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| Alias 0591 on Flickr |
The Florida Commission on Human Relations seems to think
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.
In one complaint, a mother told investigators she
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
The mother in a second complaint described similar problems stating that the limitation of one attraction on the DAS card resulted in long
waiting periods for her son leading to meltdowns.
Disney responded to these allegations by denying it violated
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.”
In both complaints, the Commission stated:
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.
Deadline.com posted
copies of these two determinations here
and here.
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| Anna Fox on Flickr |
In October 2013, Disney changed its disability access policybecause people were abusing it. Before this change, guests with disabilities could obtain Guest Assistance Access Cards (GAC) that allowed them to bypass long lines for rides and attractions. Disney introduced the Disability Access Service Card (DAS) to replace the GAC. According to Disney’s website:
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.
This issue is far from resolved as 44 cases against Disney are
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.
Have you used the Disability Access Service Card? If so, how did it work for you?
Interesting. The problem is apparently not isolated to just one or two cases. I guess the courts will decide!
ReplyDeleteHi 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.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting! I would be interested to see the findings from Euro Disney too
ReplyDeleteI 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!
ReplyDeleteGosh — 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
ReplyDeleteCaro | 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.
ReplyDelete