something really grinding my gears

[dolphinsfan203]

i am at the world right now posting on my iphone... we are stayimg at pop cent.. getting the buses latly is not the problem but people who use wheel chairs to get around are the problem. i fully understand that people need them and i am 100 percent ok with this. i do not mind giving prioroty seating to them. however something which blew my mind was a lady which was in a wheel chair waiting to get on (it was dark) the bus driver failed to see her and began to load the bus full of "normal" walking people.. the wheel chair lady does not wheel up to the driver proceeds to walk up WALK up and conplain. i am ok with entitlement of the seats but for the love of me this lady walked to te front caused a big stink. that was night 1.. night 2 was even more mind boggling.... we were at hs coming out and the first bus was not a disney bus with no wheel chair lift. it hadd luggage storage like a tour bus... not a big deal since a disney bus pulled right up behind it. wheel chair admenities like all disney buses.. she proceed to call the bus driver over ream him out and make him lift the scooter into the luggage area. i was like what the??? i feel disney needs to do something about the entitlement ad regulations on how they handle this because people like this ruim it for people with actuall needs for it. sorry for the long rant but it drives me goofy pun intended.. any others have any experieneces like this??

and as a side note im 100 percent not bashing or hating on tbe handicap in anyway.

[Itchy]

I think that you ran into the exceptions to the rule when it comes to people using ECV's.

I have never seen anything like that in all my trips to WDW.

My last trip the first of this month I rented an ECV from APPLE SCOOTER for my lady friend ( the greatest service I found ). When we or others waited to use the lift service there were no issues at all. We did not want to take to much advantage of the situation so my lady friend stayed on the scooter on the bus and I stood by her. That way we could still allow as many seat for the others who were politely waiting.

Dont let the actions of a few set the bench mark for the rest. I dont think Disney will change policy because of a few.

Enjoy the vacation...Be Goofy at the happiest place in the world.

[Polynesian Dweller]

Hope this thread gets out of hand. But, much of this has been covered before.

First, the ADA is very specific and governs everything Disney and others do (Canada is very similar by the way). In short, services must be provided to people needing the assistance and the business cannot ask about the disability or question it. And that's to preserve dignity.

Second, there are all kinds of needs for ECVs and wheelchairs. The ability to walk means nothing. They may be able to walk for only short periods.

So, all the rest of us can and should do is accept that the law is what it is, we can't know what the need is just by looking, and live with it and the delays it brings. And yes, some people will cheat but in the balance it helps more people have a better life and experience for those who actually need the help.

[darthmacho]

From my experience on last year's trip, wheel chair loading caused significant delays and back-ups upon park closings, despite WDW's effort to accommodate.

While I commend their intentions, I blame Disney for this, not the people in need of wheelchairs, though what you witnessed is probably different. It seems like in your case, and individual put herself and her needs ahead of everyone, and her reaction made it seem that her need for the wheelchair was suspect. She may truly have needed it, but it's not certain after her reaction.

WDW should re-evaluate the way it handles these situations. They are good, but they are far from great, or efficient, in this category.

[dolphinsfan203]

by no means am i down grading or putting dpwn these people who "need" the chair. its just that this lady was out of control. i have been to disney multiple times and never have i saw a driver have to lift a scooter for a lady who was causing a fuss. not only did she inconvience the driver everyone else. i am 100 percebt ok with the laws and regualtions but somwthing needs to be done about this. it was to the point of thos lady wanted special treatment and she was the only one that mattered.

[UCJen]

So you ran into this woman two nights in a row? Wow.

She sounds obnoxious. Hopefully that is all you will see of her this week.

Don't let it get you down, you're at WDW! Relax. Enjoy.

[Itchy]

I dont think you can regulate selfishness. It happens all the time and not all of them are disabled. I have been at WDW when they have finished Cheerleader competition. I have found that some, not all were acting like spoiled brats expecting to be treated differently.

As has been said " you can't fix stupid ".

[spoiledraf]

I'll be visiting the world in August with my niece for her 21st birthday. She's been in a wheel chair all her life and trust me when I say, be thankful all you have to do is wait a little longer for a bus rather than spend your life in a chair. Having said that, there are people who seem to take advantage of the system. It would be great if, should they be able to walk and board the bus normally, that they would do so. Mush like transfering from a wheel chair to a ride in the parks. Most chairs fold up as easily as a stroller. I wonder how well she gets around when it comes time to transfer to all the attractions (often after getting to by-pass some of the lines). It is what it is and it takes all kinds. Life goes on.

[Pirate Granny]

I liked in disneyParis...a wheelchair person (my daughter) would come up to the start of the ride line. They gave the next person a colored card or tag, and gave us the same tag...we WAITED in the handicap line and when that person was the next in line, gave the loading cast member the card/tag and we were then next in line to load...AND there were only three persons and the handicapped person allowed to use this line. Didn't see many persons abusing the handicap system...oh yea, you had to get a "handicapped card" from the town hall each day, in order to use the handicap entrances...and they checked each time.

[11290]

If you want to hear some really choice words directed at CM's, hang out by the disability sections about 5 or 10 minutes before the parade on a busy night (way to late to get into those areas by BTW - they fill up fast).

And BTW: technically, and actually, the ENTIRE parade route is deemed "disability accessible".

[Andys5Toys]

We have experienced quite a few rude and pushy people using the wheelchair access on the Disney busses. We have just made an effort to not let it bother us. We just roll with it and enjoy our time.

[alaMode]

There are rude and pushy people of all abilities all over WDW. No need to pinpoint people in wheelchairs, people who use the designated handicapped spots at the parades, people in the wheelchair lines waiting for the transportation or rides...

This thread makes me sad-you're at WDW-enjoy it!

[darthmacho]

by no means am i down grading or putting dpwn these people who "need" the chair. its just that this lady was out of control. i have been to disney multiple times and never have i saw a driver have to lift a scooter for a lady who was causing a fuss. not only did she inconvience the driver everyone else. i am 100 percebt ok with the laws and regualtions but somwthing needs to be done about this. it was to the point of thos lady wanted special treatment and she was the only one that mattered.

I didn't mean to imply you were downgrading those that really need the wheelchairs, and apologies if it seemed that way. I meant that Disney puts itself in a position for these things to happen, but I do agree that the person you observed was not acting appropriately. She probably ruined the night of a LOT of people, whether her use of the wheelchair was justified or not, and that was very selfish of her.

[spoiledraf]

Encountering handicapped visitors always makes me want to help them out whatever way I can. Make things a little easier for them to make their visit a little more enjoyable. But my brother and sister in law don't look for special treatment in the lines for their daughter. Whether it's for a ride, a rest room or any other place where you wait your turn. They appreciate that Disney makes every effort to make all things Disney accessable and are more than happy to wait their turn with their wheelchair bound daughter like everyone else. Some folks in chairs and scooters could take a lesson from them. While their life is a struggle at times, they never cease to amaze me at how they handle things. So happy I added a ramp to my new deck so she can just roll right in for any parties or visits now!

[magicofdisney]

I liked in disneyParis...a wheelchair person (my daughter) would come up to the start of the ride line. They gave the next person a colored card or tag, and gave us the same tag...we WAITED in the handicap line and when that person was the next in line, gave the loading cast member the card/tag and we were then next in line to load...AND there were only three persons and the handicapped person allowed to use this line. Didn't see many persons abusing the handicap system...oh yea, you had to get a "handicapped card" from the town hall each day, in order to use the handicap entrances...and they checked each time.

This sounds like a decent and fair way to handle the situation. Too bad parks don't learn from one another.

[TiggerDeb]

I have an issue when people with W/chairs along with 20 of their relatives get on the bus before anyone else. Let the person with the w/chair get on first and their relatives get in line with the rest of us.

I have encountered people who were on the bus with us and then see them later on standing and someone else in their party using the w/chair. Ok that was my rant.

[Georgesgirl1]

Although I have seen some rude and pushy people in wheelchairs, I have encountered way more rude and pushy people who are not in wheelchairs in the parks. Sounds like you just happened upon one of the "bad apples" two night in a row.

Also, just because she could walk to talk to the CM doesn't mean she might not need the wheelchair. My grandmother has had two knee surgeries and cannot walk more than 20 minutes at a time before she has to stop and rest. She is very healthy in every other way and was an avid tennis player before her surgery. If you saw her in a wheelchair you may think she is one of those people who abuse the system, but she really needs one. There are certainly people who probably abuse the system, but unless you know their full history, there is no telling who truly needs a wheelchair and who is taking advantage.

[cuteduck223]

My brother uses an ECV at parks instead of his wheelchair because he can walk short distances (with crutches). We were at WDW in January with a party of 7, and if it was park closing and the busses were busy--he went to the wheelchair area with one member or our party and the rest of us waited in line. Usually it was my mom who went with his as she has pretty severe RA and cannot stand or walk for long periods of time. She either got a cart in the park, or her and dad just took things slow so she could walk, sit, walk and enjoy.

I understand how on rides you would all like to ride together, but getting back to the resort--we didn't need to do together. Several times, my brother even opted to wait until the line was down before heading to the bus just to avoid making people wait.

I know thats not the case with everyone, but people with disabilities do consider others from time to time so be encouraged by that.

As someone who has grown up with a disabled brother, i agree that having to wait for a bus so they can load is way better than living in a chair, but at the same time...our family has always considered others as well. No need to stand and fight on a crowded bus when we could wait 10 minutes and all get a seat at the end of the day. This--IMO is even better for a person in a chair because people aren't smashed in all around them

[Frog]

I always thank my creator that my family all had great elementary educators in our lives to teach us how to treat others even in the face of adversity...
Everything we needed to know, we learned in...

[ransam]

wow...this has been covered way too many times...but....i while i think the person you encountered is obnixious, she's not that way because she's handicapped, but just that way in general.
as a person who needs an evc, i find it very insulting that anyone would put everyone who needs one into the same class. and i find it insulting for those that claim to know whether or not someone needs one or not. who made you a doctor/judge? if you saw me you would not think i need an evc. i can walk. but after being on my feet for more than 5 minutes,i need to sit down. i am unstable and need it.
for those that think it's wrong to give up a seat, let a handiapped person go first in line, try it someday. imagine what it's like to be in pain most of the time. spending hours at night geting in the right position so you can sleep. standing up and waiting up to a minute or longer for your knee to click into place. try driving an evc down main street when you can only go at 90 degree angles, and people are constantly cutting in front of you, not paying atention and if you accidently clip someone who cuts infront of you, you're an ass or something worse. then tell me that you still object to Disney for tryhing to help out a little

The majority of people at WDW are very helpful, but many are down right disgusting when it comes to handicapped. when i hear people say there should be handicapped lanes for only wheelchairs and evcs, that really pisses me off. it's like you're treating handicapped as if they are not as someone liked to point out "NORMAL" people.

I had one lady tell me once that being "fat" is not a handicapped, and i pointed out that is true, but being ignorant and rude is.....suddenly she went off on me, and I was the bad guy.

there should be new rules for the definition of handicapped. Bad knees, back, disease, are not handicaps. being intolerant, non-understanding, no compassion is.