Disney has come under fire through a coalition representing guests with disabilities who plan to visit its Disneyland and Disney World theme parks located in Anaheim, California and Orlando, Florida, respectively.
The entertainment giant announced adjustments to its long-haul handicap access service, which allows disabled consumers who would likely struggle to queue for attractions for long periods of time to plan trips in advance and then wait somewhere else until It’s your turn. Previously, the Disabled Access Service Pass was available to other people with all types of disabilities, including those with reduced mobility. However, starting May 20 at Disney World and June 18 at Disneyland, this provision can only be used by guests with developmental disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder.
This resolution was made through Disney as a reaction to a growing wave of fake disabled visitors, that is, non-disabled visitors who pretend to have a physical condition to take advantage of the service and avoid queues. Such devious habit murmurs have been common among visitors talking about theme parks online in recent years. In addition, raw data shows that the use of the DAS program has skyrocketed since 2019, making it currently the most requested service in Disney parks.
It is highly unlikely that this giant growth is due solely to a new appetite among consumers with disabilities for stopovers at parks. So obviously there are other points at stake. Likewise, it can be presumed that the maintenance of situations such as ASD in the provisions is due to the fact that they constitute the spaces of greatest need, with those affected experiencing real anxiety and misery when waiting in line, which can also have a negative effect. effect on other guests.
However, a coalition of about 140 people outraged by the policy update wrote a letter to Disney’s most sensible executives, including CEO Bob Iger, accusing the company of discriminating against other people living with diseases such as cancer, narcolepsy, Parkinson’s. disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, sclerosis and cerebral palsy. to call a few.
The letter reads:
“Punishing other people with disabilities for the movements of healthy people who abuse formula is not a solution. » Further adding: “These adjustments fail to adequately combat abuse; Other people who abuse the formula will lie. »
Shannon McEvoy is a Florida-based agent who has booked many trips to Disney World for clients with disabilities over the past few years. McEvoy told the San Luis Obispo Tribune that she has, in fact, observed the unfortunate practice of faking disability in recent years.
“Other able-bodied people have come to me and asked how to get a DAS service pass and a guest pass, and they don’t have any specific disabilities,” McEvoy said. “It’s sad that those other people are looking to play with a formula that is close and dear to my heart. “
However, a Disney spokesperson demonstrated that the company is still very committed to ensuring that disabled visitors to the park have a first-class experience.
The company says:
“Disney is committed to providing an exceptional experience for all guests who make a stopover, including those with disabilities, which is why we are so committed to offering a wide variety of state-of-the-art facilities aimed at helping our guests with disabilities have a wonderful time when they call at our theme parks. “
Disney is also under pressure to continue posting detailed data about the park’s accessibility on its online page and to plan to hire more staff to get enhanced education to inform park visitors about accessibility provisions. Those who are eligible for the DAS pass now no longer want to reapply for 120 days out of the last 60.
It will also continue its Rider Switch service, which allows an adult to wait with non-passengers while the other members of the organization do the charming. Once those guests return from the attraction, they transfer to the waiting adult, who can then board the charm without having to queue again.
While the phenomenon of pretending to be disabled unfortunately appears to be very genuine and Disney’s preference to not be fooled is understandable, some aspects of this policy update seem intended to benefit the disabled community. Firstly, this is a more disability-friendly measure, which ignores the wishes of truly disabled customers who have benefited from DAS in the past.
Perhaps even more damaging is that it seeks to categorize and identify blanket regulations about something as highly personalized and nuanced as the wishes of other people with disabilities. While the new policy is in place to mark the start of the summer season, chances are that some of those internet forums that have highlighted counterfeiters are likely to share unhappy stories of dream vacations curtailed through a rights rollback. previous ones, which, at least for some families, helped dreams come true.
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