Florida commission: Disney discriminated against autistic visitors

[Crazydisneyfanluke]

I've toured the parks with someone who is forced to use an ECV. I've found most guests to be disrespectful and generally rude to those that are on ECVs.

Ive found that the more caring ECV drivers are the ones forced to used it due to their disability, the ruder drivers tend to be the lazy people who choose not to walk.

 

[PhotoDave219]

the only thing I will say in their defense is that for some of these kids routines are very rigid and so once you establish a pattern, its very hard to break it. So taking away what was routine could be an issue.

I think its important to note that the GAC was not being abused by those with disabilities for the most part, but was mostly being abused by those who had no real need for one and were using it in the fashion of an infinite fast pass on every ride in the park. This was most evident at DLR where the Annual Passholder contigent makes up a large part of weekend traffic, and they were using them by the boatloads which was causing massive issues. WDW had its fair share of issues as well, including the rich families hiring disabled tour guides.
But the program ran for years with little to no issues. Its only when the internet made it easy to spread the secret of free fastpasses to anyone that it became such an issue that Disney had to do something. And in the end the only people it really hurt were those the GAC helped the most. Now does the DAS meet the letter of the law, that is up to the courts to decide.

Oh there are the fair share of WDW passholders & bloggers that abused it. Plenty of them.

 

[flynnibus]

Intereting, because my state at least, to get a handicapped placard for your car you are required to provide the DMV with a letter from your doctor.

For reasons I've not bothered to research - ada did not touch the existing regulation of hc placards.
Yes they are handled differently but that is because they are regulated separately

 

[Nmoody1]

Anyone want to counter claim if a ruling is made in favour of the plaintiff, that their demands are discriminatory towards normal park goers who have to wait in line?

I think Disney is more than accommodating for people with all sorts of special needs... Sometimes impacting on the experiences of other guests... I give you families that roll up to the front of the line in their ECV's that could quite easily get out and walk to a nice cream stand. Families that travel in a group of 5 say - roll onto the bus, the family all get on and take seats. I really believe a rule that 1 person should accompany an ECV - you can use the free wifi in the park or at the hotel to re-group at your final destination.

 

[DManRightHere]

Intereting, because my state at least, to get a handicapped placard for your car you are required to provide the DMV with a letter from your doctor.

Random thought on handicapped spaces.....does anyone think it is dumb the government puts handicap parking spaces at tiny parking lots at the entrance of strenuous hiking trails?

 

[Lucky]

Ive found that the more caring ECV drivers are the ones forced to used it due to their disability, the ruder drivers tend to be the lazy people who choose not to walk.

How do you know which ones are lazy and which ones have a disability?

 

[ParentsOf4]

Intereting, because my state at least, to get a handicapped placard for your car you are required to provide the DMV with a letter from your doctor.

For reasons I've not bothered to research - ada did not touch the existing regulation of hc placards.
Yes they are handled differently but that is because they are regulated separately

I think is is because driving is considered a privilege, not a right. You and I do not have a right to drive a vehicle. If we pass a series of road, written, and eye tests, then the state will grant us the privilege of legally driving a car.

Some mistakenly think that vacationing at WDW is a privilege. However, this is a form of commerce and is a protected right, if you can afford it.

Being poor is not a protected class. Being disabled is.

 

[rangerbob]

Let me ask you something...is it necessary to take him to a theme park if, through no fault of his own, he can't handle its realities?

If you know anything about people with disabilities is that part of the treatment plan is to expose them to things that doesn't make the totally comfortable. That is why parents bring them to theme parks and other places. This is to expose them to places and crowds so they are used to it. This will allow them to be able to start to function as an adult if they are capable of doing so. You are correct with saying that it isn't the childs fault but it is part of a greater plan that you have no clue exists and it totally necessary.

 

[rangerbob]

They aren't standing in line- they receive their scheduled time and come back. I went to WDW with my severely autistic nephew in December. We would get our time, and then go on rides with no or little wait, or get a snack or see a show untilit was his time to ride.

This getting a time and coming back doesn't work for some kids. If like the person that I was talking about that is the only thing that he wanted to do at the park. Some are so fixated on a particular ride if they go to it and then have to walk away because the line was longer than 20 minutes and they had to get a time would set them off. If it is a 2 family household it would be easy for one to get the time while the other kept them busy with something else. When it is a single parent household it isn't easy to do. Luckily my son is used to getting the time and coming back so it isn't bad for us anymore. When the change first happened it took a while to get used to not being able to go on right away when they wanted to go on race cars.

 

[rangerbob]

Yes, I'm really curious how the commission determines that "reasonable accommodate" was not met. More specifically, what exactly is "unreasonable" about Disney's current system towards these guests.

I'm not saying it's perfect or ideal for those guests -- but no accommodation can be. And I realize that "reasonable" is kinda squishy when it comes to a definition, but saying that autistic people cannot "enjoy the park as it was intended to be enjoyed by all other patrons" seems pretty loaded without specific examples of this being the case. Immediate and unlimited front of the line access pretty much leaps well beyond "enjoying the park as it was intended to be enjoyed by all other patrons".

The GAC pass never provided immediate and unlimited front of the line access. The pass allowed access to the rides via the fastpass lane. There wasn't a back door entrance that we were let into. We always had to wait. The only 3 lines that had a back door there was always a wait for a certain vehicle to show up that would allow us access. The 3 rides was Prates (had to wait for a CM to show up to grab us), SSE where they had a line at the exit and toy story.

 

[jakeman]

How do you know which ones are lazy and which ones have a disability?

There's a light on the back.

 

[arko]

Oh there are the fair share of WDW passholders & bloggers that abused it. Plenty of them.

no arguument there, but the levels of AP abuse were reported to be much higher at DLR simply because the number of AP holders is much higher. At the end the abuse was everywhere and getting worse. Personally I can say that we never saw much abuse, but that is likely simply because we never went on the rides that saw the most abuse. For years I kept a doctors note in my wallet in case they ever asked, but they never did. But I oculd see at the end the lines to get a GAC were longer.

 

[harryk]

Ohhh the joys of liberalism catering to individuals at the expense of everybody else.......

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Taking this one step further, the Supreme Court ruled that an “accommodation is not reasonable if it imposes undue financial and administrative burdens”. Thus, it appears that the correct interpretation of an “unreasonable modification” is one that creates an excessive burden for the defendant (i.e. Disney).

Given Disney’s considerable financial resources, I don’t see how Disney wins this point.

I think the only point Disney might have is the administrative burden of teaching all of the CMs how to properly diagnose someone that needs immediate access, as opposed to someone that can wait 10 minutes. Obviously, they can handle the financial side.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I think the only point Disney might have is the administrative burden of teaching all of the CMs how to properly diagnose someone that needs immediate access, as opposed to someone that can wait 10 minutes. Obviously, they can handle the financial side.

Whether they teach the CMs or not, Disney isn't allowed to make that judgement. Having a disability puts you in a protected class but there's no gatekeeper to validate who belongs in that class and who doesn't. The best Disney can do to confirm that a guest has a disability is the guest saying "I have a disability," and that's the end of it.

All of this is beside the point. We're sitting here debating whether Disney should have a program for guests with disabilities or not, but nobody (including Disney) is suggesting that they don't or shouldn't. Disney HAS a preferred-access system for guests with disabilities. It's just not as cushy as an entitled subset of that population would like it to be. This should be a non-issue. If the debate were "GAC or nothing" or "DAS or nothing," then there's a conversation to be had. However, the issue of "GAC or DAS" is ridiculous.

 

[arko]

I think the only point Disney might have is the administrative burden of teaching all of the CMs how to properly diagnose someone that needs immediate access, as opposed to someone that can wait 10 minutes. Obviously, they can handle the financial side.

That is simply not going to happen, simply because there is no quick training course that would be sufficient.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

That is simply not going to happen, simply because there is no quick training course that would be sufficient.

(And it's illegal.)

 

[arko]

Ohhh the joys of liberalism catering to individuals at the expense of everybody else.......

ah the ADA signed in to law by this guy, aliberal if I ever saw one.

 

[BuzzKillington]

My child is on the spectrum

I knew it!! I can spot a parent of an autistic child a mile away after a couple of post due to their condescending attitude toward those who dare challenge the prerequisite that only guest with sensory disorders are warranted these special assistance passes.

…he is in high school honors classes, is a star scout with no accommodations, and should be able to go to college.

Congratulations on your child's achievements but do you really think it was Disney’s premise for the GAC and now DAS to be utilized by the likes of your child given their obvious high-functioning ability?

 

[Gomer]

I knew it!! I can spot a parent of an autistic child a mile away after a couple of post due to their condescending attitude toward those who dare challenge the prerequisite that only guest with sensory disorders are warranted these special assistance passes.

Congratulations on your child's achievements but do you really think it was Disney’s premise for the GAC and now DAS to be utilized by the likes of your child given their obvious high-functioning ability?

Interesting attack coming from someone who habitually comes onto these threads whenever they pop up calling those with autism and their parents, "devils", "traitors", and likes to say that invisible disabilities are lesser than visible ones.