Wheelchair Abuse

[Robfasto]

Just because they are big doesn't mean they are in chair because they don't want to walk!

I agree that there health problems may be due to there weight.
I also think that they might not have the engry to walk the whole park.


*** Note: I'm not passing judgment, I'm a little cubby my self. I have never rented a chair. I always walk the park, I love to walk! I just get mad when people put down "big people". ***

For my wife it is a catch 22...

IF she could stand to do some walking to help with her weight and other health issues...

Having had 2 knee operations she can't stand much...

Then you go to the doctor and they say you are overweight and the extra weight is causing health issues, then turn around in the next breath and say you need to stay off your feet to because of your bad knee...

 

[Pioneer Hall]

It's been a few pages since I posted the following, but as new readers are harping on about what a disgrace it is for people faking wheelchair use and jumping the lines:

Disney does not let wheelchair users jump the queue at most attractions.

Anyone who wants to blindly continue to moan the the above still happens, I can't help. Those who want to know what it's likes to tour the parks with a wheelchair read this: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=42507

I wanted to see if that was brought up. Disney uses a card system in order to determine who can and cannot get priority in lines. They are also very strict about this procedure. Not just anyone can get a card for the lines. It is also a very tiered system, and one card will not allow line jumping for everyone. Only those who desperately need it are offered this.

 

[barnum42]

I wanted to see if that was brought up. Disney uses a card system in order to determine who can and cannot get priority in lines. They are also very strict about this procedure. Not just anyone can get a card for the lines. It is also a very tiered system, and one card will not allow line jumping for everyone. Only those who desperately need it are offered this.

It has indeed been mentioned in the depths of this very long post (and I don't blame you for not wading through to find it) that a special card is available upon presentation of written proof that a person is unable to wait in long lines.

I've just been posting the large size text every so often as there is this continuing myth that any monkey and his uncle can sit in a wheelchair and be allowed to jump to the front of all the queues, which is not the case.

 

[imagineer99]

PWNED!

Thanks, Barnum. I'm sick of threads like this with people spouting continously what they "think" to be fact without any actual knowledge of the situation.

 

[disneycouple]

Hey I hear ya! It hasn't always been that way, but in my last 2 visits it has seemed to get pretty crazy. It's like when you go to a mall at Christmas time and circle the parking lot for hours and you someone pull their handicapped hangtag out of their glove compartment and park right in front. Now they could have some handicap that you can't see with the naked eye, but when they walk like there is nothing wrong with them! AAARGH!!! And while your on this rant I'd like to comment about every overweight person riding around in those scooters! It's one thing for an elderly person to but when you have a family of four all riding around and they jump right to the front of the line. Can you say LAZY!

but also like you said some people dont look sick but they are.My mom only has the use of one lung but looks fine.When we go places though she cant walk very far before she is tired. so we cant judge just by how they look.

 

[TiggersPooh]

thats why whenever i work at a greeter postion i ask to see the GAC (guest assitant card) if they dont have the card...they wait in the line. Usually I get yelled at by them but its the rules...i enforce them

Dont get me starte don the ECVs...if one more runs me over i swear...grrrr

my favorite is the "big boy" wheelchairs...they dont fir into the buzz wheelchair cars...and when u ask if they can transfer into a regualr car...u get the look of death.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

It has indeed been mentioned in the depths of this very long post (and I don't blame you for not wading through to find it) that a special card is available upon presentation of written proof that a person is unable to wait in long lines.

.

Im unable to wait in long lines.

Do you think being a selfish impatient B'St@*d would qualify me for a card :drevil:

 

[LUV4Goofy]

thats why whenever i work at a greeter postion i ask to see the GAC (guest assitant card) if they dont have the card...they wait in the line. Usually I get yelled at by them but its the rules...i enforce them

Dont get me starte don the ECVs...if one more runs me over i swear...grrrr

my favorite is the "big boy" wheelchairs...they dont fir into the buzz wheelchair cars...and when u ask if they can transfer into a regualr car...u get the look of death.

When I was there last month and got hurt and had to use the chairs/scooters, I ALWAYS had to show my "card" to the greeter on all of the rides. The cards also only let you have no more than 6 people on your party accompany you. No Card=No Getting on the Ride Faster. Just like the world of any kind of business, some people do their jobs the right way and some don't. That's why there is wheelchair abuse going on in the parks.........some of the CM's are asking for the card (which they did every time in my case) and some don't.

 

[TiggersPooh]

i feel bad many times because i always get the "why didnt anyone tell us when we entered the park?!?!?!" or they tell me they have gone all day without problems...until now muahahaha

Greeter can be scary at times...esp during EMH..."WHAT WRISTBAND?!?!?!" then they curse me out like its my fault...grrr

 

[shoppingnut]

Dont get me starte don the ECVs...if one more runs me over i swear...grrrr

I totally agree with that statement. I think that they shouldn't rent those at all because people don't know how to use them. Last time we were down some woman in the Emporium lost control of it and it was going backwards, she ran over my friends foot and the only thing that stopped her was the fact that she ran right into the cash register. Thank goodness my friend wasn't hurt, just a bit black and blue, but could you imagine if anyone was standing by the register or in the path, especially a child who would have been quite seriously hurt by it. Those things are down right dangerous. People who really need them, I have noticed usually rent them from a local place in Orlando and not the parks or bring their own. I think many people who rent them in the parks probably decided that hey instead of a push chair, why don't I try out the motorized one, not knowing how to operate them properly.

 

[pinkrose]

I totally agree with that statement. I think that they shouldn't rent those at all because people don't know how to use them. Last time we were down some woman in the Emporium lost control of it and it was going backwards, she ran over my friends foot and the only thing that stopped her was the fact that she ran right into the cash register. Thank goodness my friend wasn't hurt, just a bit black and blue, but could you imagine if anyone was standing by the register or in the path, especially a child who would have been quite seriously hurt by it. Those things are down right dangerous. People who really need them, I have noticed usually rent them from a local place in Orlando and not the parks or bring their own. I think many people who rent them in the parks probably decided that hey instead of a push chair, why don't I try out the motorized one, not knowing how to operate them properly.

When we were there in Feb., we saw two people in ECV's run smack into each other.

 

[angelfaerie52]

Wheelchairs.

I don't think you should judge anyone on a chair. The CMs encourage wheelchair use if it will make you have a better time...

During my trip in May, I hurt my feet pretty badly. They, along with my legs, swelled up. I was in severe pain and was covered in blisters. The nurse at the Studios told me to rent a wheelchair or risk further injury. I walked a bit more, but ultimately took her advice. My feet are still messed up now and get hurt easily. I am glad I did not push them.

We didn't get the special pass that some families have because we didn't need it. We didn't mind waiting in our line. The one issue we had was that we weren't allowed fast passes on certain rides because of the queue... But if we complained, we were given one to go in the special handicapped I have a note line, which I thought was fair. The CMs were nice and on most of the rides, we didn't get bumped to the front. On Space Mountain, we were given a return pass for how long the queue was. The only rides we got bumped up on were Big Thunder Mountain and Peter Pan... so there ya go. If someone gets sore feet, they should be able to use a chair. If it's just pain like that, Town Hall won't give them a pass.

 

[wdwishes2005]

When we were there in Feb., we saw two people in ECV's run smack into each other.

lol...

by the way, thanx for clearing that up barnum.

 

[zone15int]

. On Space Mountain, we were given a return pass for how long the queue was. .

Most of the time when I offer one of those passes, guests get irate with me about it. They say "I WANNA RIDE NOWWWW!!" Thats the only solution at SM, because the standby line is not accessible, nor do they have a fastpass or a gac card with the proper stamp. Those cards are a better bet than they think. If they have a return pass, they can use their tickets in a FP kiosk at another attraction. You can return in the amount of time in the standby line instead of (possibly) 4 hours later from the FP tickets.

 

[zone15int]

I ALWAYS had to show my "card" to the greeter on all of the rides. The cards also only let you have no more than 6 people on your party accompany you.

Most recently during the christmas '04 season, we were told by our "management" to be lenient with the amount of people included with the card holder. They said we don't want to split up groups during their holiday. Alas, we are getting groups of twenty bogging up Buzz unload and wheelchair cage at Space Mt. Also, city hall seems to be writing out the cards with more than 6 with cardholder on it as well.

It is also making me a "face" for a guest complaint on why people are "cutting" in front of them. They don't understand though.

 

[zone15int]

thats why whenever i work at a greeter postion i ask to see the GAC (guest assitant card) if they dont have the card...they wait in the line. Usually I get yelled at by them but its the rules...i enforce them

Dont get me starte don the ECVs...if one more runs me over i swear...grrrr
.

I enforce rules all the time. I am a real rule B***ard. I rarely bend unless it's warranted. On the ECVs , I wish they would stop renting them to people who are inexperienced. It's a total safety hazard. I liken it to Disney allowing the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway to run with out those metal lane things that keep the car en route.Although it doesn't stop people from ramming each other.

 

[mrtoad]

Most recently during the christmas '04 season, we were told by our "management" to be lenient with the amount of people included with the card holder. They said we don't want to split up groups during their holiday. Alas, we are getting groups of twenty bogging up Buzz unload and wheelchair cage at Space Mt. Also, city hall seems to be writing out the cards with more than 6 with cardholder on it as well.

It is also making me a "face" for a guest complaint on why people are "cutting" in front of them. They don't understand though.

I think the card should include the rest of the person's party, be it 6, 7, 8, etc. But should be put on up front. If I had a family 8 and one of my kids was in a wheelchair I would hope that we could all ride together. Sure you can't all ride in the same car for everything but what is Disney to do, say ok you 6 can ride now the other 2 go on line and we wish you a whole lot of luck meeting up together later. That would not be fair.

 

[barnum42]

If I had a family 8 and one of my kids was in a wheelchair I would hope that we could all ride together.

Any so you would after waiting in the same queue as all the other guests - as I have repeated on numerous occasions - simply being in a wheelchair is not a licence in itself to queue jump. It's only if someone has issues beyond a simple inability to stand for any period that a guest assistance card is issued, though you may be split up if going to a wheelchair viewing area for a parade, as they are few and far between and do not have room for many chairs.

 

[tje]

If you saw me on a 'good' day you probably couldn't tell that I've had 2 total hip replacements (and I'm under 45 yrs. old). I made it through day 1 @ WDW, but after that I needed the wheelchair. My family and I waited in line with everyone else and the only time we were 'pulled' from the line was to get to an area where it would be easiest for me to get on the ride and not hold up those in line behind us.

 

[shoppingnut]

Because Universal and IOA were built later on, this is the one thing they have no problem with because all their lines were built according to ADA guidelines. I have a friend of works at Universal and they get complaints all the time from guests because they have to wait in line with everyone else because the queue's were designed to accommodate wheelchairs. What most people don't realize is that the whole point of the ADA was to have them treated like everyone else. They tell her, well we don't have to do that at Disney and there response is this isn't Disney and our lines are ADA compatable. Universal is very restrictive when they hand out the cards for the line jump, it's usually someone severely handicapped.