should there be a waiting period for wheelchairs

[Erika]

i really do apologize about that. it wasn't meant to sound like that. i was just trying to use some kind of example. probably shouldnt have used those

I actually think it opened up some important dialogue

 

[Monty]

i really do apologize about that. it wasn't meant to sound like that. i was just trying to use some kind of example. probably shouldnt have used those

Please don't feel the need to apologize. Your complaint is one that's heard often enough. I certainly bear you nor anyone else any ill will.

The problem is simply that many assume they know someone else's situation by merely looking at them in a given situation for a relatively short time. There are so many scenarios that no-one could recogise that are genuine reasons for using an ECV or wheelchair and I tend to get defensive because I happen to suffer from one of them. I only hope you and others can at least take away that not all those you have seen as lazy necessarily are.

Being healthy and able are blessings that can be taken from you in an instant, appreciate your good fortune and think kindly of those whose lives have been changed forever or those whose lives have never been what yours is. Going through life with an unseen disability is something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

 

[abbiedo]

We get dirty looks and nasty comments all the time. No wheelchair either for us.

My 4 year old daughter has severe allergies to LOTS of foods and all nut products. So bad that if she comes in contact with them she could die. Making waiting in line hard because you can eat in line, there is food everywhere in Disney.

At the start of our trip we go to guest services with our medical note from the doctor. Disney gives us a guest service past for the length of stay. I know we ________ people off by using different entrances and going to the front of the line but my child is more important then anything and I have learned not to let the looks and comments bother me.

I must add Disney is wonderful with allergies it is the only place we feel safe taking her on vacation. All cast member sand chefs are very accommodating.

Just remember everyone is at Disney.....enjoy!

 

[WildcatDen]

My 4 year old daughter has severe allergies to LOTS of foods and all nut products. So bad that if she comes in contact with them she could die. Making waiting in line hard because you can eat in line, there is food everywhere in Disney.

Sorry to hear about your daughter. That must make doing a number of activities very difficult.

Let me ask if you would be apposed to having a seperate wait area to ride an attraction. Most rides have the "Holding Pen" where someone can wait while another member of their party rides. Would you be okay waiting there until it was your turn? I would assume Disney could use the lanyard system much like they do for adjusting wait times. A member of your party checks in at the rear of the line and gets a card corresponding to the wait time lanyard. You then head up the the holding area. When that lanyard gets up into the loading area - it is your turn.

 

[PrincessSparrow]

I also feel that it is not always the person in the wheelchair/scooter but the people they bring with them . . . last may my fiance' and i waited 45 mins for a bus at grand floridian and just as it pulled up, a guy on a scooter and 25 (no exaggeration) people he was with hopped on the bus in front of us and another man and his son who waited the full 45 mins as well. it was really aggravating and then as i was standing on the bus, i got to listen to one of the able-bodied people in his party brag to someone that they get to go in line first for everything and how awesome it was.

and do they have any screening process for the scooters? like do you need a medical card showing that your handicapped? i feel like tons of people are just lazy which is not a big deal, but i dont think they should get special priviledges and how many times have i been hit by a scooter! rrrrrr!

 

[fosse76]

For me, the issue is unrelated to the legitimacy of the access pass, more about Disney's procedures. Under the ADA, all business are required to make reasonable efforts to accomodate persons with disabilities. Since many queues are unable to accomodate wheelchairs, or some people can't legitimately stand in a long line, theme parks allow access through the exit. Fair game. However, they are NOT required to grant immediate boarding under any reading of the law. With few exceptions, Disney should allow the disabled person to go through the exit as per usual, except that they can have only ONE additional guest (and again, exceptions can and should be made depending on circumstance). But the rest of the party must go through the queue and only when they are about to board can the disabled person (for lack of a better term) be allowed to board. And that should apply to the busses as well. Now obviously there should be exceptions to this (a single parent with two small children or parties of three and so on). But I think that is a more fair way to implement it.

When I worked at Six Flags, the official policy was the pass was good for 4 people, and that they had to wait a full ride cycle before boarding...especially when the exit line was backed up (for a coaster, a full cycle meant when the current train loading in the station returned).

 

[ErickainPA]

I can see it both ways.

You do pay extra for renting wheelchairs or electric carts at Disney and it's not a week long rental, it's daily. My mom used a cart in 2008 when she went on vacation with us, but that was because we told her to since she had knee replacement a few years ago and is older. We didn't use it as an advantage, my mom would park the cart and then wait in line like the rest of the people. My cousin is wheelchair bound and actually had been one that pushed for Disney to get more wheelchair accessible since many rides were not. Since he really is one that is bound to a chair (paralyzed from the waist down) he would really need to take advantage of the line thing, although in most things in his life he would prefer to be treated like others.

Those that fake and use it to take advantage should be ashamed. If they want to pay extra money to get a few spots closer to the ride they are crazy. I know I was on 1 ride last year that the wheelchair people and party with them had to wait to get on a ride and I actually heard someone in their party complain it wasn't fair.

 

[copcarguyp71]

We get dirty looks and nasty comments all the time. No wheelchair either for us.

My 4 year old daughter has severe allergies to LOTS of foods and all nut products. So bad that if she comes in contact with them she could die. Making waiting in line hard because you can eat in line, there is food everywhere in Disney.

At the start of our trip we go to guest services with our medical note from the doctor. Disney gives us a guest service past for the length of stay. I know we ________ people off by using different entrances and going to the front of the line but my child is more important then anything and I have learned not to let the looks and comments bother me.

I must add Disney is wonderful with allergies it is the only place we feel safe taking her on vacation. All cast member sand chefs are very accommodating.

Just remember everyone is at Disney.....enjoy!

Wow that sounds pretty tough. How do you handle the possibility of residue on the lap bars and rides of peanut oil from others hands?

 

[stlbobby]

The long and the short of it is Disney has chosen to use the honor system for this issue, they are trusting the goodness of people and society as a whole. When they do that they are ripe for abuse, and the system is abused, but the trade off is that trust, friendliness, and consideration for your fellow man become part of the aura and environment of WDW.

That willingness to allow people to abuse the system and smile because you know down the road it all evens out in the end and why spoil today over something so silly is part of the Magic.

This Magic is why I keep coming back.

I will now return to my corner of Neverland with the Care Bears, Barney, and Mister Rodgers and take my deserved deriding for such a Polyanna statement.

 

[DisneyJoe]

it's not a week long rental, it's daily

Off-site rentals will rent to you for your length of stay and will deliver and pick up from your resort and are less expensive than Disney wheelchair and ECV rentals (and the ECV's are much faster)...

 

[wdwms]

Adding my 2 cents here.. as a former guide book author (Walt Disney World Made Simple) I often shared the same complains that are registered in this thread; i visited often and saw and felt the same. That was until we visited WDW last year with my 3 year old son. While not officially diagnosed with a specific disorder, he can not handle loud noises, busy crowds; changing between different settings and situations can easily cause break-downs, tantrums and basically a massive disruption to everyone around us and our vacation. We are working with a child development team, and i won't go into details due to the privacy of my family. So last year we bought us a Drs note and got the Guest Assistance Card (GAC).

First, for those that say "20 people go in w/someone in a wheelchair", thats false. The pass whether it is for a wheelchair or others is limited to 6 people max; in fact when you pick up the GAC they actually ask you how many in your party and how long you will be visiting with them.

Second, our pass was stamped "Alternate Entrance"; and we were expecting there to be a line inside. Every attraction was different, for goofy's barnstormer we went up the exit ramp yet had to wait a few trains before boarding; additionally they took extra care of my son and made sure he was comfortable with it (he love it, move fast is good, but stand still with noise is a no no!). Buzz's Spin guided us through the fast pass entrance. Each attraction was different; and to be honest, we had to wait for most attractions.

Now is this 'cheating'? could my son wait 30-60 minutes for a ride? no. Some children can wait that period of time; my son would have consistently broken down and ruined our vacation and probably ticked off a bunch of other people as well.

People assume because my son is not in a full body cast than there must not be anything wrong with him. Not all ailments are visual as previously discussed in this thread. All I know is that Disney took care of us, we had a magical and wonderful vacation. We will be back there in late Sept to Early Oct. We are still working w/the stimulus issues with him so we will get the GAC.

my 2 cents..

-t

 

[DisneyJoe]

and do they have any screening process for the scooters? like do you need a medical card showing that your handicapped?

I've been physically challenged since birth, and I don't believe anything like that exists - and anyone can get a doctor's note for anything.

As stlbobby stated, Disney uses the honor system and in the long run it works out.

 

[Tooning]

I May be wrong but, I thought some of the line were made so people in wheelchairs had to wait with everybody else(Jungle Ride in Animal Kindom).

When I was there in March I saw lots of people in wheelchairs waiting in the regular lines. Also heard people in line talking about how they used to "Cheat the system" and heard them say oh well I guess you can't do that anymore.

I Think they should have a card system along with the wheelchair. If somebody is sick or injured I have absolutely no problem letting people in front of me. In fact I have let sick kids go in front of me that were waiting in the normal lines.

 

[biggiedisney123]

mind your business

How about everyone just focuses on the people in their own party. Rather than looking for ways that other people are cheating you? This is such a minor issue, I can't believe it comes up on these boards as frequently as it does.

Watch your kids smile, watch the birds, smell the turkey legs in the air.

Live and let live.

Just for the record I don't use ecvs or wheelchairs, I also don't let line jumpers and generally creepy wdw visitors bother me.

 

[DisneyJoe]

I Think they should have a card system along with the wheelchair.

Who creates and administers the card system? How can it be used with personal wheelchairs and ECV's - or those that are rented from outside companies?

Next time you see an ECV in the park, look at the basket or the back of the seat - I bet that over half of them are from Walker Mobility, (888) SCOOTER, an offsite rental company.

 

[Erika]

The long and the short of it is Disney has chosen to use the honor system for this issue, they are trusting the goodness of people and society as a whole. When they do that they are ripe for abuse, and the system is abused, but the trade off is that trust, friendliness, and consideration for your fellow man become part of the aura and environment of WDW.

That willingness to allow people to abuse the system and smile because you know down the road it all evens out in the end and why spoil today over something so silly is part of the Magic.

This Magic is why I keep coming back.

I will now return to my corner of Neverland with the Care Bears, Barney, and Mister Rodgers and take my deserved deriding for such a Polyanna statement.

:sohappy:

 

[Yankee Mouse]

d all the sudden, the person in the chair gets up and switches with someone else who now wants to be pushed for awhile. :shrug: And whether or not you can actually tell if someone is abusing the system or not...we all it is happening.

So, If I got out of the chair to stretch my back and walk a bit, and my wife who was having serious knee problems at the time decided to sit and ride for a while, you would look at us and know we were abusing the system. Or would you make that assumption based on your preconceived notions?

see the problem? You really don't know. I know you said a bunch of teenagers in the chairs. I mean how often do you really see a bunch of kids, unsupervised with a wheelchair switching around? I can't imagine it happens all that often that it ruins your trip. I went three times last year and I never saw that problem once. If it is really that big of a deal than the real issue isn't the wheelchairs, it is the UNSUPERVISED kids and Disney not doing anything about that. IMO a completely different issue.

Maybe if teenager abuse of wheelchairs is rampant you should go to City Hall and make a complaint, instead of lumping all wheelchair users that you think shouldn't be in one with those abusing.

I'm sorry, this might sound mean but when I went in a wheelchair last time we had some fast passes for Peter Pan that we ended up not needing because of the wheelchair. We gave them to a family waiting in line. I hope you weren't that family.

 

[ErickainPA]

I know off-sites will go for the week, but Disney is daily and $40 each day along with a deposit.

 

[cmatt]

not all disability is visible to the naked eye just because someone can walk a couple of feet to get on a ride does not mean they instantaneously stand for long periods of time...

 

[cmatt]

please don't feel the need to apologize. Your complaint is one that's heard often enough. I certainly bear you nor anyone else any ill will.

The problem is simply that many assume they know someone else's situation by merely looking at them in a given situation for a relatively short time. There are so many scenarios that no-one could recogise that are genuine reasons for using an ecv or wheelchair and i tend to get defensive because i happen to suffer from one of them. I only hope you and others can at least take away that not all those you have seen as lazy necessarily are.

Being healthy and able are blessings that can be taken from you in an instant, appreciate your good fortune and think kindly of those whose lives have been changed forever or those whose lives have never been what yours is. Going through life with an unseen disability is something i wouldn't wish on anyone.

qft...