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Changes that Disney made to a popular program that lets qualifying\u00a0disabled people\u00a0skip long lines at its California and Florida\u00a0theme parks\u00a0are too restrictive, disabled fans contend in a federal lawsuit and shareholder proposal that seek to expand eligibility.<\/p>\n
The battle over who can skip long lines on popular rides because of their disabilities marks the latest struggle by Disney to accommodate disabled visitors while cracking down on past abuses. But some Disney fans say\u00a0the company\u00a0has gone too far and has no right to determine who is disabled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t right. This isn\u2019t what Walt and Roy would have wanted,\u201d said Shannon Bonadurer, referring to\u00a0the Disney brothers\u00a0who founded the entertainment empire. Despite being unable to wait for long periods of time in the heat because she uses an ileostomy bag, Bonadurer was denied a pass for the disability program.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Disney said it was committed to providing a great experience to all visitors, particularly those with disabilities who may require special accommodations.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look at changes to Disney parks\u2019 policies for disabled visitors.<\/p>\n
The Disability Access Service, or DAS, program allows pass-holders and their immediate family members to make an online reservation for a ride while in the park and then get into an expedited line that typically takes about 10 minutes when it\u2019s their time to go on the ride. DAS guests never have to wait in normal standby lines, which on the most popular attractions can be two hours or more.<\/p>\n
The DAS program started in 2013\u00a0in response\u00a0to past abuses by disabled \u201ctour guides\u201d who charged money, sometimes hundreds of dollars, to accompany able-bodied guests, enabling such guests to go to the front of lines. Disney says the DAS program needed changing because it had grown fourfold. Before last year\u2019s changes, the percentage of guests having DAS passes jumped from around 5% to 20% over the past dozen years \u201cand showed no signs of slowing,\u201d the company said in court papers.<\/p>\n
Disney parks make other accommodations for disabled visitors, including maps in Braille, a device that helps transfer visitors from wheelchairs to ride seats, quiet break locations and American Sign Language interpreters for some live shows. The parks permit some service animals on rides and allow some disabled guests to leave a line and rejoin their party before boarding a ride.<\/p>\n
Disney narrowed the scope from people with a wider range of disabilities to mostly guests who \u201cdue to a developmental disability such as autism or similar\u201d have difficulties waiting in a long line. Under the changes, guests seeking a DAS pass must be interviewed via video chat by a Disney worker and a contracted medical professional who determine if the person is eligible. Visitors found to have lied can be barred from the parks.<\/p>\n
Some people with disabilities who have been denied say the new policy is too restrictive. Not only was Bonadurer denied a pass, but so was her 25-year-old son, who is blind and has cerebral palsy\u00a0and autism.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are making a determination about whether you\u2019re disabled enough,\u201d said Bonadurer, a professional travel adviser from Michigan. \u201cI would love to wait in line with everyone else, and so would my son, since that would mean he has a normal life. But we don\u2019t, and unfortunately for us, we need adaptations to how we wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
Disney says the Americans with Disabilities Act doesn\u2019t require equal treatment of people with varying disabilities. The company accommodates those visitors who don\u2019t meet the new DAS criteria with alternatives, Disney said in court filings responding to a federal lawsuit in California.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, in a crowded movie theater, a person using a wheelchair may be entitled to priority seating even if they arrive shortly before the movie starts, while a deaf person may only be entitled to a seat with closed captioning,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n
At Disney\u2019s main theme park rival, Universal, disabled visitors can get shorter lines if they have a card issued by an international board that certifies venues for their accessibility.<\/p>\n
A shareholder proposal submitted on behalf of DAS Defenders, an advocacy group of Disney fans opposed to the DAS changes, calls on the company next year to commission an independent review of its disability policies and publicly release the findings. The shareholder proposal claims the change to the DAS program has contributed to lower park attendance.<\/p>\n
Disney\u2019s attorneys told the Securities and Exchange Commission in a November letter that it intends to block the proposal ahead of the company\u2019s 2026 shareholder meeting, saying it was false and misleading about the reasons for an attendance decline, which the company attributed to hurricanes. The company also argued the shareholder proposal amounts to micromanaging day-to-day operations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#isnt #Walt #Roy #wanted #Disney #fans #disabilities #sue #ride #restrictions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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