@violet_yoshi
I see what you are saying, and as someone with a sibling on the autism spectrum, don't think for one second that I don't sympathize or try to understand, but at the same time, the system was subjected to a substantial amount of abuse. And the thing is, the abuse didn't just hurt the "normal" people; it hurt those who legitimately needed the pass as well. Because of people who abused it, it increased wait times for you in the FP line.
All this pass means is that instead of getting direct access to the FP line, you have to wait a bit longer to have access. That may mean getting on something with a short line (such as PeopleMover) or getting yourself a snack, using a FP+ in between, or going someplace quiet and turning your mind off for a few minutes, but you CAN make it work.
There's been a thread about this lawsuit that was deleted. The problem is that this argument can easily be proven invalid, such as one point about Disney not providing information ahead of time about the system when it is available on their Website. This lawsuit will most likely be dismissed by a federal judge almost immediately.
Also, people are much much more understanding of people with physical disabilities than mental disabilities.
Maybe my experience is different from yours, but while there are people who are not understanding of my younger brother, especially mid meltdown, the majority are. Also, I had moderate-severe asthma, and I quite often find that people aren't very understanding of that either. My own relatives can be inconsiderate when smoking around me. I ask them to stand a certain way, and unless my aunt, the family matriarch, tells them differently, I get blown off even when they hear me wheezing. This is my RELATIVES. Any disability, physical or mental, will encounter those who are understanding and those who are not.
People with mental disabilities and their families face pain from unkind people who when seeing their child behave in a way they cannot control, many people see nothing wrong with calling them , spaz, or other slurs should as someone Autistic said on their blog "show their Autism". Many people think it's funny to make the upset, they'll see someone flailing their arms or hitting their head and laugh at them. This can ruin not just a day at Disney World, it can make them feel as if they are a horrible person. To blame themselves and fear others.
People are cruel. That's life. I hate that it happens, but again, it happens to the person who can't control her acne, the person who is naturally thin and gets called anorexic, the person who likes comic books and gets called a nerd. It's horrible that people are cruel, and the slurs are very hurtful, but my experience is these slurs are becoming far less frequent as education about these mental disabilities increases.
I've been bouncing around Disney boards discussing this because I feel most people don't get it as there are people with Autism who can't really speak for themselves on this issue, so I'm trying to be their voice. I'm trying to get people to understand it's more than some selfish brat not wanting to wait their turn. It's a child who's a victim of their own neurology and body. Who has to fight melting down to survive in a world that will ruthlessly mock them should they do. People don't help people with Autism if they cover their ears, or slap themselves. They just point and say horrible things about them.
Disney worked with Austism Speaks on this program to ensure that this is the best way to benefit all of you. These are psychologists and behaviorists, the people not on the spectrum who understand you best. Disney realizes that this is not your fault and they are trying to create a program that is fair and well-balanced. Other people are just cruel, and would point and stare at anyone who behaves strangely. Not everyone is like that though.
This is why the GAC card was important, it meant not just skipping line, it meant skipping the unpredictability of people around them, and their insensitivity to their child's suffering. It's very hard living in a world where when you feel or experience pain you know the majority of the time instead of being understood or shown concern, people will tell you to stop being oversensitive and to get over it.
Again, while I understand and empathize with your situation, Disney worked with Autism Speaks so that you'd have a voice. This program is meant to benefit you, not punish you.
They say people with mental disabilities like Autism lack empathy, but time and time again I've only seen this displayed in people who don't have mental disabilities towards those who do have them. Please thank whoever you believe in, thank them for giving you a perfect body and mind, thank them for seeing that you don't have to live a life full of fear where people instead of comforting you when you're scared just laugh and tease you for your fears. Thank them for seeing you're not the one who has to face the cruelty of others saying you shouldn't be allowed to visit Disney Parks, because of how you were born.
Those on the autism spectrum do lack empathy. It's why I constantly get whacked on the head by my brother, and only once has he ever realized that it hurt and hugged me. Not his fault, though; I try to avoid the swipe.
And if you think any of us have perfect bodies, minds, or that we've never been teased, bullied, harassed, or felt insecure, you are mistaken. For you and those like you, it's amplified. No one here had said that those with autism should not be allowed to visit, and if anyone did, other members here would correct them very quickly. Please don't let the few who are harsh color your opinion of those who are not or who are simply ignorant.
