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| Alias 0591 on Flickr |
so. In at least two cases, the Commission
found that Disney engaged in “unlawful public accommodation practices.” The Commission’s rulings resulted from
complaints that Disney’s Disability Access Service Card (DAS) did not offer reasonable accommodations to those with disabilities.
requested a DAS and a wheelchair. In response to this request, she encountered a number of problems including:
- 45 minute wait to get a DAS
- Wheelchair was never provided
- DAS did not apply to some attractions
- DAS allows only one time stamp, so long periods of waiting
exacerbated son’s condition
waiting periods for her son leading to meltdowns.
any applicable laws, codes or regulations or that it discriminated against any complainant. Disney stated it “has
gone to great lengths to provide service to its disable guests and prides
itself on its accessibility through its facilities.”
While an accommodation was offered, it was a blanket
accommodation that did not take into account the nuances between various
disabilities or the fact that Complainant’s son’s disability required more
assistance than other cognitive disabilities.
The accommodations offered would not allow him to enjoy the park as it
was intended to be enjoyed by all other patrons. In addition, there was no effort by Respondent
to determine a suitable accommodation for her son which would allow him to
fully enjoy the park.
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| Anna Fox on Flickr |
The DAS Card is designed to accommodate guests who aren’t able to wait in a conventional queue environment due to a disability (including non-apparent disabilities). A Disability Access Service Card will be issued at Guest Relations main entrance locations and will offer guests a return time for attractions based on the current wait time. As soon as the Guest finishes one attraction, they can receive a return time for another.
pending in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida,
according to Disability
Scoop. Families in these cases claim
Disney violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by not providing
appropriate accommodations for their children with autism and other
disabilities.
Interesting. The problem is apparently not isolated to just one or two cases. I guess the courts will decide!
Hi Sylvia, Yes it is hard to say. I read some posts by people with a family member who is disabled and they were very positive about their experiences at Disney. This past week a disability group posted a question on Facebook about people's experiences at Euro Disney, so it will be interesting to see if anything comes from that.
How interesting! I would be interested to see the findings from Euro Disney too
I think there was something on Mumsnet or BritMums -they were asking families about their experiences at Euro Disney – not sure of any findings yet, but agree it would be interesting. Thanks for stopping by!
Gosh — what an interesting and informative article! Thanks for sharing. It seems as though this isn't a one off incident and I wonder how many people who haven't even complained have had similar experiences? I guess we'll never know. Thanks so much for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday — please could you pop our badge on the end of your post, next time you link up? x
Caro | http://www.thetwinklediaries.co.uk
Hi Caro, Thanks for the lovely comments. I tried to add the badge both to my blog page and to the post, but was unable to. I meant to comment about it, but completely forgot. I'll look at the code again and see what happens.