Showing posts with label Disney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disney. Show all posts
Monday, May 12, 2014
Would your Family Enjoy a "Sensory-Friendly" Disney show?
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/03/20/disney-sensory-friendly/19213/
Saturday, March 15, 2014
'Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney'
In our first year in Washington, our son disappeared.
Just shy of his 3rd birthday, an engaged, chatty child, full of typical speech — “I love you,” “Where are my Ninja Turtles?” “Let’s get ice cream!” — fell silent. He cried, inconsolably. Didn’t sleep. Wouldn’t make eye contact. His only word was “juice.”
Read and watch a video about Owen's accomplishments, before and after signs of Autism.
Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney - NYTimes.com
Enjoy this video:
Watch Father and Son with Autism Communicate using Disney Movies | News | Autism Speaks
"Life on the Autism Spectrum can be ENJOYable."
Thursday, February 27, 2014
"Now it makes sense... doesn't it? by Kim McClain
"Have you submitted your story to the Florida OR California attorneys for the class action cases?
I want to remind you that if you are concerned about the Disney Disability access situation, that you can read the update and latest to include how to participate in the class action case at the DAS site.
https://www.facebook.com/mydasexperience
There are some interesting developments and I urge you to please take part in the discussions...even if you do not fully agree (so as long as there is no offensive, disruptive or counter-productive discussions).
http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201309/3695/
In case some of you have not clicked on the link to read the article. This really is a must read.
Use, not abuse, forced Disney to change its disabled access system
Written by Robert Niles
Published: September 30, 2013 at 11:02 AM
People continue to react to the Walt Disney Company's decision to change the way it accommodates visitors with disabilities in its theme parks. Beth Kassab of the Orlando Sentinel quoted me in her most recent column, which suggested that increasing wait times at Disney World attractions prompted some visitors to find ways around the wait, with GAC use and abuse becoming one popular way to do that.
Much of the coverage over Disney's decision to replace the Guest Assistance Card [GAC] with a new Disabled Assistance System has focused on reported abuse of the system by people pretending to have a disability to get preferred access to attractions. But conversations with Disney cast members have convinced me that is not the reason Disney made this change.
This isn't going to be easy for some Disney visitors to hear. But let's consider this a little tough love. The reason why Disney is ending the GAC program isn't because it was abused too much by people without disabilities. Disney killed the GAC because it was used too much by people with disabilities.
As we've written before, Disney did not intend to create a system that gave visitors with disabilities no-wait, front-of-the-line access to its attractions. That's simply the way the system evolved, for maximum operational efficiency. It simply was easier for Disney attractions personnel to move parties with a disabled visitor immediately onto a ride via the exit, than to make them wait and block the exit area, or to come back later.
Getting to ride without waiting invited abuse, which is why Disney adopted the GAC program, to make visitors with disabilities get a card from Disney so that individual attraction cast members wouldn't have to bear the responsibility of deciding who deserved special access. That helped put a stop to groups of kids renting a wheelchair to skip lines, but the system eventually grew unsustainable.
As crowds grew at Disney theme parks, people who previously could have endured a five- to 20-minute wait for rides and shows found that they couldn't handle waits of 40-80 minutes or more. Without the GAC, many people with back problems, weight issues, heart conditions, autism, or any of many other issues that make waiting in line difficult or impossible simply might have decided not to visit a Disney theme park. But with the GAC, not only could they visit, but Disney became a preferred entertainment destination. As more and more people used GAC to access rides, standby lines grew even longer, prompting even more people to get a GAC.
These aren't "fakers." They are people with legitimate medical claims. The number of people with medical conditions that could impede their ability to visit a crowded theme park is, unfortunately, astronomical. We're talking about tens of millions of Americans. More than one third of Americans are obese, according to the federal government. A third of adults have high blood pressure. One in six American children have a development disability. Autism prevalence is now at one in 50 kids. (That's nearly 1.5 million children, doing the math on U.S. Census Bureau data.) And let's not forget that Disney attracts millions of visitors from outside the United States, too, adding to the pool of potential visitors with disabilities.
Neither Disney nor any other theme park company can sustain a system that gives all of these people front-of-the-line access. But, fortunately for Disney (though not for the families affected by this change), the law doesn't require that Disney does that. The Americans with Disabilities Act simply requires that institutions create facilities and procedures accessible to persons with disabilities. It does not provide for nor demand preferred access. So that's why we soon will have a new system for disable access at Disney parks, a ride reservation system that will allow people with disabilities to skip non-accessible queues in the parks, but not to skip the waits.
Of course, many people are upset that they're losing what was a wonderful accommodation. For many families dealing with a disability, having front of the line access at Disney provided a welcome relief in an otherwise trying and frustrating experience. Frankly, it stinks to lose that. But Disney can't give preferred access to everyone. At some point, if everyone is "preferred," no one is. And millions of Disney visitors effectively lose their access to the parks again.
Don't think for a moment, though, that the system Disney introduces in 10 days will be its final word on access. For some families, even the new reservation system won't be enough to provide access to the park and its attractions. Don't be surprised it Disney tweaks the system in the months and years ahead to better balance the needs of all its visitors, including those with autism and other conditions for which a reservation system is — and here's an understatement — less than optimal.
But let's also not believe that this change is coming because a small group of greedy people decided to cheat the system. The "disabled" aren't a small subset of Americans. They're more than a hundred million of us. Use, not abuse, made Disney's GAC system unsustainable.
Thank you.Your DAS Advocacy Team!
"Life on the Autism Spectrum can be ENJOYable."
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Sign Petitions on "The Tragic Kingdom"
The Tragic Kingdom - Sharing the stories about the hardships and sadness caused by Disney's abandonment and disregard of those with special needs.
Petition #1
Disneyland / Disneyworld Discontinues Guest Assistance Card for Special Needs Families
Petition by Kim McClain
To be delivered to Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, Thomas O. Staggs, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and Jayne Parker, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer The Walt Disney Company
Disney is planning to end the Guest Assistance Card Program at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. We need to communicate how this change will impact the families of people with disabilities. Our voices need to be heard. The proposed change will prevent our families from being able to access the park and will result in fewer visits by those impacted by special needs.
There are currently 36,144 signatures. NEW goal - We need 40,000 signatures!
CLICK here to sign this MoveOn.org Petition: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/disneyland-discontinues
Petition #2 -
Disney We Have Tried Your New System Like You Asked. For Us it does not work!
author: Kim Mcclain
target: Disney Corporate Executive Officers
signatures: 183
SIGN this PetitionSite.com petition at:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/253/157/119/disney-we-have-tried-your-new-system-like-you-asked-for-us-it-does-not-work/
McClain Special Needs Advocacy shared a link.
Autism and the New Disability Assistance Card at Walt Disney World ...
Disney Changes Rules on Passes for Disabled Guests | KTLA 5
Durangoan challenges Disney over disability access program
Petition #1
Disneyland / Disneyworld Discontinues Guest Assistance Card for Special Needs Families
Petition by Kim McClain
To be delivered to Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, Thomas O. Staggs, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and Jayne Parker, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer The Walt Disney Company
Disney is planning to end the Guest Assistance Card Program at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. We need to communicate how this change will impact the families of people with disabilities. Our voices need to be heard. The proposed change will prevent our families from being able to access the park and will result in fewer visits by those impacted by special needs.
There are currently 36,144 signatures. NEW goal - We need 40,000 signatures!
CLICK here to sign this MoveOn.org Petition: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/disneyland-discontinues
Petition #2 -
Disney We Have Tried Your New System Like You Asked. For Us it does not work!
author: Kim Mcclain
target: Disney Corporate Executive Officers
signatures: 183
SIGN this PetitionSite.com petition at:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/253/157/119/disney-we-have-tried-your-new-system-like-you-asked-for-us-it-does-not-work/
McClain Special Needs Advocacy shared a link.
Thank you Jennifer R...for taking the lead on promoting our new petition. Hey guys...sign this if the DAS did not work for you and please also share with others. We need this one to take off like the last one! Thanks!!! Kim McClain, you...r Friendly Neighborhood Advocate ♥
Please sign this one. Thank you!. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/253/157/119/disney-we-have-tried-your-new-system-like-you-asked-for-us-it-does-not-work/
Please sign this one. Thank you!. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/253/157/119/disney-we-have-tried-your-new-system-like-you-asked-for-us-it-does-not-work/
Disney We Have Tried Your New... - The Petition Site
www.thepetitionsite.com
Disney consulted with agencies who do not respresent families and changed their disability system to... (182 signatures on petition)
"Life on the Autism Spectrum can be ENJOYable."
Related articles:
We are creating these and will send them out to you on a case by case basis and in preparation of your trips to Disney in attempts to spread the word and help others. Disney and other pages/sites advise steering away from this page due to ..."Misinformation". In reality, you will receive the truth because outside of advocacy, inspirational information, we primarily post your stories which helps to educate our community on what is happening as well as all of the inconsistencies with the new program.
McClain Special Needs Advocacy shared a link.
Special Needs Advocates Fight Back Against Disney's New Rules... | David Cruz
www.ktlkam1150.com
Special needs advocate, Kim McClain, spoke with us about the protests that her organization has been hosting near Disneyland in Anaheim. The purpo
disneyparks.disney.go.com/.../disney-parks-disability-access-service-card...
Guest Assistance Card Program Update for Walt Disney World ...
disneyparks.disney.go.com/.../guest-assistance-card-program-up...
Oct 4, 2013 - The new Disability Access Service (DAS) Card will replace the Guest ... The present system allows for this, so I am wondering how the new ...
Disney updates the Guest Assistance Card (GAC) with the new ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iXfWSlg08M
Oct 9, 2013 - Uploaded by TemporaryTourist
The Temporary Tourist shows the process to obtaining Disney's Disability Access System (DAS) card. For ...
Disney releases official statement, rules, and FAQ on new Disability ...
www.insidethemagic.net/.../disney-releases-official-statement-rules-and-f...
Disney Parks' New Pass for the Disabled Is a Dud: A Dad Breaks It ...
www.dailyfinance.com/2013/.../disney-parks-disability-access-service-du...
Is Disney Dissing the Disabled to Solve Its Cheating Problem ...
www.dailyfinance.com/.../disney-dissing-disabled-solve-abuse-problem/
www.mouseplanet.com/.../Autism_and_the_New_Disability_Assistance_...
ktla.com/2013/10/.../disney-changes-rules-on-passes-for-disabled-guests/
- Oct 9, 2013 - Disney begins new policy on passes for guests with disabilities. ... The new program entitled the “Disabled Assistance System,” will reportedly ...
Disney Reportedly Altering Special Needs Access ... - Disability Scoop
www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/09/20/disney-altering-access/18741/
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