Disney’s Disability Access Programs have never shied too far away from controversy, especially in the days of YouTube and Twitter. Despite arguments to the contrary, yesterday a judge ruled that Disney can refuse unlimited front of the line access to attractions in a case brought forth by an austistic man’s mother, according to US News and World Report:
What’s Happening:
- In 2013, Walt Disney World changed the way guests with disabilities gain access to their attractions by introducing the Disability Access Service Card. The system works similar to that of the original fastpass with guests approaching their desired attraction and getting a return time so they don’t have to wait in a lengthy queue. This change came after an increase of tourists hiring those with special needs and terminally ill children to travel with them so they would get immediate access to the attractions and ride multiple times again and again.
- Donna Lorman, President of the Autism Society of Greater Orlando, filed a lawsuit against Walt Disney World after they changed this policy, saying the extra waiting time was difficult for her autistic son who didn’t understand the concept of time. He needed to visit the rides in a certain order or he “would have a meltdown,” she said in the lawsuit.
- As part of the lawsuit, she claimed that these accommodations need to be made under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- At the park, she had demanded that she get 10 fastpasses for her son so he could have access to the attractions without any kind of waiting and was denied.
- U.S. District Judge Anne Conway ruled last week in favor of Disney saying that it was unreasonable to give Lorman that kind of access for her son, saying that it would become ripe for abuse to the system in place, and adding that “if Lorman’s son got special access, others would see it on social media and demand it, too.”
What They’re Saying:
- Judge Anne Conway: “Requiring the modification, based on the history of the former system, would lead to fraud and overuse, lengthen the wait times significantly for non-disabled guests, and fundamentally alter Disney’s business model.”