[Travelandtourism] Disabled guests at Walt Disney World NO LONGER GET TO JUMP AHEAD IN LINE starting OCT 9th

[cheryl echevarria]

Mark, I am copying you on this e-mail.
 
I don't even remember us discussing this when we were on tour back in July with you, so does this mean, we have to prove we are disabled?
 
This is from NY Daily News
 
 People with disabilities will no longer go straight  to the front of lines at Disneyland and Walt Disney World after growing  abuse of the system, park officials said.

  	Under the change, visitors will be issued tickets with a return time  and a shorter wait similar to the FastPass system that’s offered to  everyone.

  	The current way “certainly has been problematic, and we wanted to curb  some of the abuse of this system,” Disneyland Resort spokeswoman Suzi  Brown told the Orange County Register.

  	The change takes effect Oct. 9 for guests with park-issued disability  cards. Disney officials said more details will be released after park  employees are briefed on the new rules.

 	Currently, visitors unable to wait in the regular line can get backdoor  access to rides or go through the exit and wait in a shorter line.

    	Brown compared the change to making a reservation and boarding at the appointed time.

The move was a response to the phenomenon of disabled “tour guides” who  charge money, sometimes hundreds of dollars, to accompany able-bodied  guests and allow them to avoid long lines. The park said others who  don’t have a disability have been able to get an assistance card since  no proof of disability is required.

 	Some families of children with epilepsy and autism criticized the  change, saying some kids’ disabilities just don’t allow them to wait in  standard lines.

  	“Given the increasing volume of requests we receive for special access  to our attractions, we are changing our process to create a more  consistent experience for all our guests while providing accommodations  for guests with disabilities,” Brown said in a statement.

  	Rebecca Goddard takes her sons, age 4 and 6, to Disneyland once a week.  Her sons have autism and can’t stand in lines longer than a few minutes  before they start pushing other people.

  	“My boys don’t have the cognition to understand why it’s going to be a  long wait,” Goddard told the Register. “There are so few things for my  boys that bring them utter joy and happiness — to mess with it just  makes me sad.”

  	The advocacy group, Autism Speaks, consulted with Disney officials on the change and urged parents to see how it unfolds.

  	“Change is difficult,” said Matt Asner, executive director of the  Southern California chapter. “I didn’t want it to change, but I  understand there was an issue that needed to be dealt with



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