You may or
may not be aware of the recent changes at Disney for guests with
disabilities. In the past, guests with disabilities
could obtain a GAC (Guest Assistance Card).
This card let guests with multiple types of disabilities (and up to 6
family members) that may not be able to stand in long lines or who used
mobility assisted devices such as wheel chairs and ECV’s that did not maneuver well
in lines, a separate queue with less waiting and more room for maneuvering .
Then this
happened... Rich Manhattan moms hire handicapped tour guides so kids can cutlines at Disney World.
Obviously not
in the spirit the GAC was intended.
Disney decided
to change their GAC policy to the DAS (Disability Access Service). The DAS basically works like a fast pass. You take your card to the Disney Cast Member
and they give you a return time based on the current wait times for that ride. The family can then go do something else and
then return to the line and get near instant access. If your disability is a mobility issue, you
are no longer eligible for the DAS because your issues can be taken care of by
renting a wheel chair or ECV. The queues
have been changed to accommodate wheel chairs and ECV’s with ease.
How does
this affect my family and our Disney vacations?
I’m glad you asked. My husband was born with Spina Bifida. Spina
Bifida is a neural tube birth defect. It
literally means “split spine”. There are
4 classifications of Spina Bifida with the most severe being the most
common. Hubby has the 3rd
classification.
When he was born there was a hole in his spine and a sack that protruded out of his
back. The sack contained 3 vertebrae,
spinal fluid and muscle that were supposed to be in his left leg. That sack was REMOVED in surgery. When he was 15 he had a spinal fusion surgery
on his lower back. Basically a rod was grafted onto his spine and he cannot bend
his lower back. He can bend at the
waist, but he cannot round his back. His
back is always in some level of pain. Hubby is not wheel chair bound. He does walk with
a cane. His left leg is visibly thinner
and lacking muscle. His left leg is shorter
than his right leg so he wobbles when he walks.
He is physically unable to walk at commando park speeds and he cannot
run. If he stands or walks for long
periods of time he gets fatigued. If he
does not rest he will end up rolling the ankle on his left foot which almost always
results in a sprung ankle.
Hubby however does not let this bring him down.
He enjoys riding his bike and we often ride as a family on our many local
trails. He enjoys martial arts but he
does have to modify stances to accommodate his leg. He especially likes cane martial arts; it’s very
useful for a man with a cane. He has many hobbies which include reading, writing
stories, and leather working. He has a
full time job, does stuff around the house and is a good husband and
father. He is a proud man. He is often in pain, but doesn’t complain too
much. He used to refuse to take any pain
killers, even aspirin or ibuprofen, but he recently realized that there is no
reason to live in pain when a simple anti-inflammatory medicine could help
alleviate that. Part of that is him
feeling the need to prove himself. I think
he has gone above and beyond.
Getting back
to touring Disney, even with his issues he has never requested a GAC. We could never tour the parks in the super
fast commando style that some people tour.
People wiz around us but we don’t care.
We understand that faster folks can, and should, go around us because we
are taking it in at our pace. A pace he
can manage.
This past
October, while we were at Disney, is when they switched from the GAC to the
DAS. It was also the first time he
needed to use a wheel chair while at the parks.
I tend to get focused and start walking too fast for him. I would
realize he wasn’t with me and would turn around to see him struggling as he trudged
on trying to catch up. He kept apologizing
for being slow but more concerning was that I could tell he was in more pain
than usual. I want him to enjoy our
vacation, not feel like he is holding any one back and certainly not be in
pain. Around the third day he was moving
extra slow and having difficulty so I suggested we rent a chair for him for the
rest of the day. He was against it; he would
be fine if he just rested. Even after a
nice long and yummy meal, he was still having issues and I could tell he was in
pain. So I finally said I was going to
rent a chair for him and he would just rest that way. He reluctantly agreed. He doesn’t want to feel like he is disabled. I think renting the chair was a good
move. We could store the back pack we
carry on the back of the chair, which gave everyone a break. He could sit in a chair and move at the same
pace as the rest up us. I didn’t have to
worry about him because he was with me, sitting, not turning his ankle or
struggling in pain. Waiting in the queue was not an issue because
again, he was sitting.
We did experience
some grief from other guests. It was
primarily people being impatient and people passing judgment about things they
have no knowledge. We just ignored it
but it adds to his reluctance to use a wheel chair while at the parks, despite
his pain and struggle.
We do not
have any issue with the DAS because it hasn’t changed anything about our park
touring.
However, a
group of parents that have children with cognitive disabilities feel that the new
DAS is not working for their situations.
Now this is happening…Lawsuit: Disney Not Helping Autistic Kids.
Some of the parents’ feel that the new DAS is
unacceptable, too stringent and does not account for all circumstances. Other
parents’ feel that the new DAS is fine and that they know what their children
can and cannot tolerate and adjust. I don’t
know. I don’t have any family members with
cognitive disabilities. I have never toured
Disney with a child or an adult with a cognitive disability. I
cannot comment to it in favor of one way or the other. I do want to see it work out for everyone.
Here is a
blog post by Jack Burgin, who is a lawyer and a Disney fan, on the subject of
the lawsuit. The post is interesting.
What ended
up being more interesting are the comments.
This subject, as it turns out, is a hot button. In various Disney forums, facebook and various
places on the internet, lines are being drawn and sides are being chosen. Able bodied people feel that those in ECV and
wheel chairs are lazy and parents with autistic children are just
entitled. Parents with autistic kids
feel that their needs are being ignored and those in wheel chairs are just lazy
and should not have a place in the discussion.
People in wheel chairs permanently feel that those who can transfer from
the wheel chair are just lazy. It seems to have turned into a big “which
disability is more disabled” argument. It makes me sad to see people behaving this way. It makes me sad to see people calling each
other names. It makes me sad to see
people not giving the same respect that they want to others.
In this made up hierarchy, my husband, a proud
man, good father and husband, hard working and born with spina bifida seems to
have fallen on the bottom of this totem pole.
He isn’t “handicapped enough” for common courtesy or compassion. I cannot express how much this breaks my
heart.
Disney is
supposed to be the Happiest Place on Earth.
We love going to Disney and the whole Disney experience. We want to enjoy our vacation, which cost as
much as yours, without snarky comments and judgments from those who do not know
our experience. We treat you with kindness
and consideration; please do the same for us and for everyone you see, able bodied
or handicapped.
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