Hello,
I'll gladly help clean up some of the mess here and also provide some feedback of my own. First, I'll tell you I'm blind. This will put things in perspective for the next few parts.
First, Disney's Guest Assistance pass is a "on-paper" version of their policy in action. Thus, your maximum party size is 6 people. 6, not 10, not a dozen, not even 7. This would cover the average family and two grandparents for sure. But, parties greater than 10 could split up for sure. However, for each guest with a need, the party may include 6 guests. So, 12 people with two using a chair goes just fine. The cards are not required for transportation, but clearly indicate Disney's wishes.
Next, there is another good reason for the accessibility lane at the bus stops. This one will probably boil some blood too, but its got to happen this way unfortunately. I have to walk down the lanes trying to follow the curb, and ask at each bus stop what bus is that? Yep, and if nobody is at a stop, and no bus is there, I have to simply skip it and hope that wasn't mine.
There is something that makes this situation worse. At both the Epcot and Animal Kingdom, the bus stops actually don't have curbs. I encourage you to notice this the next time you visit. Now, what do you think that means for me? Several times I literally ended up in the line of bus traffic, no tactile bump strip is provided, but the ADA requires it for these specific situations. They provide the only means of knowing the boundary. Animal kingdom is the shameful one, as these rules were in place before the park opened. I'm hoping they resolve this before someone actually gets injured or killed over it. I've had my opportunity to express my concern to the right people, but if I'm the only one concerned, it becomes one of those things they'll get done when they need to referb the structures or roads.
The ideal setup would involve a single speaker at the bus menu signs that just repeats over and over again the bus number and associated stop. Then, post speakers at the bus stops that say the bus number out loud every 30 seconds or so in a staggered manner around the bus stop. This would create a method by which a visually impaired guest could find their stop. It also would reinforce the normal guest's ability to find their bus, as not all people with vision are visual learners. This goes especially for those who wearily walk out of the parks with their kids screaming bloody murder because it is past their bed time. You may be overwhelmed by trying to keep your family together while looking for your stop, and the sound of a sign stating its number when you're not finding it visually may really come in handy.
The busses should state their destination repeatedly every 30 seconds while their doors are open. This could be accomplished by a speaker near the front door, and one at the rear of the bus that is louder to overcome the engine noise. The lack of this is surprising considering the upgrade almost all buses received in their AV packages in the past year.
Well, I hope this not only clears things up a bit, but provides another need for the lanes. maybe you wait for the bus for 20 minutes or more, but I spend that time equally just trying to find the thing!
Ryan
