what I predicted happened 
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-disney1007nov10,0,7553050.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout
Segways spark suit vs. Disney
3 disabled people say they need the motorized scooters to get around
Scott Powers
Sentinel Staff Writer
November 10, 2007
Three disabled people who say they rely on two-wheeled Segways to move about sued Walt Disney World in federal court Friday, seeking to force the resort into letting disabled visitors like themselves ride the motorized, upright scooters in Disney theme parks.
The three individuals -- a man and woman from Illinois and a woman from Iowa -- also asked that a judge in U.S. District Court in Orlando certify their suit as a class action, potentially representing numerous disabled users of Segways nationwide.
Mahala Ault of Illinois, Stacie Rhea of Iowa and Dan Wallace of Illinois say in the lawsuit that they use Segways as mobility aids but that Disney has denied them permission to use the vehicles at Disney World. Ault, 33, has multiple sclerosis. Rhea has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Wallace lost his left foot in a 1999 accident. Each of them can stand but cannot walk far, the suit states.
They are among an estimated 4,000 to 7,000 similarly disabled people who have turned to the self-balancing, electric Segways as mobility tools, according to the suit.
Introduced in 2001, Segways weren't designed as mobility devices for people with such disabilities. And while thousands may consider them a useful alternative to wheelchairs, their $5,000-plus cost is not normally eligible for health-insurance coverage or state or federal assistance.
Still, the lawsuit contends that Disney violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires businesses to make "reasonable modifications in policies, practices or procedures" to accommodate disabled customers. The suit's goals and arguments are similar to those raised by a group called Disability Rights Advocates For Technology, or DRAFT, which is pushing for nationwide acceptance of Segways' use by the disabled. But neither the three plaintiffs in Friday's lawsuit nor their lawyers are connected with DRAFT, said Nancy A. Johnson, an attorney with Dempsey & Associates in Orlando and one of the plaintiffs' lawyers.
A Disney spokeswoman said Friday that the company had not had a chance to review the suit and so would not comment directly on it.
A report in the Orlando Sentinel last month detailed DRAFT's dispute with Disney and SeaWorld. Both theme-park companies argued then that they meet the needs of their disabled guests by allowing wheelchairs and conventional motorized scooters, and that they have safety concerns about the swifterSegways, particularly on crowded walkways. They said they also don't know of a practical way to determine whether a Segway user entering a park has sufficient training or experience.
"We've made our position very clear on these Segways in our parks," Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said Friday. "Our primary concern is the safety of all our guests and our cast members. We have a long history of being a leader in creating accessible experiences for our guests with disabilities."
In their lawsuit, Ault, Rhea and Wallace state that they do not own a wheelchair or conventional scooter.
"The biggest thing I keep hearing is it is a dignity thing," said Johnson, the lawyer. "People say, 'I don't want to be put in a wheelchair.' "
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-disney1007nov10,0,7553050.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout
Segways spark suit vs. Disney
3 disabled people say they need the motorized scooters to get around
Scott Powers
Sentinel Staff Writer
November 10, 2007
Three disabled people who say they rely on two-wheeled Segways to move about sued Walt Disney World in federal court Friday, seeking to force the resort into letting disabled visitors like themselves ride the motorized, upright scooters in Disney theme parks.
The three individuals -- a man and woman from Illinois and a woman from Iowa -- also asked that a judge in U.S. District Court in Orlando certify their suit as a class action, potentially representing numerous disabled users of Segways nationwide.
Mahala Ault of Illinois, Stacie Rhea of Iowa and Dan Wallace of Illinois say in the lawsuit that they use Segways as mobility aids but that Disney has denied them permission to use the vehicles at Disney World. Ault, 33, has multiple sclerosis. Rhea has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Wallace lost his left foot in a 1999 accident. Each of them can stand but cannot walk far, the suit states.
They are among an estimated 4,000 to 7,000 similarly disabled people who have turned to the self-balancing, electric Segways as mobility tools, according to the suit.
Introduced in 2001, Segways weren't designed as mobility devices for people with such disabilities. And while thousands may consider them a useful alternative to wheelchairs, their $5,000-plus cost is not normally eligible for health-insurance coverage or state or federal assistance.
Still, the lawsuit contends that Disney violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires businesses to make "reasonable modifications in policies, practices or procedures" to accommodate disabled customers. The suit's goals and arguments are similar to those raised by a group called Disability Rights Advocates For Technology, or DRAFT, which is pushing for nationwide acceptance of Segways' use by the disabled. But neither the three plaintiffs in Friday's lawsuit nor their lawyers are connected with DRAFT, said Nancy A. Johnson, an attorney with Dempsey & Associates in Orlando and one of the plaintiffs' lawyers.
A Disney spokeswoman said Friday that the company had not had a chance to review the suit and so would not comment directly on it.
A report in the Orlando Sentinel last month detailed DRAFT's dispute with Disney and SeaWorld. Both theme-park companies argued then that they meet the needs of their disabled guests by allowing wheelchairs and conventional motorized scooters, and that they have safety concerns about the swifterSegways, particularly on crowded walkways. They said they also don't know of a practical way to determine whether a Segway user entering a park has sufficient training or experience.
"We've made our position very clear on these Segways in our parks," Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said Friday. "Our primary concern is the safety of all our guests and our cast members. We have a long history of being a leader in creating accessible experiences for our guests with disabilities."
In their lawsuit, Ault, Rhea and Wallace state that they do not own a wheelchair or conventional scooter.
"The biggest thing I keep hearing is it is a dignity thing," said Johnson, the lawyer. "People say, 'I don't want to be put in a wheelchair.' "
