Class-Action Lawsuit against Disney Parks filed - CORRECTION: not class-action

[A Mickeyfan]

Wow! You must not have a child or family member with a disability. I don't agree with the lawsuit and I am glad wdw has a policy for disabled guests. I do not think that my disabled children's inability to be able to wait in a lengthy line is an issue with the problems in our country. I assure you, what they have had to endure in their short little lives is hardly taking the easy way out. I will gladly wait in lines, heck I would never set foot in wdw again, if I could take away my children's disability.

I think they mean those who are in the law suit not all. At least that is the way I read it.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

With the DAS, the whole party waits a similar time to the Standby line, just not in line.
With your suggestion, the family would never get to be together since there is no way/place for the guest with DAS and one or 2 others to join those who waited in line.
It would also be discriminatory, since people without disabilities are allowed to be together, but those with disabilities are made to wait apart for no reason.

But families with an infant must always do it that way if they choose to go on attractions? Just saying

 

[nugov2]

Nobody is disabled by choice. I guess you think the Make A Wish kids should have to wait in line too. If a special needs kid can only spend 3 hours in the park, why not let him or her ride a bunch of rides? It'll make a big difference to that child and his or her family. The family is making countless sacrifices throughout the year that I cannot even imagine. In the grand scheme of things is it a problem to let them go to the front of the line? Not to me...

I think that is a harsh criticism and to me that is a slippery slope and why and organization like MAW exists(to help the families who need it). Where would you draw the line? Soon everybody can only spend a few hours in the park. I do feel bad for families with extreme needs, but the sad reality for them is that they either have to enjoy what they can for the 3 hrs using a das or they have to decide that WDW isn't a vacation that fits their needs. WDW isn't the only vacation spot in the world, what about families who love Uni/IOA, or other amusement parks...will they be sued next? The truth of the matter is, some families have children with issues that make it too severe for them to travel to such destinations, just like some families don't not have the money to travel to such destinations. Just because you don't believe everyone should be granted FOTL because they have certain difficulties in their day to day life doesn't mean you cannot feel for what they are going through or disagree with families enjoying what MAW offers.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Just thinking, what would happen if all the war veteran who suffer from PTSD, who have panic attacks due to the flash backs from war at the sound of fireworks, sued to halt and ban all fireworks??? If this lawsuit goes through and these parents win, there will be others to follow

 

[jcb]

Just thinking, what would happen if all the war veteran who suffer from PTSD, who have panic attacks due to the flash backs from war at the sound of fireworks, sued to halt and ban all fireworks??? If this lawsuit goes through and these parents win, there will be others to follow

Reductio ad absurdum doesn't really work in the ADA context where the basic criteria is reasonableness.

 

[aaarcher86]

I'd have zero issues letting a few disabled children and their families going ahead of me and waiting a few extra minutes... But it isn't a few. It's really simple math. Even when autism was 1/88 the amount of GACs for that alone was huge. Now it's possibly 1/68. Toss in the other disabilities that receive a GAC. How much time do you think is reasonable for me to add to my wait each day under the pretense of 'understanding and kindness' since we've all paid the same amount to be there?

Just thinking, what would happen if all the war veteran who suffer from PTSD, who have panic attacks due to the flash backs from war at the sound of fireworks, sued to halt and ban all fireworks??? If this lawsuit goes through and these parents win, there will be others to follow

I really don't think we have to worry about that!

 

[Aladora]

Nobody is disabled by choice. I guess you think the Make A Wish kids should have to wait in line too. If a special needs kid can only spend 3 hours in the park, why not let him or her ride a bunch of rides? It'll make a big difference to that child and his or her family. The family is making countless sacrifices throughout the year that I cannot even imagine. In the grand scheme of things is it a problem to let them go to the front of the line? Not to me...

I'm going to completely ignore your MAW comment because I'm pretty sure everyone here knows how ridiculous it is. At one point in the MANY posts here on the disABILITIES board we gave up adding the phrase "Of course I am not talking about MAW kids, of course hey should get FOTL access" because we felt that here, in a forum dedicated to talking about people with disabilities, we could all agree that MAW kids need to be dealt with differently.

So, I post the rest with the blanket statement that it does not apply to Make A Wish kids. In my opinion, those kids and their families deserve to be lead through whatever park they pick by Mickey himself and taken to the front of every single line they want.

You are right, no one is disabled by choice but going to DL or WDW *is* a choice and it is not up to a corporation like Disney to make sure that everyone gets to ride the same amount of rides, no matter how long they are there. Our last trip to DL my husband and son both got sick and we missed about a half of our time in the parks. Should I be able to get a pass to make up for that? Can I sue Disney because I lost out on all the rides we missed? Of course not. It is not Disney nor anyone else's responsibility to make sure I get what I perceive as value for the money I spent.

It is my personal responsibility to decide whether or not it is good value for my money to go and whether or not my family will enjoy it. It is not up to Disney to make my few days there extra special to make up for the challenges we face at home. It is not up to Disney to make sure that my child does not have a meltdown. It is not up to Disney to figure out how to keep my child occupied while we wait. All of that is up to me and my husband and to my son. Disney does not owe me anything, it is our job to either make Disney work for us or pick a new vacation spot.

Disney has provided the public with the ability to access the park, no matter what. It is up to us to either enjoy the park or not. If our situation means that it is too difficult for us to enjoy it, then we do not go. End of story.

And there it is. We all know the law, and if we don t we can go read it. But all the law does is set the minimum standard that must be met in terms of access and equality. So now people take it upon themselves to tie Disney to a whipping post for exceeding the minimum requirement. Heaven forbid that the vacation kingdom of the world go beyond the letter if the law in an effort to put smiles on the faces of some families that know too few. Sorry if that costs you 30 extra seconds in line at Peter Pan. Perspective people. Perspective.

Sure, one family is "only 30 seconds" more. Now, go ahead an multiply that by the thousands of families using the GAC. It was estimated that at Disneyland there were upwards of 3,000 GAC cards issued, many of them for the maximum of 6. That means that up to 18,000 people were using the GAC benefits PER DAY. RSR GAC kiosk was checking in up to 4,000 GAC users per day and for a ride that can accommodate 20,000 people, having 1/5 of that number using the GAC as a FP absolutely impacts the experience of the rest of the general public.

Not that I should have to give my credentials but I am quite comfortable saying this because I have a special needs child and we have successfully navigated Disneyland using both the GAC and the DAS. Yes, the GAC was essentially an anytime Fastpass and the DAS is not but the new system gives equal not preferential access to everyone instead of how it was before.

The GAC as it was administered was just not sustainable. The DAS might not be a perfect system for EVERYONE but it is miles closer than the GAC was.

 

[davedmaine]

Because there are too many special needs guests in the park to make that feasible. That is part of the reason they did away with the GAC.

That actually had nothing to do with the change and I hope you realize how ridiculous that sounds.

 

[davedmaine]

So, I post the rest with the blanket statement that it does not apply to Make A Wish kids. In my opinion, those kids and their families deserve to be lead through whatever park they pick by Mickey himself and taken to the front of every single line they want. QUOTE]

So not the other terminally ill kids who aren't MAW kids? You're practicing politically correct hypocrisy..

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I had to laugh on count 4 in the suit. Breach of contract because Disney didn't provide a pleasurable experience ! Really I've had numerous unpleasant trips both with my children when they were young and healthy having a meltdown as well as now with my low vision. Getting cought in a tornado warning on the monorail, getting my heel banged into to the point of blood, too many things to even state all. I too live close enough to go often, does that mean I should sue?

 

[discruise100]

a lot of people are very angry because disney overreacted when people abused the system and made handicapped people pay for a few that abused the system you will always get that everywhere i have never posted before
and had to sign up just to post i have read these posts for many years and never commented but this hatred of people with disabilities is unfounded who cares if people with disabilities go on ahead of you

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

That actually had nothing to do with the change and I hope you realize how ridiculous that sounds.

Actually it did have something to do with the change. 1 in 68 kids has autism now according to a new report. Add in the number of people with other disabilities and the number of GAC's being issued becomes significant. Disney even said they were issuing so many GAC's that it had become unsustainable.

 

[smitch425]

So not the other terminally ill kids who aren't MAW kids? You're practicing politically correct hypocrisy..

But how are they to know which kids are and which are not? MAW provides a basis of proof of illness. It was stated by Disney that abuse and exploitation was the reason the GAC had to be discontinued. Since the law prohibits Disney from asking for proof of disability (which I personally find ridiculous), there is no way for them to know if a child is terminally ill. Parents lie. They lie and say their three year old is two. They lie and say their 10 year old is 9. There is nothing keeping them from lying and saying their child is dying. At least with DAS, you can lie but still have to wait the same length of time (or close to it) as everyone else. It won't stop everyone from lying, but it sure helps.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

a lot of people are very angry because disney overreacted when people abused the system and made handicapped people pay for a few that abused the system you will always get that everywhere i have never posted before
and had to sign up just to post i have read these posts for many years and never commented but this hatred of people with disabilities is unfounded who cares if people with disabilities go on ahead of you

If you read these posts carefully you will see they are all posts from people who have a disability or a child with one. Disney is still accommodating, just not giving immediate front of the line. Please retread these posts before you pass judgement on any of them.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Actually it did have something to do with the change. 1 in 68 kids has autism now according to a new report. Add in the number of people with other disabilities and the number of GAC's being issued becomes significant. Disney even said they were issuing so many GAC's that it had become unsustainable.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

As of now those with a DAS that was obtained with needs for a child with Autism they are getting the fastpass +, the ability to use the DAS, and return tickets for 2 - 6 rides depending on the CM/situation. Many stories state that CM's have given the return ticket back to families to use again.

This is already an excess than what is required of Disney.

My concern is this. This suit may draw Disney's hand. They may choose to ride it through to the end. (I totally do not think this is negative news for Disney as there are more than 16 families who will go and state how they benefit from the DAS).

So if they ride it to the end and Disney is done with all the complainers, they may just go to the least amount of requirements. DAS may be eliminated as it may be deemed more than what is required. At that point those who used it and supported it will lose out because of those who felt entitled to FOTL access.

Sad but true. To be honest if I was Disney I would be stripping it down to the bare minimal now. Meeting needs at the lowest level. No one can say anyone is getting more and they are compliant.

The few are not anymore important than the masses. Just not reasonable in my honest opinion.

 

[tinkerpea]

If you read these posts carefully you will see they are all posts from people who have a disability or a child with one. Disney is still accommodating, just not giving immediate front of the line. Please retread these posts before you pass judgement on any of them.

Actually I don't agree I have read the posts and not all of the people have a child or themselves have a disability,

 

[smitch425]

As of now those with a DAS that was obtained with needs for a child with Autism they are getting the fastpass +, the ability to use the DAS, and return tickets for 2 - 6 rides depending on the CM/situation. Many stories state that CM's have given the return ticket back to families to use again.

This is already an excess than what is required of Disney.

My concern is this. This suit may draw Disney's hand. They may choose to ride it through to the end. (I totally do not think this is negative news for Disney as there are more than 16 families who will go and state how they benefit from the DAS).

So if they ride it to the end and Disney is done with all the complainers, they may just go to the least amount of requirements. DAS may be eliminated as it may be deemed more than what is required. At that point those who used it and supported it will lose out because of those who felt entitled to FOTL access.

Sad but true. To be honest if I was Disney I would be stripping it down to the bare minimal now. Meeting needs at the lowest level. No one can say anyone is getting more and they are compliant.

The few are not anymore important than the masses. Just not reasonable in my honest opinion.

I really want this lawsuit to go all the way and for Disney to win. Settling out of court will just encourage others to sue. Disney should stand firm to let people know they can't be pushed around. They have done nothing wrong.

 

[Allison]

That actually had nothing to do with the change and I hope you realize how ridiculous that sounds.

It is not ridiculous, it is true.

 

[aaarcher86]

a lot of people are very angry because disney overreacted when people abused the system and made handicapped people pay for a few that abused the system you will always get that everywhere i have never posted before and had to sign up just to post i have read these posts for many years and never commented but this hatred of people with disabilities is unfounded who cares if people with disabilities go on ahead of you

Thinking Disney implemented a park wide system change as a knee jerk reaction is ridiculous.