Disney and the Disabled (Part 3)

Yes, I am having to write another segment on this topic yet again because guess what happened this week? Yep, the Mouse got sued again. Most of this post will be a commentary on this article.

NSFW: A Dog! An Effing Dog!

So this happened today and it has me a little pissed off. Slightly. Okay, I'm livid. Livid enough to actually write a blog post about it. Sorry (not sorry) for all the language that follows. You have been warned.

First a little background. You may remember these previous posts:

Disney and the Disabled

Disney and the Disabled (Part 2)

Ben

I recently wrote a two part piece about the horrors of dealing with disability issues in the parks as a Cast Member (Part 1, Part 2). As I was doing this, I had something bouncing around at the edge of my mind. I knew what it was too. It was a story I needed to tell.

This is not an easy story to write. It's a story that's mine and I have told very few, if any about it. If you ask me in person, I probably won't be able to talk about it. I felt I needed to get it out there in some form.

His name was Ben.

He was sitting in one of those giant Radio Flyer wagons, surrounded by stuffed animals and other toys. His dad was arguing with one of our engineers when me and my partner Steve came up from break to catch our train. Now this was back in the 90's, before there was a wheelchair ramp at Main Street Station.

As we walked up, the other engineer added us to the conversation about how there was no way we could get Ben's wagon on the train, and how it wasn't allowed, and on and on. Me and Steve cut our eyes at each other real quick and then told the engineer we would handle it and he could go on to break.

As soon as he was out of earshot, the dad started explaining "Listen guys, I know you have rules and..."

We stopped him right there.

"Oh no. He's getting on this train! Let us handle it."

Steve hopped up in the cab and backed the train up. I dropped the wheelchair gate and Ben's dad and I picked up his wagon (yeah, I know) and placed it in the box area. Then mom and dad climbed up there and I closed it back up.

What happened after that was about two hours of non-stop fun. He stayed in there waving and clapping at the whistles the whole time. We took pictures with him at every stop. Tons and tons of pictures. He watched with interest as I stood on top of the tender and filled the water, then jumped and giggled when I tossed a handful of water at him that splashed on the front glass.

He was our mascot for the night and you know what? During this time we never had another single wheelchair come up to be loaded.

We finally unloaded them back in Toontown so he could go see Mickey, but not without handshakes from dad and hugs from mom, and even more pictures.

It was a good night.

Summer became fall and before too long the Christmas season was upon us. I was patrolling Main Street station when an arm reached out of the crowd and spun me around. The next thing I know a photo album scrapbook was being thrust out at me. I took one look at the pictures and looked up immediately to see Ben's mom and dad. "Oh my God! Hey guys!" Then looking around, "Where's our little buddy at?"

"He didn't make it."

It didn't sink in what they meant right away.

I was at a complete loss for words. I had no idea Ben was that sick, or even terminal in any kind of way. They told me it was okay. They knew it was going to be one of the last trips they ever got to take with him. They just wanted to show me all the fond memories they had of that night. All those pictures...

And then they added: "He never stopped talking about the trains."

We looked all through the photos and laughed and smiled. They hugged each other and then hugged me before boarding the next train. As they rode out of sight, I thought about how these two parents have an album full of beautiful memories of their son, and I am in a lot of the pictures.

I held it together until my break time.

Then I found a quiet spot and cried.

Disney and the Disabled (Part 2)

I did a recent post about how Cast Members at Disney are treated badly from time to time by disabled guests and/or their parties. Needless to say, it was quite popular with all of my friends and co-workers. More situations from them flew in to the point where I knew I was going to have to do a follow up post. This is it.
Most of these are situations we have encountered or witnessed.

People trying to beat the system

Frontierland Greeter seems to be the place where this situation is seen a lot by me mainly because it's located by one of the Magic Kingdom's most popular attractions: Splash Mountain. Now the line for this can really get l-o-n-g. Sometimes the wait is well over an hour or two. That's when the schemers go to work.

Remember in the last post I described how all the queues are ECV and wheelchair accessible now, unlike the past where there were actually separate lines for the disabled? Guess who hasn't been to the parks since that changed? Come on down the Cheater family pushing a kid with a broken arm in a wheelchair (whuh?).

They come up to me and ask where they should go with the wheelchair. I point out where the line starts and that they have to hop in with everybody else. I can tell by their stunned silence that they do not like that answer in any kind of way. The usual reply is: "but we have a wheelchair!". Yes I see that, and it's a nice shiny one too...but the line starts right over there...

Now I watch them angrily march away and head right to a Splash Mountain greeter and I can tell the exact same conversation is taking place. Sometimes they get in line. Most of the time they storm away, usually with a few choice cuss words (and probably heading to City Hall to complain). And other times they look for another loophole to exploit. Hello Fastpass!

Fastpass is designed to let guests come back at a certain time window usually hours later instead of waiting in long lines. Get your pass, come back between say 6pm -7pm and there is a shorter separate line for you. The Cheater family thinks they can go right into this line without having to get a pass like everyone else. When  they are turned away (again), they are livid. They yell threats, want to see managers, punch Cast Members and sometimes other guests (I don't think the average person knows how many times we have been punched, shoved, swung at, or hit intentionally by strollers and ECV's...this happens ALL the time!).

I see you have an assistance card. I don't think it means what you think it means.

Some of the most abusive and aggravating guests to deal with are those that do not have a wheelchair, but have a Guest Assistance Card. GAC's as we call them, are designed to help guests with certain issues. Autistic kids sometimes don't handle crowds well, or someone might have a hard time climbing stairs, or needs to be in the front row. We do our best to help everyone with their situations.

But then, there are the idiots who think we have given them Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket to do any damn thing they please. They don't wait to be assisted by a Cast Member. They walk right into exits, let themselves in through gates, drop ropes like it's not for them, or even try to use it as a Fastpass. When you try to get their attention or stop them from entering an area, they ignore you and just hold it out in front of them like it's some search warrant by the FBI.

And you know what? Most of the time what they are trying to do isn't even what is stamped on the card! I don't have to wait in line. I'm going in through the exit and getting a seat. Sir, this card says you need a shaded area and this whole place is an indoor attraction. I think we have provided what you asked for. Or my favorite is "alternate entrance" for those that cannot do stairs. Guess what they consider their entrance? Yep, Fastpass. Bzzzzzzt! Wrong answer!

I want instant gratification, and I want it yesterday!

This next situation encompasses pretty much everything covered so far: GAC's, ECV's, wheelchairs, and strollers. Sometimes people think they are the ONLY person in the park that needs special assistance. By that, I mean this situation that happens on the trains often.

I explained in the previous post that the "box" can only accommodate two wheelchairs at a time. So here I am helping load chairs at Main Street. I have a chair waiting to board, but when the train comes in, ruh roh Raggy!, the box is already full and no one is exiting at this station. I explain that they will have to wait for the next train. What!?! I demand to get on this train. Make those people get out so I can ride! Excuse me, what? No, things do not work that way. Just because you are in line, doesn't mean there weren't people here before you. That's right, sometimes even the wheelchair lines are long and you will have to wait. I am in a wheelchair! I shouldn't have to wait for anything! And 90% of the time when the next train comes into the station, the box is full on that one too <snicker>. It's at this point, they usually give you an ultimatum. We are getting on the next train regardless! We are not waiting any longer! Oh please, oh please, oh please let the next box be full...

And they cuss at me because there are other wheelchairs in the park that got there before they did...

Timing is Everything (Part 2)
 

Did you know the Walt Disney World Railroad is actually a timed attraction? We do not sit there and wait until we are full before leaving. We try to adhere to a very tight schedule all day long. Those whistles you hear as we are sitting in the station are actually timing whistles we use to let the conductors know how much boarding time we have left.

 

When we pull into a station, we actually start a stopwatch. Can you guess how long we sit there during the unload/boarding process? 5 minutes? 10 minutes? Would you believe two minutes and thirty seconds? Yep, that's right, 150 seconds. This is why you see an engineer jump off the train immediately to start loading any waiting wheelchairs. The important word in that last sentence is waiting. If you are not there waiting for us when we pull in the station, you might as well forget about riding that particular train. We do not have the time. You can yell at us to wait as you come up the ramp all you want, but it will not do you any good. We are leaving without you. You can imagine how some wheelchair guests react when they finally make it to the gate (with their 15 family members and three unfolded strollers) and we pull away. The loaders in the stations get an earful at this point. Basically it's What the Hell? That train left and never tried to board my family! We told them to wait! I want a manager!

 

Usually, these are the same people that cant get on the next train because the box is full (karma?). So now they bitch and moan that they have to wait a whole seven minutes for the next train. Seven. The lines for some attraction are over two hours, but it's that seven minutes that really ruins their day...

 

 

My Guilty Pleasure

 

 

As an engineer, when I'm firing the train it is my job to load wheelchairs when we come into a station. I won't say its our favorite thing to do, but we do it gladly to help guests out. Once it hits a certain point of the day (noon-ish), we are constantly having to get off the train and load chairs to the point where it gets aggravating.

The special kids are a joy and we love talking to them and joking with them since so many are enamored with trains and engineers and conductors. And then there are the people that you KNOW do not need or belong in a wheelchair. We aren't supposed to ask or judge, but we just KNOW. They just used it to bypass the line. Many times as we approach them, we hear the kids arguing over whose turn it is to sit in the chair. Yeah, exactly. Sometimes, no one is in the chair at all and it's full of bags. Excuse me sir, do your souvenirs require special assistance?

Anyway, these are the people I love to put in the box with a kid from Give Kids the World or Make a Wish Foundation. I want the adults to feel so small. I have seen the look in their eyes, right before they stare at the ground for the entire trip. They won't look at the kids or talk to their parents. Usually they want off at the next stop. I have seen some come back to ride the train later in the day and be standing with their chair already folded. They want no part of that box. Mission accomplished.

So there it is. I am quite sure there will be other companion pieces to these first two that I have written.

To all the people who shake our hands, or pat us on the back, or moms that hug us after we pose for a pic with their kids, or just say Thank You for doing a good job at a difficult task, please come see us again. The rest of you? Learn something from those people.

 

Disney and the Disabled

Disney was in the headlines recently over disabled people renting themselves out as tour guides (here for full story). I realized nobody ever tells the horror stories of the crap that we go through as Cast Members every single day trying to make everyone happy.

Now before I go off on certain rants, I would like to say that NO ONE is better at dealing with situations than Disney, and the people I work with are the soldiers on the front lines who go above and beyond to help out guests the best we can. I am not talking about the people that really are disabled and/or need assistance. We do everything we possibly can for these guests. We love those kids. We bend over backwards to solve any problems they have. No one does it better than we do. We are there everyday and have seen it all...

So we can point out cheaters, liars and fakes a mile away.

Issue #1: Those <bleeping> ECV's!

Family comes to park with grandma in tow. Instead of making her walk around the park like everyone else, they decide to rent an ECV (electronic convenience vehicle) for her. Then they proceed to think that this now allows them to use all disability areas because she has a scooter.

The last time I checked, age is not a disability. Yet when we set up specific areas along the parade route for disabled guests, it is mostly filled with senior citizens/lazy fat people on scooters of all kinds. As soon as the ropes go up, here comes the four wheeled motorcade. It is my belief that these should not be allowed in these areas without proper documentation. This is an area for disabled guests, not a freaking ECV parking lot!

Years ago, all the lines and queues around the parks were made wheelchair and ECV accessible. No more separate, shorter lines that let you get backdoored into an attraction. Everyone uses the same line now. You wanted to be treated the SAME as everyone else right? Well, you got it! No more cheating parents who would rent a wheelchair instead of a double stroller and have their two kids sit in it to get quick access to things. Definitely a good move.

My point here is that the entire parade route, not just the designated wheelchair areas, are ECV accessible. Just drive right up to the curb and stop. When I worked disability, I made the guests show me a Guest Assistance Pass. If they didn't have one, I showed them a lovely patch of real estate along the curb somewhere else and explained that this was for disabled guests only. Did they like hearing that? Oh Hell no! Got called every name in the book. But I was not going to run out of room in my area for someone who didn't need it and risk not having room for those precious kids that did.

Check the afternoon parade. It's funny how no one is "disabled" when the area calls for them to sit in the sun. They find other places to go. Yet at night...

Issue #2: Parents/guardians of the legitimate (I hate to use that word) handicapped guests think absolutely NO rules apply to them.

Oh the things we have seen people try to get away with! And a lot of them are from charitable organizations.

I was working the area in the castle hub when a group of five wheelchairs and their "sponsors" came up to be seated. No problem at all. We have special groups in like that all the time (usually wearing the same shirts). He then proceeds to tell me he needs room for 20 more wheelchairs. I said no. We are only allowed to seat who comes up, first come/first served and no saving seats. You would have thought I shot this man's dog in front of him. The nerve of me to tell him no! In his whole rant, he screamed (SCREAMED!) about how it was unfair, and he wanted to see a manager, and was going to write letters, and on and on and on. They literally try to bully you to break the rules. I have seen many, many nights where they have these poor college girls in tears yelling and screaming at them. Pathetic.

Also, in these spots we limit the amount of people that can be with a chair to five (unless otherwise noted on their GAC). So here comes the Waltons with all 30 people in their family plus a chair. You explain to them the we can take the chair plus five, and those five will actually have to stand behind the chair, while the others will have to find somewhere else to view the parade. All Hell breaks loose again. They think they should all be allowed to sit together. Really, all 30 of you? Once you get that sorted out, the five that stay with the chair move right to the front row blocking spots for other chairs and you have to move them back. More fights and yelling. So see, it's no longer about making sure the special kid can see the parade, it's about how everyone else wants to benefit from the situation. And somehow we end up being the bad guys...

Issue #3: Timing is Everything.

If you plan on going to a 9:00 movie on a busy night, what time do you think you should arrive at the theatre? 8:45 might be risky. 8:30? 8:15? Definitely not 9:15! Now ask yourself why. Not going to find a seat are you? This is mainly for the non-Disney people out there. The rest of us KNOW.

Night parades are very busy things. Normal set up time for a 9:00 parade is 7:30. An hour and a half before. And often times people are already seated and saving spots. Disability sections fill up quickly (mostly with ECV's...sigh...). So here comes the Griswold family at 8:50 with little Russ in the wheelchair. Now he's bitching at me because there's nowhere to sit and my section filled up long ago. You already know that Castle hub is full so you tell him there may be room in Frontierland. OMG!!! I'm not walking that far. Find me a spot now! Now it's my job to find him somewhere to sit? You explain their only options and leave it at that. This is when they start trying to set up camp in areas where they can't be. Like in the middle of the street three feet off the curb. Or in the middle of a crosswalk. It's all packed and there's nowhere for them to go. And you know what? It's all somehow MY fault...

Issue #4: Issues 1-3 combined on Trains, with strollers added to the mix.

 

I know each area has their own individual issues, but I wanted to give an insight into what we encounter EVERY DAY on the Walt Disney World Railroad. Let's start with those ECV's.

 

Just so you know, we do not allow ECV's on the train. It's posted plain and simple that you must transfer to a wheelchair if you cannot board under your own power. Our wheelchair area, or "box" can only hold two wheelchairs at a time. Got it? Okay, now here comes Granny in her ECV and her family. The first thing we notify them of is the fact that the ECV cannot go on the train (it is even in the papers they sign!). Now they are all bent out of shape. How are we supposed to get to Dumbo now? We can't leave Granny to fend for herself! You guys are so insensitive to our needs!

 

First of all, "Granny" isn't even handicapped and wouldn't be allowed in the box anyway (it's like parking in a handicapped spot...big no no). Second of all, that's a Disney rental ECV. You just rented that thing downstairs and have driven it maybe 100 feet. So let me get this straight. Not even do you not want Granny to walk, you don't even want her to drive that infernal thing? You want us to pick it up and transport it somewhere else? Do you see the irony there?

 

Main Street and Frontierland have a ramp that leads upstairs to the station where we let them park the scooter (c'mon we're not cruel enough to make them walk up those ramps). Fantasyland station doesn't have an upstairs, but does have its own area you access through the normal line. Do you know what our biggest struggles are in those places? The handicapped? Not at all. It's the "regular" guests who think because they have a child in a stroller that they should be able to use those special areas. People yell and scream at us that their kids allow them to use handicapped areas. Read that last sentence again and let it sink in. So now having kids is considered a disability.

 

To make thing worse (oh it gets worse), since we are the only attraction that allows strollers, we just ask that you folder your stroller up before boarding. But my kid is sleeping! Why cant we push the stroller into your little box area there?!? We try to explain that due to FEDERAL guidelines, it's very specific what we can and cannot put in the handicapped area. Do you think they care? No, they yell and call us names and ask to see managers. Because, you know, it's my fault you bought that 300 pound stroller with GPS attachments and loaded it full of bags and food.

Now let's take a trip out west to Frontierland station. The exit ramp doubles as the wheelchair access queue because it leads to that area of the station. The normal line goes up the stairs and out the opposite side. Guess where all the guests with strollers want to go? Guess where we don't let them go? There is even a sign that says wheelchair access only. I would bet that 95% of our guest complaints are about this. The poor greeter downstairs bears the brunt of this every single day. Being called names, spit on (!), cussed at and on and on and on. All because we want you to fold your stroller and take it up the stairs and enter the attraction like normal, non-disabled people. Makes that $8.10 an hour sound worth it doesn't it?

There are many more instances I could get into, but it will just all end up sounding like we work in a miserable place. I'm guessing most non-Disney people had no idea the things we go through on a daily basis. I just wanted to share a little insight into our work lives.