Originally Posted By RockerMomSB I love Disneyland, but...I'm in a wheelchair and for the last few years that we have gone to Disneyland, we ( my husband and I ) have been very sad, upset, and now I have even been injured, do to a cast members indifference to the needs of a handicap persons ability to get on a ride. Has any other disabled people had problems at the park?
Originally Posted By Lady_Keladry Yea, my brother was to short to ride the Indiana Jones ride because he has no feet, and was not wearing his prosthetics. Long story short, the cast member wouldn't let us on. My grandmother filed a report, but the cast member who was assisting her wasn't being very helpful. When gram wrote that on the report, the cast member shaped up. However, we discovered later that the file had never been entered into the computer, and thrown away. We called Disneyland, and after several months, we got it resolved and we received compensation for the event. If anything else happens, I recommend reporting it. Most cast members aren't educated in how to deal with special cases like disabled people, and sometimes they need to be called on it.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost So the CM's should be called on for their employers lack of programs to teach them the multitude of possible scenario's accompanying disabilities? It's the CM's fault? Let's get the CM in trouble because his employer didn't train him/her? Is that about right? You know, it's been said before that people are entitled, well that covers all people, even disabled one's. You want to experience something that is obviously dangerous in association with your disability. The CM does the best they can to accommodate you and in spite of all the best intentions in the world, you get injured. Somethings are just too dangerous or potentially hazardous to a person with a disability. That's why they call it a disability. You share some responsibility to recognize what is doable and what isn't. In a perfect world everything is accessible to everyone. In the real world that isn't possible. In the meantime, let's dump on the CM for not having training in your particular disability. I'm sorry if I sounded harsh, but, it is not the CM's fault here. I don't see it as anyones fault, it is what it is. It is an accident brought on by a situation beyond the CM's control. If fault is anywhere it is the person with the final decision to take the risk to experience an attraction. That, of course, is the disabled person. Only they know what they can and cannot do safely. Having a disability does not absolve anyone from being responsible for themselves.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I think one of the primary difficulties are the number of guests who pretend to be disabled to get perks. Sadly they have ruined it for people who are truly disabled. Right or wrong, this really is a part of the problem.
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 Yea, my brother was to short to ride the Indiana Jones ride because he has no feet, and was not wearing his prosthetics. Long story short, the cast member wouldn't let us on. My grandmother filed a report, but the cast member who was assisting her wasn't being very helpful. When gram wrote that on the report, the cast member shaped up. However, we discovered later that the file had never been entered into the computer, and thrown away. We called Disneyland, and after several months, we got it resolved and we received compensation for the event. If anything else happens, I recommend reporting it. Most cast members aren't educated in how to deal with special cases like disabled people, and sometimes they need to be called on it.<< That isnt the CM's fault, if you aren't tall enough you don't ride period. They ingrain that into the mind of CMs so no mistakes are made. If they were outfitted with prothetics , they should have been wearing them. Quite a few adult midgets go to Disneyland and I am sure they all get denied a ride on Indiana Jones. Is that discrimination or someone being a bad CM? Nope just a CM trying to do their job. I have to commend CMs in an age where quite a few guests at DL are jerks, they do a damn good job trying to keep a smile.
Originally Posted By Lady_Keladry Ok, I do realize that many people with disabilities make it dangerous to ride some of the rides; however I was merely saying that in my brother's case, he is practically able bodied, and that it shouldn't have been a problem. He was not allowed on because of his height without his feet on, not because he had a crippling disability. He had to stand on his knees to be measured, and was declared an inch too short, even though had he been able to stand on the tips of his stumps, he would have been tall enough. I do agree that it is not the CMs fault entirely. However, in dealing with special cases, it should be mentioned to them what to do. I merely posted back to show that we too have had bad service in *relation* to a handicap incident. I did not mean to offend anyone by saying that the CMs don't know what they are doing and are uneducated. On the contrary; I think that they are wonderful people who really know how to make your day better.
Originally Posted By ni_teach OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) to the best of my knowledge is currently sets and watches over the rules of a good number of things at the amusement parks. If the rules state that only people of a certain height can ride a ride then Disney and the other parks. They can get into a great amount of trouble if they break these rules. The problems seems to be that your brother forget his prosthetics, which is not the fault of Disney.
Originally Posted By imadisneygal If her brother was being measured on his knees and was just an inch too short on his knees, but had lower legs that extended beyond what would have made him tall enough then he should have been let on the attraction. He was tall enough with or without the prosthetics but was not able to stand on the stumps of his lower legs in order to be measured. Originally I was picturing the prosthetics being the difference between him being tall enough and almost tall enough. The CM should have allowed the Guest to go on the attraction if the only thing holding him back was being able to stand on the stumps of his lower legs. The Guest was tall enough. If the Guest cannot stand on his lower legs then if there was any question at all the CM's should have found another way to measure him to ensure that he was tall enough. It sounds like the CM actually was at fault if the situation is as stated in post 6. They have the height stands for a guideline but if for some reason a Guest has difficulty standing under the sign then the CM needs to use his or her brain and common sense to think, "Yes, this Guest is tall enough but just can't stand under the sign." Now, if the prosthetics would have been required to help the Guest acheive the overall height, then no the CM should not have let him on. But it does not seem that this is the case here.
Originally Posted By alexbook The real issue, though, isn't whether the guest should have been allowed on the ride or not. The real issue is that the CM should have been able to handle a guest problem with better grace. Remember that what DL sells isn't supposed to be just rides but a whole, positive, welcoming experience. If a CM has to deny a guest request, that denial is supposed to be handled in a way that doesn't make the guest feel bad.
Originally Posted By Lady_Keladry Alright look people. Our case has been investigated. It has been ruled that it was the CMs fault IN THIS CASE. No, CMs are not always at fault. The Point of this particular topic was to share bad hadicapp experiences from Disneylad. It was NOT to argue who was at fault. I find it very sad that some people would try to argue a case that has already happened and IS OVER! No need to get snippy people. I was just sharing a story. And this, is the end of the story.
Originally Posted By imadisneygal Lady_Keladry, we're not really getting snippy. In fact, as a former Guest Relations CM I was agreeing with you if you'd notice. And unfortunately once you post something on a message board it's not up to you to say who can post about it, or what they can say. There are both Guests and Cast Member (present and former) who post on the boards so there are all points of view. I, for one, was not getting snippy at all. I was supporting your point once you explained the situation further in post 6. In your original post it made it sound as though your brother was not tall enough at all without his prosthetics which, according to you, was not the case. You can stop posting in this thread if you want but you can't decide which posts others want to comment on.
Originally Posted By ni_teach Dear Lady_Keladry I am sorry if my comments sounded snippy or insulting. They were not meant that way.
Originally Posted By Lady_Keladry I did in no way mean to offend anyone! In fact, I am at fault for not stating that there were some people posting who supported me. I am so sorry that you took it that way, and I truly didn't mean it that way.
Originally Posted By Lady_Keladry Ok, and I wasn't going to post more, but now I feel rightfully embarrassed. I do realize that anyone could post anything, but I was under the impression that we were supposed to stick to topic. Now, my way of defining topic would be answering a question that the original author asked, in this case. I did not realize that it often branches out much more. It was a little bit overwhelming to see everybody suddenly arguing points of a story that I considered strait forward and resolved. I had not wanted to ramble on in the first place, so I posted the gist of the story. When I posted more, I figured that this would all stop. It didn't, and I got a bit frustrated I guess. Again, apologies. I did not mean everyone was getting snippy, and I should have defined that.
Originally Posted By ImaDLFan I find it interesting that the report wasn’t filed. I guess if someone has a problem and the immediate CM can’t help it might be better to ask for a supervisor. Very politely! My DD works at a so. cal. amusement park, sadly not DL but if there is any problem with a guest a super is called in to "defuse" the situation and I think that is wise especially if anyone (either CM or guest) is upset. Sadly she gets a lot of people pretending to have disabilities when they actually don’t. I might add those people get asked to leave the park when it can be proven. She's especially sensitive to those guests that have disabilities because her and her siblings have raised guide dogs for the blind since they were very young. So I think she really gets her steam up when she comes across such a situation. Truly most people are not exposed to the needs of the disabled and a little education goes a long way. I have to agree that handling any situation so that the guest feels good about it would be the goal. Even if it meant bringing in a supervisor to help sort it out.
Originally Posted By imadisneygal "I might add those people get asked to leave the park when it can be proven." And I might add that it's a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act to ask someone to "prove" they have a disability. This was one of the major issues with the Guest Assistance Card (or whatever it's being called now.) Cast Members are not allowed to ask for proof of a disability. If someone says they are disabled then the CM may ask what sort of accommodation they require, but not to prove they have a disability. This is where much of the abuse comes in, but the law is pretty clear about it. If this other theme park is really kicking Guests out for not being able to prove that they have a disability then they might be opening themselves up to a world of trouble. Abuse happens, but not nearly as often as you might think.
Originally Posted By TMICHAEL >>>as a former Guest Relations CM..... Abuse happens, but not nearly as often as you might think.<<< OKAY....That made me laugh! As former Disneyland 'A' Attractions CM and trainer, we saw the results of abuse multiple times on a daily basis.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>He was tall enough with or without the prosthetics but was not able to stand on the stumps of his lower legs in order to be measured.<<< And exactly how would he have been able to get out in the event of an emergency? Being tall enough isn't the only thing to worry about.
Originally Posted By Lady_Keladry He has had no feet for his entire life, and as a result he can run very fast on his knees. I have legs and he can often outrun me.
Originally Posted By imadisneygal It might make you laugh, and there is definitely abuse, but not everyone who rents a wheelchair or gets a GAC is abusing the system. More Guests are using it correctly than incorrectly. And my information comes not only from my experience giving out the passes in City Hall but from good friends who work in attractions, one of whom is the former Operations Manager of Attractions West. All I'm saying is that while it does happen, it's not as though every Guest who requests disabled assistance is trying to scam the system.
