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Autism lawsuit court date set Feb 2020
- Thread starter Tony the Tigger
- Start date
ImperfectPixie
Well-Known Member
I really don't see this lawsuit swaying in favor of the plaintiff.
FTFY i see it fine
After a five-year court battle, a federal lawsuit demanding that people with autism go the front of the line at Disney World rides is going to trial in February, a judge has ruled.
U.S. District Judge Anne Conway set a four-day, non-jury trial in Orlando to start Feb. 18, according to court documents filed last month.
The lawsuit involving a plaintiff identified only as “A.L.” was filed in 2014 after Disney changed its policy to ban people with disabilities from going to the front of the line. Reports had gone viral that some wealthy visitors abused the system by hiring guests with disabilities to accompany them to the front.
Now, Disney allows people with disabilities to reserve a ride in advance, like a FastPass, by using what’s called a Disability Access Service Card.
But advocates argue that under DAS Card, getting a return time is equivalent to a wait, and it becomes a struggle for those with severe autism who don’t understand the concept of time and are prone to meltdowns.
Disney says the new policy is fair. “Disney Parks have an unwavering commitment to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all our guests,” the company said in a statement last year.
Autism is a developmental disability that affects people in different ways. The disease, which hits one out every 59 children, can affect people’s social skills or their ability or communicate. For A.L., he “was incapable of deviating from consistency, order and routine,” the lawsuit said.
A.L., an Orange County man who was 22 when the lawsuit was first filed, followed a strict routine at Magic Kingdom, traveling “in only one direction, stopping at only the same places, in the same order, every time.”
Last year, Tampa attorney Andy Dogali won a victory when a federal appeals court ruled the Disney lawsuits should be heard at trial.
Dogali said he does not expect to reach a settlement before the February trial after more than five years of legal fighting with Disney.
He currently represents 29 similar plaintiffs in Florida but only the case with A.L. has been set for trial.
Dogali also plans to go to trial March 31 in California in a similar legal fight over accommodations at Disney’s Anaheim parks, he said.
If Iger gives a deposition similar to the evasive one Eisner did during the ESPN lawsuit in 2000, that 2 guys sued and won $240 million from Disney, that would not be good.
BigThunderMatt
Well-Known Member
I was there for the DAS rollout. The system is fair. The old system was incredibly easy to abuse and worked in almost a reverse discriminatory way against guests without disabilities. It's simple: if you can't physically wait in the line, you shouldn't have to. But if guests without disabilities have to wait X amount of time, so do you, but elsewhere and able to do things in that time guests without disabilities cannot (since they are physically in the line). Until these people start sharing exactly how they manage to deal with not being able to go to the front of the line literally anywhere else outside Disney, I 100% refuse to believe this is anything more than using your own or your child's disability as an undeserved sense of entitlement.
nickys
Premium Member
FTFY i see it fine
Ahem.
The Channel Islands are Crown Dependencies and not part of the United Kingdom. You are however part of the British Isles.
The difference between UK, Great Britain and the British Isles | Blog | OS
A common mistake people make in this country is to confuse the UK with Great Britain, so we thought we'd clear it up once and for all!
www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk
You say tomato i say potatoAhem.
The Channel Islands are Crown Dependencies and not part of the United Kingdom. You are however part of the British Isles.
The difference between UK, Great Britain and the British Isles | Blog | OS
A common mistake people make in this country is to confuse the UK with Great Britain, so we thought we'd clear it up once and for all!
nickys
Premium Member
You say tomato i say potato
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.
ImperfectPixie
Well-Known Member
I'm mom of two autistic boys. One kid understands time fairly well, the other doesn't. While I do feel for those whom the lawsuit is referencing, I'm REALLY glad Disney closed the loophole that was being abused prior to adopting the DAS pass.
Honestly this just smacks of "I WANT IT NOW". There isn't any way a person of 22 years of age hasn't experienced having to wait in their lives - disability or not. And I get the routine thing - my youngest is like that with certain things. That being said, I really think this young man's parents have done him a dis-service by allowing him to operate as if things will never change and to follow such a strict routine when they're at MK. I'm not even sure I buy that, as there's almost always at least one or two things closed for one reason or another...how do they handle those? I realize there are a wide range and that severity varies with autism...but something just isn't ringing true here.
Honestly this just smacks of "I WANT IT NOW". There isn't any way a person of 22 years of age hasn't experienced having to wait in their lives - disability or not. And I get the routine thing - my youngest is like that with certain things. That being said, I really think this young man's parents have done him a dis-service by allowing him to operate as if things will never change and to follow such a strict routine when they're at MK. I'm not even sure I buy that, as there's almost always at least one or two things closed for one reason or another...how do they handle those? I realize there are a wide range and that severity varies with autism...but something just isn't ringing true here.
flynnibus
Premium Member
But I expect such a case to be taken to appeals too.. no way either side is going to let one judgement stand.
??? @flynnibus
milhouse19
Member
As the parent of an autistic child, the Disability Access Pass system is excellent and well-implemented. As an attorney, I can't believe this hasn't been laughed out of court.
flynnibus
Premium Member
forum is broken right now for some attachments
mergatroid
Well-Known Member
Not to be insensitive but he's had to wait 5 years for a court case to argue that he can't wait to use a fastpass, kind of ironic.
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Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
What am I missing. Is the title date wrong. Feb. 2019 was months ago. Do you mean Feb. 2020?
networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Ahem.
The Channel Islands are Crown Dependencies and not part of the United Kingdom. You are however part of the British Isles.
The difference between UK, Great Britain and the British Isles | Blog | OS
A common mistake people make in this country is to confuse the UK with Great Britain, so we thought we'd clear it up once and for all!
United Kingdom is a questionable affirmation.
FTFY i see it fine
As YOU like to remind us, you're not part of the UK.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
Ya wanna fix the date?