Last week it was all speculation, but today Disney announced it’s new policy for guests with disabilities, which essentially looks like the Fast Pass, but with a return time based on the actual wait time for the ride.
This is Disney’s response to people without disabilities gaming the system, but what it really does is penalize those with a disability.
What Disney doesn’t seem to understand is that my daughter probably won’t be able to come back in 2 hours (or whatever) for our allotted time. Due to severe medical issues we have to approach everything “in the moment.” In a couple of hours at our allotted time, my daughter may be in severe pain, or may be too overwhelmed by the trip and need to rest back in the room. Our day at Disney is already much shorter than average because my daughter doesn’t have the endurance that she would without her disabilities.
And what about getting around to get your passes? Getting from attraction to attraction to get our passes with a wheelchair really takes a lot of time and energy, eating up the precious few hours that my daughter has in her to enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth.
I realize that the ADA has tied Disney’s hands – they can’t request a doctor’s note or make a judgement on qualifies as a disability, but there has to be a better way.
The change takes effect Oct. 9. Disney officials said more details will be released after park employees are briefed on the new rules, hopefully some of the details give more options for families with special needs kids.
Color this Special Needs Travel Mom disappointed.
Here is the full story from my friend Barb Likos at TravelingMom.com.
10 Comments
This new guest assistant card program is awful, we have just returned from disney. Not only did we returned when the wait time was over we still had to wait another 35 min……we would have been better staying on the standby line for the whole time……
This is awful. They have to change this. Not happy with disney.
The policy hasn’t changed, and it was horrible when we went on January 1, 2015. Believe me, we will be complaining as much as we can as long as this policy is in place.
Disneyworld was the one thing our family could function as normal as possible. This new system took it all away. Our son has to do as much as possible in shortest amount of time possible. He tires easily and is easily agitated. Not to mention, under great stress could trigger a seizure. We used to be able to do do all the rides he loved quickly then head back to room to rest until the next round. Now we have to pick one ride to get a return time and then walk around waiting for the time to arrive and can’t use the pass but for one ride at a time! This system drags out our day and limits our ability to ride. It’s hard to explain to my child that he can’t ride pirates of the Caribbean for another hour while he’s standing right in front of it. This new system just sucks and I can’t believe my beloved disney did this to my family and to so many more in the same situation.
I just came back from Disney and was there the day before with the previous Guest Assistance Card. My nephew is on the Autism Spectrum and truly enjoyed the rides we were able to go on and the fact that we did not have 1/2 hour or more wait times made all of the difference in the whole family’s enjoyment. The next day, the new policy started. The employees handling the ride lines were not well versed and basically the new Disability Assistance Card acts like a fastpass. You go to the ride and get a time to come back. It was poorly handled and awful. How do you explain to a child who has transition issues that you cannot go on the ride but must come back at a certain time. It was a struggle and, in my opinon, a very poorly constructed policy. Additionally, the Disney employee who set up the pass informed me she had a teaching degree so she understood Autism. I asked her how that qualified her to know about Autism? Did she specialize in special education?? It was very insulting. Shame on Disney for not putting more thought into their program.
I wonder how the MakeA Wish program feels about this? Please reconsider and give these children and their families the best gift of all….time!
Thanks a million! Kristi
I know Kristi, it’s just such a loss for these kids! Hopefully Disney will reconsider.
From the original article:
Will Guests on wish trips also use Disability Access Service Cards?
No. Guests who are visiting through wish-granting organizations will have access through a separate program.
That’s really great – but what about kids not visiting through Make a Wish?
I am so sad to see this. It is so frustrating to see that the people who are cheating the system have ruined it for those who really need the services. I would hope that Disney would re-consider, this is a horrible solution.
I know a lot of people are writing, hopefully it reaches the ears of those that make decisions.