IOA and customer service/handicapped access

[nancycels]

We were at IOA last week. I have to say we were very disappointed w/the park! While it says wheelchair accessible on a lot of the rides, most are NOT ECV accessible!! DUH! Supposedly they have a regular wheelchr to transfer to...NOT! Plus employees did not mention this little tidbit of info before we got on! Almost got killed by freaked out kids in Posiedan and employees directed me to enter on a side that meant i had to back out in my ecv!(This was after I had been hit by two kids w/umbrellas who were scared and jumped over the metal rails right onto my knees!) Plus when my husband indicated to the employee in charge that i needed assistance, he said " I know" and just stood there as I was run over by hoards trying to escape poseidan! FInally I managed to lift my ecv to turn it around, in the process I killed my back which already has 4 bad disks! Then when we complained, they gave us a pass to watch the fireworks from the handicapped area. We got to the fireworks and Universal was having an employee party in the handicapped area! Also the carousel operator told me i could not wait in the front of the line for the next seat on the carousel i'd just have to get in the BACK OF THIS LINE I'D ALREADY WAITED IN AND TAKE MY CHANCES! Then there was the hour we had to wait in line to get an ECV... and the trash guy who almost tipped me over he hit my ecv and me so hard with his trash dumpster!! TO MAKE IT SHORT, we will never go back to this park! I have never been treated so badly in such a short amount of time in my life!

 

[fboy9287]

sorry you had such a bad time at the park. My brother is disabled and he loved this park.

 

[CoasterFEV]

The three viewing areas for disabled guests are in Port of Entry, Marvel Superhero Island, and Seuss Landing.

There have been no employee parties nor employee events yet this summer, in fact the first one isn't until August 14th when we go back down to the 8pm close. We never host employee events during peak season - due to the longer operating hours.

 

[Earl]

It was unfortunate that you did not enjoy your visit. I would like to explain the need to transfer to a standard wheel chair. For the rides where the chair actually goes on the ride, it is impossible to to configure a restraint system that can safely handle every type of ECV. Traditionally, the ECV is desgined for ride comfort and ease of getting on and off. They have a very high center of gravity and narrow wheel base.

The rides that actually take the chair on the ride vehicle as fully compliant with the federal standards for wheel chairs. The government actually states the standards for height, width, etc., of the chair. Even then, wheelchairs are available in various configurations and not all will fit. Universal is unique in the industry as to the number of attractions that can actually carry a wheelchair on board a ride vehicle. The restraint systems are very complex to see that those guests can experience the attractions the same as others do.

Just as information, Universal employees are not allowed to assist in the physical transfer to and from a wheelchair. It is a liability issue as the employees can not possibly be understand every persons physical limitations in handling the person. A family member or other person traveling with the guest must make the transfer.

 

[nancycels]

ecv problems were not a result of problems transferring to another chair, the problem was there was no wheelchair to transfer to for the 'ride' which in actuality is one that you 'walk' or 'roll' thru, it doesn't require any loading etc! if they had designed this w/about an extra 2" in the lines, it would have been fine, also if they had employees who bothered to direct you as to which way you would be exiting... they were too busy standing around chatting.

As to the there not being any parties, let me tell u, there WAS one last friday the 13th, i saw the bar, food etc. and the roped off area which was where all universal employees who numbered >5 directed us to as the handicapped viewing area. Universal Security Personnel were the ones that told us it was a party for Univ. personel.

I don't require anyone to transfer me, i just need wheels to get around the park, short distances are not a problem(or weren't...before that kid landed on my knees!) I am not the first person I know who has had major problems with access at these parks... believe me, if i'd known it was going to be like that, I certainly would have gone to disney!

THEIR BIGGEST PROBLEMs are lack of signage, or personel to direct you correctly. AND ECV's that lack horns or lights~! Posiden was DANGEROUS to anyone in an ECV and should have been labelled as such. THEIR other BIG PROBLEM was RUDE personnel! We ran into two reasonable employees, but that was after the damage was done!

I don't go to the parks to be miserable believe me~~! I had no problems at Sea World or Disney for 9 days~it was only when i got to IOA that i ran into problems~!

 

[EpcotBill]

I'm sorry you had these problems. My daughter requires a wheelchair to tour the theme parks. We have noticed over the past 2 years Universal's treatment of guests using wheelchairs has deteriorated. They used to be better at handling these guests special needs then Disney. Then something happened about the time IOA opened. I won't get into any specific problems we had, but there were problems. I hope things improve before our next trip.

 

[EUROPA]

Originally posted by nancycels

THEIR BIGGEST PROBLEMs are lack of signage, or personel to direct you correctly. AND ECV's that lack horns or lights~! Posiden was DANGEROUS to anyone in an ECV and should have been labelled as such. THEIR other BIG PROBLEM was RUDE personnel! We ran into two reasonable employees, but that was after the damage was done!

We had a great time when we wend to IOA and USF last Dec however,
We also have a big problem with the way lines and queues are handled at the parks. Often you are sent into a never ending maze to find your own way with little or no signs and often in the dark. How about some of the Express lines? "UP the exit" ? You have got to be kidding me! We often were stuck going through the maze(I felt like a mouse) while other people were jumping over the rails. In some of the shows you are shoved into a big room for 10-15 minutes full of people with no idea what is going to happen. (Twister,Terminator) .

Of course these are only problems the first time around. But there should be intermidete help within the queues to direct guest or help with problems. (read kids or adults who are still kids)

 

[UrbanMoon]

When UIoA was built, the park was designed to allow each and every guest to experience the attraction the same way, thus making each and every queue line accessible to wheelchairs. In this case, there is no need for signage considering all wheelchairs should enter the normal queue just like every other guest. ECVs are a completely different ballgame. From my experiences while working in the park, no 2 EVCs are alike. It would be impossible to build a queue that could accomodate them all. Each and every attraction does has wheelcahirs available to transfer into so that you may use the regualr queue. The actual complaint here should be the employees that you encountered. One major problem is that the Greeter position, which is a very important position is one of the first positions to be covered by a rescue attendant. This is someone that doesn't normally work at the specific attraction you are visiting; therefore, they are not always up-to-par on the procedures for that attraction. This is being worked on with new rescue training procedures currently being implemented. The addition of Universal Express made things even harder as Express queues were built using previous evacuationpaths and such. Most Express queues are not wheelchair accesible. I am sorry that you had a bad experience and I have no excuses for the way some employees treated you while you were there. If you do ever decide to come back, I would suggest finding a lead or supervisor upon encountering a problem. We cannot fic things if guests don't relay the information to us. If you have any further question or comments don't hesitate to post them here.

 

[nancycels]

lines that don't accomodate ecv's that the PARK rents to you are inexcusable! i understand that individual ecv's may be harder to judge and accomodate for line size, but the ones the park rents to you be able to make it thru the lines. Also, if there is supposed to be a wheelchair/s at the entrance to the ride, and there isn't one, or one isn't offered, or NO ONE bothers to tell you the ECV is going to have trouble getting thru the lines, someone has fallen down on the job, as has their supervisor.

I notified Universal of the problems we had while we were there, and will be sending them a detailed letter of accomodations that woud be inexpensive, yet make it a much better experience! I really hate it when i feel like i spend my day at the park having to complain because people aren't interested in doing their jobs. This was definitely the case with the people at posieden and the carousel.

I don't mind paying the price to get into the park so i can see my family enjoying themselves, even if i can't do a lot of the rides, but when it seems like the company who runs it can't be bothered with simple efficiency and some very simple signage, i take it to mean they just can't be bothered.

 

[UrbanMoon]

To get to the point of this reply, and ECV or Electronic Convenience Vehicle is not a wheelchair; therefore, it's not recognized by the government agencies as a wheelchair; therefore, it's wasn't included when designing the queues since everything is based on the ADA specification. Also, here's a note, the original ECVs at Universal were smaller and could fit into most queues; however, they were very cheap and started falling apart so they were replaced with not even the current model, yet another model before this one, and finally the model they currently rent.

Like I stated earlier, there is no excuse for the employees at Poseidon or the Caro-Suess-el. They were absolutely not doing their job as trained. I can even bet that the transfer wheelchairs existed, but these employees didn't bother to mention it.

Since this is an opinion board, I am going to give you my personal opinion that has no reflection on the job I do. ECVs should be banned from the parks. They cause a nuesance wherever they are in the park. The people who drive them can't drive them properly causing major destruction to the parks. Just look at Ripsaw Falls! If you remember, Universal used to have plenty of signage at USF, but then disabled people started complaining because they didn't want to be treated different than regular guests, so the ADA specification was created and the signage was all removed. It really irks me that you have the balls to say the stuff you say about Universal, a company that has alot of experience in this business. This is no different at any other park! So don't single out Universal. Why don't you build your own park for ECVs and see how it turns out. I bet it won't even be close to what Universal currently has to offer.

 

[WebmasterBarry]

OK, guys, we're getting into unfriendly territory. Please be civil or this thread will be locked. Thank you.

 

[UrbanMoon]

Locking the discussion huh?

it always seems that once the words disabled or wheelchair are mentioned, people hide behind a shallow wall of misunderstanding becoming more afraid that they might be offensive thus allowing themsleves to be stepped on.

It's unfortunate that only a select few of us are well adept to this brave new world. I for one tell things the way they should be told without hiding behind a wall of fear or misunderstanding.

But the gods have spoken, so be it...discussion ended!

 

[WebmasterBarry]

The complaint did not violate the rules. The tone of some of the responses were bordering on board rule violation. If you are not familiar with board rules, please read the board FAQ. Thank you.

 

[nancycels]

This is an important discussion to people who use these vehicles. Many of us use ECV's because navigating the parks in a regular wheelchair, is a burden to those we are with. No matter what our upper body strength is, some of the hills/bridges etc. would mean we would require additional assistance from our families. Some of us use them because the airlines have broken our wheelchairs on the trip down, or we are afraid they will. Most of the people i've seen do fine navigating the ECV's. BUT, it would be nice if they had working horns, or a flag like kids have on the back of their bikes so cars can see them so people don't run into us. I know I've listened to the conversations at the parks by the riders of ECV's and most of them agree on which parks are harder to navigate than others. While the ADA is an important piece of legislation, its just like every other piece of legislation...it needs to be interpreted and applied well. Unfortunatly those in charge of applying and writing this law did not take into consideration all forms of transport that handicapped individuals use in a place like an amusement park. If I were 100 % disabled I would have had an even tougher time in the park. Fortunately I am only 75% disabled. But I do wonder at the hostility expressed toward ECV users. Believe me, we'd all rather be walking around those parks than using an ECV, wheelchair, or any other way to get around! Just as I'm sure no one would choose to spend their days in a wheelchair. Believe me, I've been both mobile and not, and hoofing it on your own is far better in EVERY situation!

 

[Tiiiigergirl]

After reading this post and a phone call to the Customer Service department I have cancelled my reservations to Universal. While one person's experience is just that one person's experience the more frightening thing to me is the response from the employees. Whoever UrbanMoon is, he or she works there and wants ECV's banned. Speaking with Chris in Customer Service this morning did not help. Chris was friendly until I started asking questions about accessibility. He actually told me yes you can transfer to a regular wheelchair if you really want to come here. IF I REALLY WANT TO COME HERE!?!? I guess I don't. I will keep my disabled body and my money over at Disney where they belong. I feel really bad because they both look like fun parks but I have learned that the disabled are not welcome everywhere. This may be one of those times where policy is one thing but implementation is another.

 

[RUN]

Since this is an opinion board, I am going to give you my personal opinion that has no reflection on the job I do. ECVs should be banned from the parks. They cause a nuesance wherever they are in the park. The people who drive them can't drive them properly causing major destruction to the parks. Just look at Ripsaw Falls! If you remember, Universal used to have plenty of signage at USF, but then disabled people started complaining because they didn't want to be treated different than regular guests, so the ADA specification was created and the signage was all removed. It really irks me that you have the balls to say the stuff you say about Universal, a company that has alot of experience in this business. This is no different at any other park! So don't single out Universal. Why don't you build your own park for ECVs and see how it turns out. I bet it won't even be close to what Universal currently has to offer.

I completly agree with you Urban. I also believe the ECV's should be banned. They are really anoying and I've been ran into a number of times by them. Theres nothing like the front bumper of one of those things smashing into your ankle. I also know for a fact that there used to be tons of signs for wheel chairs because back when the PBH gave FOTL acces only till 12 you always went into the rides from the wheel chair entrance. The signs were everywhere on all rides and antractions. Even every show has special seats for wheel chairs. Just look at T2:3D they have a special line and the best row in the house for the wheel chairs.

I think that you people with these ECV's should just rent a stinking wheel chair. Tons of other peeps do, and both USF and IOA are completly flat and are very easy to navigate. They are also a lot smaller and less tiring than any of the Disney or Bush park. Universal goes out of their way to help the handicapped by adding special cars on Spiderman, MIB, P&BRB, Kong, JAWS, Cat in the Hat and by also adding ramps, paths, seats, and elevators on all the previous along with Hulk, JP:RA, Dudley, T2:3D just to name a few. Maybe you guys should stop complaining and think about the millions of dollars Universal has spent to help you guys out. Heck Universal could actually make you wait in lines, not give you priority seating, make you guys wheel yourself up hills and not give elevators or make it so you had had drop a few feet to get in the ride car instead of being able to ride smoothly down a ramp.

 

[nhrenee]

Tiiiigergirl and nancycels,

I'm so sorry both of you have been treated so poorly by Universal. The negative remarks in this thread obviously come from people who don't have a clue about the difficulties encountered by people who need wheelchairs and evc's.

Tiiiigergirl, I hate to see you miss the parks. They are incredible, IOA is a feast for the eyes. Please consider writing a letter to guest services about the treatment you received on the phone. They can't fix things if they don't receive complaints.

Take care!

 

[IOATech]

By the way, Ripsaw has two $56,000 boats with motor controlled ADA seats. They are very high maintenance and crews are under a very high level of stress ensuring they work daily. Same for JP. Bluto's Barges has 2 ADA rafts as well. One in circulation and one on standby. Universal has certainly done its part throughout the entire business to maintain accessibility standards over and above what is mandated by federal law, and at MONUMENTAL expense. This goes for park guests and employees as well. This is fact and I know it to be.

 

[EUROPA]

Originally posted by IOArules


I completly agree with you Urban. I also believe the ECV's should be banned. They are really anoying and I've been ran into a number of times by them. Theres nothing like the front bumper of one of those things smashing into your ankle. I also know for a fact that there used to be tons of signs for wheel chairs because back when the PBH gave FOTL acces only till 12 you always went into the rides from the wheel chair entrance. The signs were everywhere on all rides and antractions. Even every show has special seats for wheel chairs. Just look at T2:3D they have a special line and the best row in the house for the wheel chairs.

I think that you people with these ECV's should just rent a stinking wheel chair. Tons of other peeps do, and both USF and IOA are completly flat and are very easy to navigate. They are also a lot smaller and less tiring than any of the Disney or Bush park. Universal goes out of their way to help the handicapped by adding special cars on Spiderman, MIB, P&BRB, Kong, JAWS, Cat in the Hat and by also adding ramps, paths, seats, and elevators on all the previous along with Hulk, JP:RA, Dudley, T2:3D just to name a few. Maybe you guys should stop complaining and think about the millions of dollars Universal has spent to help you guys out. Heck Universal could actually make you wait in lines, not give you priority seating, make you guys wheel yourself up hills and not give elevators or make it so you had had drop a few feet to get in the ride car instead of being able to ride smoothly down a ramp.

Good luck with that attitude! Hope you never have to use a Wheelchair. God forbid anybody tries to give people like this a break in life.
Trust me Universal nore any other park would do these things out of the kindness of their hearts.

 

[nancycels]

if some of the opinions expressed are really from universal employees as they purport to be, its obviously not a place where the employees want to see handicapped people, and universal needs to do some intensive sensitivity training. I shudder to think there are even a few people in the world who are so out of touch!
(You all know which posts i mean...)
I'm not saying every universal employee holds these beliefs, but that even one does is a sad commentary on hiring standards! And from the treatment we got at various sites in the park, its more than just one!
I hope my letter to various individuals at Universal helps make some needed changes.