Removing accomodations for guests with mental disabilities

[PotteryGal]

No offense to you or anyone, but the colorful term " strength" came about for a reason.


Don't necessarily think of special needs people as spoiled brats taking advantage of their "condition" to get what they want when they want it. Some people just can't flat-out handle the energy, the adrenaline surging through their body. Meds & social conditioning can only do so much. If they become excited over going on an attraction, only to be sent away for later, then the people traveling with them, can hopefully divert their attention to something else. Because that energy is going to be expended some other way, maybe in a positive way, maybe in a destructive way. And at that point, to try to employ logic to calm them down? Heh, you may as well shake up a bottle of Coke, open it and expec that you can talk it into not erupting.

I do wish slash hope that people who use the GAC card do not take advantage of them. If their special needs child or adult is having a "good day" and they can wait, I'd hope they would, out of courtesy to other guests. But if it's a "bad day," and I've seen how bad "bad" can be, then it behooves all of us to let this incredibly small percentage of guests have some preferential treatment. Save your hostility for pampered princesses and their "do you know who I am? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM??!?!" parents bullying their way to the front of the line. The selfless sould who have to travel with special needs people get enough grief every other day of the year.

Thank you! The last thing I want to do is take advantage of the GAC. In my mind it's a last resort. To have a child do a meltdown on you is hard enough around understanding family members, much less strangers who make snap judgements about kids they don't know.

 

[miles1]

I saw one of these "melt downs" about two weeks ago at the gates to MGM. It appeared to be a field trip from a group home with three or four residents and the same number of counselors. We were in line directly behind one of the residents on the trip that was having a problem with the finger scan at the turnstile, like we all do. What would have been a minor inconvenience for us was quickly enraging him. He appeared to be in his 30's, and was a BIG guy, probably close to 300 pounds, and was starting to become physically agitated. The CM at the turnstile got scared, and the CM's at the other turnstiles stopped what they were doing and starting heading toward us as calmly as possible.

Having worked in the past with patients with metal diabilities, I realized what was happening and quietly herded my family to another turnstile. I know that legally, neither the counselor or the CM's could physically restrain him unless he hit someone or threatened his own safety, and even then it's a major issue. Thankfully, the gentleman's counselor was able to get him to focus long enough to divert his attention while another CM overroad the turnstyle. The counselor really knew her stuff.

Moral of the story...I still feel he had every right to be there. If it causes me a moment or two of incovenience to let him in line ahead of me, that's OK too. If Disney really has changed their policy on the queing matters, it will not only cause problems like this where none previously existed, but it will discourage families and agencies from taking the mentally disabled there at all for fear of problems like this. Let's hope they haven't.

 

[niteobsrvr]

I work with adults with developmental disabilities, ( my mother has been in the MR/DD field for almost 17 years),and I also have an uncle who has mild MR and I can tell you, for any individual who has behaviors, it is not good practice to allow them to "go around situations". I don't know how other people (or agencies) are, but we support equality for all individuals. We don't believe that someone with a DD should be treated any differently than someone who does not have a DD. We feel that if they wish to do something ( as in ride an attraction) they should understand that they have to wait in line the same as everyone else. Why should they be singled out, shouldn't they receive the same treatment as everyone else? I don't mean to sound insensitive, but I can tell you most of our individuals in our program wish to be treated as adults, not singled out due to their disability. I fully understand how working with someone with behaviors can at times be frustrating, but the only way to avoid those behaviors in the future is to allow the individual to learn that it is not acceptable behavior. I think sometimes, people tend to not want to deal with the situation, and look for an easy way out, and it only ends up hurting the person with the DD because they learn that they can continue the negative behaviors at no consequence. That's my two cents on the topic:lookaroun

I applaud the parents and caregivers of persons who have special needs. It takes a very caring and courageous person to navigate the myriad of situations that occur at themeparks. I usually find these families to be much more aware of what is going on around them while helping the child or adult to enjoy the park.

I wish I could say the same for the parents whose children do not have special needs.

 

[WaltzingMatilda]

To the OP, lovely post, your letter was eloquent, incisive, and above all moving. Made me cry actually, sorry to admit that and hope it doesn't offend you, I'm not sure in these times what is right and wrong to say.

Disney is a haven for us all...let's hope it remains so.

 

[Nemo14]

I applaud the parents and caregivers of persons who have special needs. It takes a very caring and courageous person to navigate the myriad of situations that occur at themeparks. I usually find these families to be much more aware of what is going on around them while helping the child or adult to enjoy the park.

I wish I could say the same for the parents whose children do not have special needs.

Well said niteobsrvr! Having spent considerable time with 2 families with special needs children, I can personally vouch for this! Until you've experienced a child going through a meltdown (not a temper tantrum, but a total sensdory meltdown) you cannot appreciate the patience and courage these parents have to possess to deal with this on a daily basis.

 

[seabee1]

No offense to you or anyone, but the colorful term " strength" came about for a reason.


Don't necessarily think of special needs people as spoiled brats taking advantage of their "condition" to get what they want when they want it. Some people just can't flat-out handle the energy, the adrenaline surging through their body. Meds & social conditioning can only do so much. If they become excited over going on an attraction, only to be sent away for later, then the people traveling with them, can hopefully divert their attention to something else. Because that energy is going to be expended some other way, maybe in a positive way, maybe in a destructive way. And at that point, to try to employ logic to calm them down? Heh, you may as well shake up a bottle of Coke, open it and expec that you can talk it into not erupting.

I do wish slash hope that people who use the GAC card do not take advantage of them. If their special needs child or adult is having a "good day" and they can wait, I'd hope they would, out of courtesy to other guests. But if it's a "bad day," and I've seen how bad "bad" can be, then it behooves all of us to let this incredibly small percentage of guests have some preferential treatment. Save your hostility for pampered princesses and their "do you know who I am? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM??!?!" parents bullying their way to the front of the line. The selfless sould who have to travel with special needs people get enough grief every other day of the year.

Wow, that was nicely said. I don't think people are trying to be offensive, they just don't understand to the fullest what it means to have special needs. An example of not getting it.... My husband is in a wheelchair because of a spinal cord injury. We went on vacation and were told that our room would be wheelchair accessable. Well, we didn't fit through the door. It was just slightly too small. Anyway, the employee said, well can't you fold the chair to get through the door, once you are in the room your are fine. My reply- yes the chair does fold, except not when my husband is in it, and since he can't stand up he isn't getting out of it to fold it. His answer was OH. People just don't understand, or even think of these things, because they don't have too. It isn't their fault. It does get frustrating, but I just remind myself that they don't have to live with it everyday like we do, so they just don't think of everything we need to.

As for the pass-we went last year, and we were able to go through the fast pass line, and before I get flamed, we didn't use the fast pass line on attractions that my husband's wheelchair could navigate the reg. line. As long as people don't abuse the pass I think it will always be around for those who NEED it.

 

[il grande chuck]

It's amazing how judgmental some people can get about the circumstances of special needs children, especially when they know nothing about them.

Fwiw, we'll be taking my 10 year-old autistic son to WDW this fall. Fortunately, he is pretty high-functioning so my wife and i decided that we will *not* be taking advantage of WDW's very thoughtful policy of allowing him (and us) in the fastpass lines, even though (technically speaking) we could opt to do so. We don't think it's necessary in his case.

However, we know many, many families with autistic children who struggle 24/7 - these kids aren't ill-mannered, they have genuine problems in the way their bodies are "wired." Normal environmental stimuli that we take in and filter out constantly can give them sensory overload and traumatize them. WDW is a place of high stimulation, and many autistic people probably have a limited amount of time that they can tolerate visiting the WDW parks in a given day. I'm disturbed that there are people out there who resent that WDW provides the fastpass priviledge for these severly afflicted people.

The people here that posted the unkind, insensitive comments should be grateful that neither they nor their families have been affected by this sad condition. They should also be grateful that they didn't make these comments in my personal presence, where my response would not have been as diplomatic.

Chuck

 

[Epcot82Guy]

I honestly don't have a background on either side to comment on the properness or appropriateness of any decision by Disney. I have been very fortunate to not have any family or friends affected by these conditions, but I have worked with them though volunteer services several times and have had brief exposure to several conditions, including autism, though that. It can be VERY difficult.

Regardless, to try and add a constructive spin to this, if Disney has, in fact, changed their policies, would it be possible for you to send one or two of your family members to the FP attraction with your park tickets to obtain passes for it. That way, you could keep your brother in another area without seeing the attraction and building the anticipation. It seemed from your post that such a stimulus would create the problem. I realize this may be more inconvenient in the long run, but it might be a suggestion for dealing with the situation in the event that the GAP will not work for the entire group.

I hope the situation is resolved and you have a great trip back to WDW.

 

[sbkline]

It was clear from this point that this woman, and now it appears the Walt Disney Company does not understand what it means to have “special needs.”

I understand the dilemna, but don't hold it against the woman on the phone. She's just a peeon doing her job. She doesn't make the rules, she's just telling you what they are. I've been that person on the phone before, at my place of employment, having to tell someone what the policies are and thinking to myself "what does he want ME to do about it? I just work here!"

 

[Lucky]

It's amazing how judgmental some people can get about the circumstances of special needs children, especially when they know nothing about them.

Fwiw, we'll be taking my 10 year-old autistic son to WDW this fall. Fortunately, he is pretty high-functioning so my wife and i decided that we will *not* be taking advantage of WDW's very thoughtful policy of allowing him (and us) in the fastpass lines, even though (technically speaking) we could opt to do so. We don't think it's necessary in his case.

However, we know many, many families with autistic children who struggle 24/7 - these kids aren't ill-mannered, they have genuine problems in the way their bodies are "wired." Normal environmental stimuli that we take in and filter out constantly can give them sensory overload and traumatize them. WDW is a place of high stimulation, and many autistic people probably have a limited amount of time that they can tolerate visiting the WDW parks in a given day. I'm disturbed that there are people out there who resent that WDW provides the fastpass priviledge for these severly afflicted people.

The people here that posted the unkind, insensitive comments should be grateful that neither they nor their families have been affected by this sad condition. They should also be grateful that they didn't make these comments in my personal presence, where my response would not have been as diplomatic.

Chuck

Thanks for these comments, Chuck. Fortunately the majority of people posting here don't seem to believe that Disney should crack down on special needs kids and their families for being too privileged.

Let's take just one difference (there are many more, believe me). "Normal" people can pass the time in line by conversing with their friends or relatives. Many kids (and adults) with autism or other disorders cannot talk at all, any many others are unable to hold interactive conversations. Moreoever, when they get bored many of them will act out in ways that bother the "normal" people in line.

Politicsguy, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you go back to the parks. As the "Unofficial Guide" has long noted, not all Disney employees are aware of the policies regarding Guest Assistance Cards. You probably ran into one of the less-informed ones. And in practice, while the GAC says you should get a FastPass when you can (and we do), I don't think you'll have any trouble using the GAC instead of a FastPass in the FastPass line.

People are naturally competitive and quick to think it's unfair when they see others getting an advantage. I think most of them if they take time to think about it realize that this "unfair advantage" Disney is broad-minded and progressive enough to provide compensates for no more than one-billionth or so of the disadvantages faced by special-needs persons and their families in life.

 

[Slowjack]

I can't believe I'm about to defend Mousemerf...

...but I think everyone here is reading a lot more into his post than he said. If I only read the responses to his post, I would get the impression that he said, "so what if he's autistic! Tell your selfish brother to deal with it!"

For the record, my sister teaches autistic children for a public school system and I certainly understand that dealing with an autistic person is not like dealing with a child with a normal temper tantrum. I think WDW should strive to make the parks accessible to as wide a range of people as possible, and I doubt anyone here thinks differently.

But I think Mousemerf brings up reasonable points. He asks whether this guy could be accomodated by having someone else in the party get fastpasses earlier. Maybe that won't work--but is Mousemerf evil for asking?

Then he asks what I think is a good question--if Mitchell has a complete meltdown when there's an unexpected delay, and since we all experience some unexpected delays in our trips to WDW (I know I do), won't he just melt down at some point anyway? If he's going to melt down anyway, then is Disney wrong to change their policy, if indeed that's what they are doing?

I don't ask these questions again to get an answer, but just to point out that asking these things doesn't make Mousemerf some kind of kitten strangler.

 

[Lucky]

I'm not trying to be harsh, but to understand...

Does that mean you goto McDonalds and they give you someone else's burger right away? Do you just walk out of the supermarket with groceries if the checkout lines are long?

Yes, of course I have had to leave a supermarket with my special needs kids when his patience ran out. It's not the only place I've had to leave, and I'm sure I'm not the only one out there with this experience.

Disney to its great credit established a policy that makes it feasible for families like mine to visit Disney World.

 

[raven]

...if Mitchell has a complete meltdown when there's an unexpected delay, and since we all experience some unexpected delays in our trips to WDW (I know I do), won't he just melt down at some point anyway?

The point is, you don't know exactly when or "if" they will have a meltdown. Parents and caregivers try to avaid it at all cost. And if it can be prevented in a simple way, why would they do something different?

After 2 years of working at my current job with special needs students I still can't tell when specific ones will go off. One student has severe brain injuries from when he was a child and flips into these "killing" modes with no indications. He broke his teachers wrist last year, shoved a pencil through his ear cannal and threw a 25lb freeweight at me all in the same 2 minutes of going from one room to another. He doesn't remember any of it and when he is in this state of mind he has a blank look on his face. He has these episodes almost 5 or 6 times per day and have scares to prove it. Unfortunately, the State of Michigan doesn't see him as a one-on-one case and put him in a school with 74 other students with similar impares. The school district will not employ more staff due to State budget cuts so we are stuck with a 12:1 student/teacher ratio.

Why do I stay there? Because I love it. But each student is different in each way. We take them to the zoo, malls, shopping, the fair, and on boat trips many times a year because sometimes they don't get to at home.

So you can see, using a GAC isn't only for the person with the special needs. It also helps to keep the sanity of the person(s) in charge of them and provides a little help to keep situations down. I hope you understand.

 

[PotteryGal]

For what it's worth, I just spoke with someone at WDW regarding services for disabled people, and the GAC IS in place for autistic kids. Should alternative arrangements entering an attraction need to be made, the GAC can be used. From what this gentleman told me, a fast pass does not also need to be obtained. It's possible the OP was speaking to someone new on the job.

It's important to reiterate that this was put in place to help caregivers diffuse potentially difficult situations, NOT to be taken advantage of as a 'bending of the rules'. We're just grateful to have a place to have some fun with our son, as well as with his big sister (who is awesome with him - proud mom :animwink.

81 days and counting! :sohappy:

 

[sknydave]

While I can understand some of the others saying the special needs guests should learn that not everything can go their way, I think some just can't grasp that concept.

I saw one of the meltdowns you all are talking about this weekend just outside of splash mountain. The young man was seriously melting down and hitting himself in the face over and over again. The person he was with had this defeated look on their face. They looked as if they had been to hell and back.

I don't mind waiting a whole 2 minutes longer for special needs guests to board. It's those without any problems at all who are just trying to skip ahead that bother me!!!!

 

[Lucky]

While I can understand some of the others saying the special needs guests should learn that not everything can go their way, I think some just can't grasp that concept.

I saw one of the meltdowns you all are talking about this weekend just outside of splash mountain. The young man was seriously melting down and hitting himself in the face over and over again. The person he was with had this defeated look on their face. They looked as if they had been to hell and back.

I don't mind waiting a whole 2 minutes longer for special needs guests to board. It's those without any problems at all who are just trying to skip ahead that bother me!!!!

Well said. Thanks for weighing in on this. And my guess is that there are so few people with Guest Assistance Cards that they really lengthen the average wait for others by no more than 15 seconds.

 

[mousermerf]

Well said. Thanks for weighing in on this. And my guess is that there are so few people with Guest Assistance Cards that they really lengthen the average wait for others by no more than 15 seconds.

That might typically be true, but not always true. DL had to completely remove the system at one point due to abuse of the system. Maybe things are getting bad? We don't really know.

I do know Test Track's FP line is notorious for backing up, sometimes up to 45mins or so, because of breakdowns and such.

I don't think Disney would just change things without a reason.

Edit to add: To kind of give you an idea of how untrue the "so few with GAC's" can be - look at the exit area of SSE and the guests with wheelchairs waiting to board. Typically, you wouldn't expect that many people waiting to board with wheelchairs, but there is usually several.

 

[Lucky]

That might typically be true, but not always true. DL had to completely remove the system at one point due to abuse of the system. Maybe things are getting bad? We don't really know.

I do know Test Track's FP line is notorious for backing up, sometimes up to 45mins or so, because of breakdowns and such.

I don't think Disney would just change things without a reason.

Edit to add: To kind of give you an idea of how untrue the "so few with GAC's" can be - look at the exit area of SSE and the guests with wheelchairs waiting to board. Typically, you wouldn't expect that many people waiting to board with wheelchairs, but there is usually several.

Yes, I've seen Test Track stopped a couple of times because of breakdowns. But no, I don't think an autistic kid caused the breakdown, and I don't think the resulting 45-minute wait in FastPass was because of a bus full of autistic kids. I don't see what point you're trying to make.

And finally, Disney is not changing things (this whole thread resulted from misinformation from a CM), because there is no problem.

 

[EchoOfOphelia]

I agree that Disney is a haven that should be open to all. My cousin's 5 year old son is autistic and I know that they recently took a trip to Disney and that the GAC was a life saver for them. Disney should be a place where the guest with special needs and his/her family can really come to enjoy themselves. I know that an autistic person who has a "meltdown" can cause hours of distress for themselves and cause them not to be able to enjoy their day at all.

I would gladly wait an extra minute or two to allow a guest with special needs to board in front of me.

I am simply curious though, does anyone know the criteria to obtain a GAC? Do you need a doctor's note or an application? I am just curious about the process.

 

[Lucky]

That might typically be true, but not always true. DL had to completely remove the system at one point due to abuse of the system. Maybe things are getting bad? We don't really know.

I do know Test Track's FP line is notorious for backing up, sometimes up to 45mins or so, because of breakdowns and such.

I don't think Disney would just change things without a reason.

Edit to add: To kind of give you an idea of how untrue the "so few with GAC's" can be - look at the exit area of SSE and the guests with wheelchairs waiting to board. Typically, you wouldn't expect that many people waiting to board with wheelchairs, but there is usually several.

I'll let people in wheelchairs defend themselves if they wish. But I think the idea that people who are mentally or physically handicapped detract significantly from the experience of more fortunate guests is just preposterous.