DOJ Investigating Sea World for Possible ADA Violation

[The Mom]

Justice Department Opens Investigation into SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Aquatica Orlando for Disability Discrimination

Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced that they have launched an investigation into United Parks & Resorts Inc. to determine whether it violates Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by...

www.justice.gov

 

[The Mom]

Just for context, apparently many people were using them as a wheelchair, which is against product safety guidelines. I have had multiple family members who have/are using them, and am aware that they cannot be used to "roll" someone any more than a couple of feet to allow positioning at a table, etc..

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Just for context, apparently many people were using them as a wheelchair, which is against product safety guidelines. I have had multiple family members who have/are using them, and am aware that they cannot be used to "roll" someone any more than a couple of feet to allow positioning at a table, etc..

Makes sense, but then that means they need to have rules about what devices qualify as wheelchairs in their parks versus what devices are walking aids. I've seen CMs at Disney tell guests not to allow children on their laps on ECVs because that is not safe and against operating guidelines for those devices.

I am not totally shocked. I had an issue with Busch Gardens Williamsburg back in April while enrolling in their ADA program. I was using an ECV due to a medical issue, but had been cleared to ride rollercoasters by my doctor. Their lines aren't accessible, so you have to get an ADA pass. That park is gigantic; I absolutely would not have been able to do it without an ECV with what I was dealing with.

Anyway, one of the questions they ask you when enrolling in their program is if you have had any recent surgeries (past six months). I answered truthfully. They took all the rides off the pass, minus basically the train. I complained to a manager and got a ton of excuses. I'm like, you cannot ask me for specific health information, and if you are asking me this when you are NOT asking the general public who isn't requesting the pass, then that's discrimination. Fortunately, that last day was not crowded at all (most lines were walk ons or very short), so I ended up just going through normal lines, but it made it much more difficult.

United Parks and Resorts likes to nickle and dime guests while enticing you with cheap admission. $35 per day for a wheelchair is absurd. For comparison, Disney is $12 a day or $10 per day for multiple days if you pay is advance. Universal is $15 per day. Over $100 a day for an ECV at Sea World...whew. $65 at Disney and $75 at Universal. Most Six Flags owned parks appear to be $25 for a manual wheelchair and $50 for an ECV. Which is to say it wouldn't shock me if they did this in part hoping to increase wheelchair and ECV rentals. They also don't allow bags in their lines and make you pay for lockers instead of providing them for free.