busses to go back to our hotel my wife and son were standing in the line and a lady behind them said "oh S--T!!! a wheelchair we will never get on the bus. My wife was highly upset and turned around and said "That man on the scooter is my husband! Now don't you feel stupid. You never know when something may happen to you, so you need to shut up! It makes me feel good to know that she has my back per say.

I personally don't care what people say anymore. I just wish if people wondered what was wrong that they would just ask. It's no big deal and it is a lot better than staring. I always wave to everybody when the lift is going up on the bus. My wife says everybody in the line all of a sudden has to see if their shoes are untied. LOL

Just go and have a good time and let the stupid be stupid!!!!

 

[Michigan]

mhopset I can identify about the bus Jan. 99 we were on the bus and it was very crowded having 2 kids in wheelchairs we used both spots which uses 6 regular seats for both chairs. All of the seats were taken so people had to stand and this old dumb blond bimbo (for lack of a better word) stood there and complained to her daughter that looked to be in her 20's that if they would make wheelchairs find their own transportation we wouldn't be so crowded on these buses. Her daughter was really embarrased and kept telling her to be quite while trying to get her to notice that my oldest DD was watching her. Finally she said do you think she understands what we are saying at that point I thought her daughter was going to die as soon as the doors opened on the bus she pulled her mother off so fast I thought she was going to fall down the steps.

 

[SueM in MN]

We had a similar situation with the bus too where someone commented about how it wasn't fair that our dd's wheelchair took up seats that tired people could be sitting on to leave the park. We were lucky that some of the other people on the bus started talking loudly to each other about how nice it was that people in wheelchairs had some way to be transported.a

SueM in MN
Co-Moderator of disABILITIES

 

[Rollwithit]

I'd like to point out that anyone new to these boards might be a little nervous about visiting WDW with some of the things they've read.

Please let me point out that this is not always the case and I don't think it's something to get overly uptight about. Myself, my husband (paraplegic), and our 8-year old daughter visited WDW in November of '99 and not once encountered a person(s) that was verbally abusive towards us. Some may have stared, but I don't look around for people that are staring at us. I have my own business to attend to.

As for the busses...the first time we had to use one to get from a park back to our resort, I immediately found a CM to check on the proper procedure. We were consistently told to bypass the line of people and go directly to the front so that the approaching bus driver would see us right away. All three of us went to the front...I did not stand in line with my daughter while my husband waited out front.

People may have been making comments, maybe we were fortunate enough to be just out of earshot. I would never let some clod put a damper on my spirit. They will always come out looking like the fool.

 

[SueM in MN]

Good points, Rollwithit. In more than 13 years of vising WDW, the number of times we have had really bad experiences is small. If it was a negative place to visit, we certainly would not be going back. Most of the people we have encountered have been nice and we have had some really wonderful times. The ones that haven't been have been the sort of negative kind who have forgotten why (or never knew) why they are going to WDW in the first place. The kind of people who complain about wheelchairs in buses probably are complaining about everything else at WDW that slows them down for a few seconds.

SueM in MN
Co-Moderator of disABILITIES

 

[Wheelsie]

ROFL ROFL ROFL!!!!! Im sorry Michie....I cant help it!! ROFL ROFL this woman sounds like so MANY people Ive encountered... they think if I cant walk I cant think/hear whats being said around me.....Id even had a woman when I was trick or treating as a child as my mom if I could chew.....she'd shut the door after giving everyone around me a pack of gum and not me....so my mom knocked on the door and asked why she didnt give me one?.....she said OH!!(in utter shock) Can she CHEW???? My mom said....Lady her legs may not work.....but I can sure tell ya her mouth does!!!!!! LOL and w that the embarassed lady reached in her house and came out handing me my pack of gum..... so all I can say when I hear stories like that old lady (I do admit the words Battle Ax comes to mind LOL) I cant help but ROFL Im sorry I know this musta hurt Meaghan and Michaela...they are such sweet lil girls Id hate to see them upset by this.....I just felt a laff kick me when I read it

Wheelsie Co-Moderator of disABILITIES
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wheelsie@mail.wdwinfo.com