Florida commission: Disney discriminated against autistic visitors

[arko]

I understand what the families are saying, that if they take the kid up to the front of the ride, and get a pass for a later time, an autistic kid may pitch a fit about not understanding having to come back later and wanting to ride right now instead of walking away. I do get that. However, I think that could easily be worked around, by scheduling the rides in advance at guest services if they know the child is like that. I think that's something that Disney could easily provide. Although when you think about it, it seems like the regular fastpass+ scheduling in advance would actually work better for the families in these situations than the special services.

I'm not in favor of bringing back the old system, because that will just get abused again. People aren't the same as they were 20 years ago and respectful of the handicapped system- nowadays people just pull anything they can to try to get a little perk like that, so we have to change to something better.

The cardholder does not have to be there when you get the return time, just be there when you do the ride, so sending someone ahead can work. But I wish WDW worked like DLR where they have kiosks instead of having to go to the ride. they could easily use the FP+ kiosks where they have easy access to wait times.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I only said it to lighten the mood in this room. People were getting very upset about all of this I only meant it to be a funny.

This is a sensitive topic; it usually gets tense when we have one of these threads.

 

[MarthaMartha1]

Because when the allegedly handicapped person bounces out of the car and walks 18 holes of golf or gets into a Escalade or giant King Ranch F250, One wonders about the handicap (other than the PGA issued one), Up here abuse of handicapped plates is out of control as the well off use them as preferred parking passes. Very similar to the 'Hire a Gimp' scam at WDW.

Adaptive equipment is everything from special controls to scooter mounts/ramps in my view

Abuse of handicapped plates is very wrong, but it doesn't have anything to do with how expensive the cars are. Plus, you really can't tell by looking who needs the spaces and who doesn't. There are any number of legitimate disabilities that qualify for special parking but do not require any special equipment whatsoever.

 

[asianway]

Ok having no desire to read through the statute...

ADA protects and creates a protected class for the person with the disability right?

Does it also create a protected class for their traveling party of x?

Cuz if GAC comes back it may come with some limits...

 

[regvist]

I have a child with autism and other diagnosis, and use the DAS card, first of all i think Disney to be far more accommodating than any other place, the reason we go so often. The DAS does provide equal access for all, every body waits, for those that say there kid can't get card signed and return, adapt like you do everywhere else, i leave my daughter at a shop, attraction with a family member, take her card and get it signed (disney does not require card holder to reserve spot, just use it) and don't mention the attraction to her until the return time, there is plenty to distract a child at Disney. The only thing i would suggest changing was to tie the card to the magic band, fast pass system somehow, so we don't have to deal with the dirty looks and comments from other visitors when we pull out the card to get on an attraction, and i am sure Disney is probably already working on that.

 

[arko]

I am still not sold on your reason as to why there are far more people under the age of 18 with autism than there are adults. You blame it on recent phenomenon but the likes of Michaelangelo, Mozart, Thomas Jefferson, Einstein, Stanley Kubrik and Bill Gates (to name a few) were/are all suspected of having some form of autism so that theory is flawed.

Could the disparity be due to the fact that entitlements for autism are a recent development and since the meal ticket runs out at age 18, the issue disappears and the children go on to become productive members of society?

seriously what gravy train am I missing here, like any disability, unless your on welfare the costs even with insurance are tremendous. In fact it wasn't until 2008 that Florida required insurance companies to cover some costs. Even then you are limited to how many visits etc. It is currently estimated to cost 1.4 million dollars to raise an autistic child to adultood. My wife stopped working to stay home and do some of the therapies, so it would cost us less.
Now just like anything there are people who game the system, but its not like these people are living in the lap of luxury based on benefits, because you might get 750$ a month if you qualify, which these days is not a lot.

 

[jlthomas81]

seriously what gravy train am I missing here, like any disability, unless your on welfare the costs even with insurance are tremendous. In fact it wasn't until 2008 that Florida required insurance companies to cover some costs. Even then you are limited to how many visits etc. It is currently estimated to cost 1.4 million dollars to raise an autistic child to adultood. My wife stopped working to stay home and do some of the therapies, so it would cost us less.
Now just like anything there are people who game the system, but its not like these people are living in the lap of luxury based on benefits, because you might get 750$ a month if you qualify, which these days is not a lot.

Exactly! I know we pay $165 a week on therapies. Thats one heck of a nice WDW vacation if you ask me! Which in the long run, may help my son more than all the therapies

 

[flynnibus]

Does it also create a protected class for their traveling party of x?

Not precisely - but it does establish the idea that you should not force the disabled to be separated from their party. For instance, design standards include companion seating, etc. It sets the expectation that you should should consider who is together, but does not address specific universal limits like party size, rights of the traveling party, etc.

 

[Jane Doe]

I have a relative who has severe hydrocephalus. I reckon she'd love Walt Disney World, plus Walt Disney World bends over backwards to accommodate those with severe disabilities, probably more than any other corporation. Would we ever take her? Don't be ridiculous, whilst the park is suitable the park, well, just isn't suitable.

 

[Todd H]

Exactly! I know we pay $165 a week on therapies. Thats one heck of a nice WDW vacation if you ask me! Which in the long run, may help my son more than all the therapies

Yep. Insurance pays partly for my son's weekly speech therapy, none of his weekly physical therapy, less this year for his meds, and some of his psychiatrist visits. That means thousands every year out of pocket. Then there's the joy of not going out very often because I never know what might cause him to have a meltdown. Yep. Definitely riding the gravy train.

Welcome to ignore Mr. Killington.

 

[Magenta Panther]

It sounds like you don't want to see anybody with a disability at the park. Everybody goes there to have fun, go on the rides, see the fireworks and look at the different things there. You sound like it should be exclusive to those that you see as normal. People with disabilities deserve to have fun just like you do when you go to the park. They all put their pants on the same way as you do in the morning.

To be clear I don't agree with these lawsuits that some has filed since they think it is discrimination that they can't just cut the line all day long because of a disability. There needs to be a give a take with all of it. With the accommodations that WDW has in place between the DAS and FP we enjoy going to the parks. My son complains about going there but when we get there he has a blast with everything around him. I also don't agree with the parents that uses their disability as an excuse. I saw on one of these posts about parents that places a shirt on their child and allows them to run around a restaurant to steal food from others.

My son has Aspergers. I work for the school board and work around kids with disabilities every day. We go down to Give Kids the World at least 2 times a month to volunteer.

And it sounds like you're making a lot of assumptions about me, dude, and that you need to lighten up. I posted a fair question. I understand that children and adults with special needs deserve to have fun, duh, and that measures should be taken, in the name of compassion and kindness, to help them to do so. But in some cases, if doing so disrupts everyone else's fun, as in the case of the Haunted Mansion, then perhaps some re-thinking is in order. That's all I'm saying.

 

[MichWolv]

I have a relative who has severe hydrocephalus. I reckon she'd love Walt Disney World, plus Walt Disney World bends over backwards to accommodate those with severe disabilities, probably more than any other corporation. Would we ever take her? Don't be ridiculous, whilst the park is suitable the park, well, just isn't suitable.

I don't think I follow.

 

[MichWolv]

I have a child with autism and other diagnosis, and use the DAS card, first of all i think Disney to be far more accommodating than any other place, the reason we go so often. The DAS does provide equal access for all, every body waits, for those that say there kid can't get card signed and return, adapt like you do everywhere else, i leave my daughter at a shop, attraction with a family member, take her card and get it signed (disney does not require card holder to reserve spot, just use it) and don't mention the attraction to her until the return time, there is plenty to distract a child at Disney. The only thing i would suggest changing was to tie the card to the magic band, fast pass system somehow, so we don't have to deal with the dirty looks and comments from other visitors when we pull out the card to get on an attraction, and i am sure Disney is probably already working on that.

Agree with all your strategies and that Disney should tie this into FP+. One point on the strategy of leaving the child at a shop, etc while you get the return time...sometimes it's just one adult with the child, so there's no way to split up.

 

[MichWolv]

Not precisely - but it does establish the idea that you should not force the disabled to be separated from their party. For instance, design standards include companion seating, etc. It sets the expectation that you should should consider who is together, but does not address specific universal limits like party size, rights of the traveling party, etc.

Right. I think if Disney didn't allow a companion at all, that would clearly violate the law. But they limited to, let's say, the disabled person and three others in the party, that'd likely be OK, legally. But it would still cause some parties to split up, and I doubt Disney would choose to do that.

 

[MichWolv]

Can anyone explain to me why there appears to be far more people under the age of 18 with autism than there are adults with the disorder?

Yes. Even I can explain it in part. One of the keys is "appears to be". Many autistic children can and do, in part due to a lot of therapy, get to the point where they can function well in society, live independently, and otherwise lead a pretty normal life. Thus, they don't "appear to be" austistic as adults. My son is only 11, and the difference in what he appears to be from 6 years ago until now is huge. By the time he is an adult, I don't expect that he'll appear to be autistic except to those who spend a lot of time with him.

 

[ILOVEDISNEY]

You really believe that things like this don't happen?

Who said I doubt that the handicap placards are being abused? Everytime I go to WDW I see dozens of vehichles with mostly young families using handicap parking probably using their parents', or grandparents' placard while I have to drive around and around looking for a space. If you re-read my post I was questioning the motives of ford91explorer as to why s/he is making such broad assumptions about people at country clubs. BTW, my doctor says as long as I am able, a round of golf using a cart is the perfect amount of exercise for me. To indict a group of people who are supposedly comfortable that play golf and drive luxury or near luxury cars smacks of hate/envy, or perhaps a psychological problem.

 

[NormC]

BTW, with regard to handicapped parking abuse, more and more states are requiring that a handicapped license plate be issued instead of the removable handicapped placard. Makes sense because most handicaps are permanent in nature.

Actually more are issuing Placards as it allows the parking privilege to stay with the person in need and not the car. This allows you to take Grandma grocery shopping in your car as she no longer drives or owns a car. This also prevents anybody that uses the car from parking in the reserved spaces when they are not the one in need. In some states the Placard has a picture of the person just like a drivers license but that has been under scrutiny lately.

 

[thomas998]

Actually more are issuing Placards as it allows the parking privilege to stay with the person in need and not the car. This allows you to take Grandma grocery shopping in your car as she no longer drives or owns a car. This also prevents anybody that uses the car from parking in the reserved spaces when they are not the one in need. In some states the Placard has a picture of the person just like a drivers license but that has been under scrutiny lately.

Of course if the person that is handicapped can't drive wouldn't it be more appropriate to drop them off at the gate, then go park like a normal person and then catch up with them at the gate or door? Yet I have seen people that do the drop off of the handicapped person and then drive off to park in the handicapped spot...

In a perfect world the doctors issuing these placard would be fined heavily when they gave them out to people that weren't disabled as would being caught using one when you weren't the person it was issued to... Is nice that they are putting photos on them in some states because I have known people to talk very openly about borrowing somebodies hang tag so they could park closer, I've even had people offer them to me when I was going to Disney.

I never thought about actually borrowing one... but if this rule on autism turns into a autistic kids march to the front of the line type of thing then I will be notifying Disney every time that I'm autistic and would hope everyone else does the same... that way the line for being in the front of the line will become as long as the standby line and no one will be able to game the system.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Of course if the person that is handicapped can't drive wouldn't it be more appropriate to drop them off at the gate...

Not if the handicapped person cant exit a vehicle and/or wait outside a place of business by him- or herself while you park the car.

 

[Gomer]

I never thought about actually borrowing one... but if this rule on autism turns into a autistic kids march to the front of the line type of thing then I will be notifying Disney every time that I'm autistic and would hope everyone else does the same... that way the line for being in the front of the line will become as long as the standby line and no one will be able to game the system.

You show'em. Fake a disability and teach them kids not to be born different. That definitely makes you better than them.