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Autism lawsuit court date set Feb 2020
- Thread starter Tony the Tigger
- Start date
WilliamK99
Member
If he wins this lawsuit what prevents everyone to say they are autistic to get front of line passes as Disney legally can’t ask for proof of disability.This is a slippery slope that could destroy a guests experience at the parks!
If life gives you potatoes and tomatoes, make a salad.You say tomato i say potato
What about Kiwi Royals?
Tomatoes are red and squishy, potatoes are ... not. But Jersey Royals are delicious! Although to be fair, they don’t have a film named after them, so call it a draw.
That's literally what it was before the DAS program and part of their defense.
JenniferS
When you're the leader, you don't have to follow.
I love salad. Without tomatoes.
RobWDW1971
Well-Known Member
Always an interesting discussion - if my child was scared of the water, I wouldn't throw them in the ocean off a boat. If my child was scared of heights, I wouldn't take them to the top of the Empire State Building and force them to look over. If my child couldn't handle crowds and waiting in lines, I wouldn't take them to Disney World.
There is literally no place on earth worse for crowds and waiting in line than Disney World. Nobody has to go to a theme park (unlike a hospital or school), yet these parents knowingly and voluntarily subject their kids to it. I find that amazing.
There is literally no place on earth worse for crowds and waiting in line than Disney World. Nobody has to go to a theme park (unlike a hospital or school), yet these parents knowingly and voluntarily subject their kids to it. I find that amazing.
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If my child was afraid of this and afraid of that, I would get a plan going to help combat these challenges. I'm not Dr Oz but I would do the following. Get the kid exposed gradually to his fears, take him to places where they are crowds, show him videos and videos of everything Disney World, as some to start with. Take him to the Disney Store in the mall, get him into that zone of a hectic atmosphere . Get the kid to meet the Easter Bunny, Santa at the local mall, standing in line with the other families, as a test meet and greet before coming to Orlando. They will perhaps be critics but that's normal living around people.
Do any of you offering "fixes" for this actually have an autistic child/sibling ?
mergatroid
Well-Known Member
I doubt many have and a lot that may say things are probably coming at it with a great deal of ignorance (or lack of knowledge or understanding) on the subject. I've had some training in Autism as part of my job at times includes working with adults with autism (not often, but occasionally), but I'm no expert on the subject. I accept 100% that the people who have meltdowns aren't being awkward or putting it on and in a perfect world, would and should be allowed to the front of the queue. Many of them almost certainly don't have the ability to enjoy life the way most of us do and also probably spend a long time seeing doctors etc, giving them access to the front of the line making me wait a little longer is probably the least they deserve.
Unfortunately as with many things in life, people trying to take advantage of these little 'perks' that people with disabilities received from Disney has resulted in those 'perks' not been taken away, but being changed. Along also with laws and legal issues making things more complex (such as Disney not being allowed to demand proof of disabilities) we're in a situation where Disney has found it harder to help those who need and deserve it.
The problem I have with the lawsuit is it seems clear to me that Disney has bent over backwards to try to help people with disabilities, imho going above and beyond what they were originally required to do by law. Trying to force them to allow somebody with autism to the front of the queue whilst making somebody with no legs wait for a fastpass slot, will cause cries of discrimination. Disney could of course go back to the old system where anyone saying they have a disability gets the 'perk' but that system was being abused hence the changing of it. It's a real shame that Disney can't say "Ok those who are autistic and have meltdowns can go to the front" but if they do that then I can only see lawsuits from people with different disabilities following, creating more issues for the company who appear to be trying to be as fair as they can to everyone.
It's a shame it's come to this and I'm genuinely sympathetic to both sides. Sadly it appears the scumbag people abusing the original system have meant changes had to be made and now genuinely disadvantaged people have become the 'victims' in all of this. I hope those responsible can sleep at night, sadly though these type of 'people' probably can and will.
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lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
A lot of people with autism connect with Disney and other theme parks, resulting in a lot of positive impacts. Disney’s ability to manage and maintain crowding is also relatively recent with the change in the access system now having occurred several years ago.
BigThunderMatt
Well-Known Member
At the end of the day, the ADA only requires Disney to provide an equal experience, not a custom-tailored one. If a guest without disabilities has to wait an hour in line, so does a guest with disabilities. A guest without disabilities can only experience X amount of attractions per day based on crowds and park hours, a guest with disabilities shouldn't be able to experience more than that number. A guest without disabilities cannot be in two places at once, therefore a guest with disabilities cannot have a DAS time slot reservation for more than one attraction at a time. This is all that is required of them by law. If you cannot cope within the bounds of a law, you need to be rethinking your vacation destination options. Full stop.
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mergatroid
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure why you quoted me but thanks, I think?
Steph15251
Well-Known Member
Yup anyone can claim they have it
BigThunderMatt
Well-Known Member
Train of thought posting before coffee, there was another part of the post I had intended to quote. The idea was that I get why some people empathize with that specific situation but at the same time they're not required to do anything more than what they're already doing by law. A lot of the interactions I've had with parents of children with autism have shown that it is not so much an expectation of equal treatment, but rather, special treatment and it's left me quite jaded.
The ADA has never been about special treatment. If your specific situation is so bad that you practically demand to be given the same treatment that people pay thousands for VIP tours for, then that's not on Disney, it's on you for not truly being cognizant and realistic about your child's limits and what your expectations should be for your vacation destinations.
mergatroid
Well-Known Member
I see your point hence me saying they've gone above and beyond in what they do. And some people do expect too much so I think we're basically agreeing on most.
milhouse19
Member
I do (he is 7). Obviously, it depends on the person and level of disability, but I am fine with the fact that I can go and get a DAP while he is on another ride or meeting a character with my wife. People took complete advantage of the system in the past - hiring disabled people, buying make-a-wish buttons, etc. so something had to be done. Many/most other amusement parks don't have any programs in place, and don't have staff trained to deal with autistic kids. Every character we met gave my son a bit of extra time and helped him be comfortable. Disney does a lot of things wrong, but this they do right. Its not like non-autistic kids love standing in line for 2 hours either...
pax_65
Well-Known Member
These days, very little surprises me - people will game any system to give themselves an advantage, without caring who gets hurt in the process. But it still astonishes me that people would abuse a program set up for people with disabilities. I mean c'mon people... be a human being for crying out loud.
Given the abuse I don't see how Disney couldn't make changes, and from what I've heard the DAS system is working pretty well for most folks.
You say "without tomatoes"... I say "with tomahtoes."