handicapped passes

[L_sat]

I am not currently a cast member at Disneyland, but I'm hoping to become one in the near future. Anyway, the post.

I don't know about you but I am so sick of teenagers coming in and pretending they're injured just so they can get to the front of the line. It's one thing if you have a SERIOUS handicap, but it's another if you're wearing your friend's father's old leg brace when you're NOT injured so you can cut the poor kid in the wheelchair in front of you.

A while ago I was waiting in line for the Haunted Mansion with a few of my friends. We were nearing the end of the queue near the loading area and I saw a young girl in a wheelchair with her family and a teenaged girl with 5 of her friends, all appearing to be in perfect health. They were the only handicapped guests waiting to be seated. The Castmember on duty (no idea who) did not realize who was first in the line, as they were standing side-by-side, and started to load the help the girl in the wheelchair and her family into a car. Almost immediately, the teenage brat starts YELLING at the castmember, INSISTING that her and her friends had been the first to arrive there. After throwing a huge fit, she finally gave up and waited to be seated in the next car.

Coming from a family with many handicaps, this deeply perturbed me.

anybody know what I mean?

[Freak]

^ Yeah, it irks me whenever I see a group of kids scamming the handicap system. Its taking away from people who truly need the service. These kids just go about their way not caring about anyone else. (Yeah, I do care about other people...)

It has seemed to gotten a bit lighter over at Disneyland, but Knott's is still pretty bad. I've seen kids "wheelchair surfing" near Bigfoot Rapids in front of a dozen employees, then just hopping in through the exit. I really wished they would've fallen over and..yeah...I'm getting mean now.

[L_sat]

ach...yeah, I hear horror stories from friends about places like Knotts and Six Flags. Still, it's always a bit suprising to see stuff like that happening at Disneyland.

Especially since some kids only get to see it ONCE in their life time.

Let's not ruin the magic, kids :) heh heh.

[GMC]

you can always sort the bullshitters, and the ones that are for real, when theire bitching at you after climbing the stairs at main street station, about the fact that there is no ramp, key words CLMIBING THE STAIRS, if you can get up the stairs, you don't need to go in the exit, or use a ramp, and it isn't the end of the world if you wait 15 minutes like every one else.

[coldfire409]

I've also noticed that the guests are truly disable and need the pass will attempt to wait in the queue whenever possible. They are also very nice when it comes to boarding the ride because they know that it may take longer for them to board, and they don't mind waiting. On the other hand the people that try to cheat the system will run as fast as they can to the loading area and push and shove their way through the part of the queue that they have to wait through and will throw other guests off the ride if we didn't stop them.

[L_sat]

I know what you mean. Seriously, if you can RUN up to the front of the line with no visible physical problems, I think you could just as easily wait 15 minutes or less in line with everybody else.

we're all going to the same place. TAKE YOUR FRIGGIN' TIME.

end :) heh heh.

[VoodooDawn52]

my favorite is when they run up to you jumping over chains and dodging strollers....(I think to myself, yeah lines over there) they get close and whip out that white piece of paper. Crap! Yeah you need to not wait in the ten minute line :roll: and they try and seat themselves......the train was the best, nope no ramp here....(as I am at train central) :D

[SRT_GB]

I hate when those teenagers come up to us at Strollers with the most obviously fake limps. I've seen more than one change which leg they were favoring, not to mention the huge amount of overacting they do. Dumbasses don't realize that we're going to rent the wheelchair to them without all that damn acting as long as they pay the rental fee and deposit.

[lady ulrike]

Yeah, I wish there was someway to screen who rents wheelchairs, we've got the passes a little more under control (although I suspect that some people are starting to figure out how to get one even when not needed) Maybe we could make them go to City Hall first and if they determine they don't need one, then they don't get one. It'd be more running around for those who need it, but it would be great to make the stupid teenagers have to do more work, and it'd end up being for nothing.

My favorite thing with all those faking teenagers is working Roger Rabbit or Autopia. Those queues are wheelchair accessible. They'd come up to the exit, or entrance asking, where do I go with the wheelchair. I'd just smile and say, our queue is fully wheelchair accessible, so you can wait in the regular line. About 99% of the time, they turn around and leave. :twisted:

[GMC]

umm, how is Auto's queue fully accesable, if i recall there are quite a bit of stairs...

Indy used to be fully accesable, but they added fast pass, and now our ramp up is spilit down the middle, and they miss out on all the fun stuff between the entrance and the rotunda, that ride would be so much simpler if we didn't have fast pass.

[lady ulrike]

Well okay, not fully accessible, but up until the last five minutes of line. Wheelchairs get sent through the normal queue and at the turnstyle they're taken out and sent to the lift. If they're are a few wheelchairs in a row though those last few will actually wait longer than that last five minutes of line. And even if you're the first the wait's going to be about the same, cause you have to go down the lift and then wait until the grouper gives you a car.

[windmillguy]

Aw, man, now I feel bad about using that pass once back in 8th grade cuz of this thread. Oh well, shame on the road is written off. :oops:

Anyway, I am sick of fakers clogging up the handicap line also. For example: Pirates of The Caribbean, where the Handicap Line can be twice as long of a wait as the normal line( Speaking From experience). I always want to do two things while exiting that ride:

1) Spot the Fakers and pull them out of line.
2) Tell them their little stunt cost them and eveyone else in that line a buttload of time. :hammer:

[Stduck]

Ah yes the GAC card. I'm at gate at the mansion before they pulled out fastpass (thank you gods) and a party of about 4 comes up to me with a gac card with the symbol that states they can't do stairs. At the time the wait was about 20 minutes. I told them we don't have stairs so they would have to use the regualr queue. They got mad and stormed off.

Oh and then at Grounds I got a wheelchair party of 11 (you can only do a party of 6) I told them they would have to be separated they got mad, and said no one told them this yadda yadda yadda. What ended up happening was 6 waited by the ramp while the other 5 waited in the 10 minute line they then all went into the ER together, I was so glad I was not the ER cast member who had to inform then they were going to be separated. (I told them that 6 times before they went in)

[1team1dream]

you can always sort the bullshitters, and the ones that are for real, when theire bitching at you after climbing the stairs at main street station, about the fact that there is no ramp, key words CLMIBING THE STAIRS, if you can get up the stairs, you don't need to go in the exit, or use a ramp, and it isn't the end of the world if you wait 15 minutes like every one else.
there are exceptions such as myself. I have a brain tumor and after surgery I had to relearn to stand, walk, write, etc. while I can climb stairs and walk certain distances I can't really stand for more than 10 minutes at a time. I am currently on a MLOA because my department cannot accomodate my restrictions. :?

[Yfoog]

I have a bud with MDS and is confined to a wheelchair. Unfortunately he can't transfer to and from attraction seats. It's a bummer that the park has lost a couple of wheelchair friendly attractions such as Circle Vision and Country Bear Jamboree. He enjoys the parks but wishes more theatre style attractions would be imagineered.

[abc]

Pooh is a ride where you can roll right on into the special vehicle (is there like just 1?) no transfer necessary. don't know if ecv's will fit. Buzz lightyear might be the same, with a wheelchair accessible car, but since its hm style ride system it might not be the case. I think IASW has this too.

[DLRFantasmic!Dan]

umm, how is Auto's queue fully accesable, if i recall there are quite a bit of stairs...
The Auto queue is mostly of ramps. The wheelchairs just go thorught the regular line, then when they get to the turnstile, they are directed to a Lift, an elevator, then taken to the loading dock. Sure, there are stairs, but not until they get to the pit.

It's basically the smae thing for astro Orbitor, the wheel chairs go through the regular line, except for the ECVs, and when they get to the turnstile, they divert to a handicap area.

[Stduck]

Pooh is a ride where you can roll right on into the special vehicle (is there like just 1?) no transfer necessary. don't know if ecv's will fit. Buzz lightyear might be the same, with a wheelchair accessible car, but since its hm style ride system it might not be the case. I think IASW has this too.
Yes its called the WAV at Pooh. Electric Wheelchairs can go on it as long as they fit. ECVs cannot (yes there is a difference). You can sit up to 4 guests (including the Wheelchair bound one) in the WAV.

Small World has one too but I am not sure what thier restrictions on it are.

[GMC]

I have a bud with MDS and is confined to a wheelchair. Unfortunately he can't transfer to and from attraction seats. It's a bummer that the park has lost a couple of wheelchair friendly attractions such as Circle Vision and Country Bear Jamboree. He enjoys the parks but wishes more theatre style attractions would be imagineered.
i'm with your friend on the more show attractions bit, not b/c of accesability (which is a nice aspect) but b/c they're fun, even tho nobdy goes to see them.

[Roger Rabbit]

I can spot the fakers a mile away! Trust me on that!

[Stduck]

I can spot the fakers a mile away! Trust me on that!
Oh yes that I know you can do. (I think you even pointed a few out during my training to me) It's those fakers that clog up our wheelchair number. Thank goodness for creep mode at the Mansion and Pooh's line being 100% wheelchair accessable.

[lady ulrike]

Yes, Small World has a boat (sometimes two) that a wheelchair can go right on. It's pretty much the same as at Pooh, our rented ECV's dont' fit on it, but some personal electric ones do fit. If it fits, you can go on, if not, you can't. You can have like 10 people on our boat, including the wheelchair guest.

[Stduck]

We have two as well at Pooh (Winnie and Woozle) but we only ever opperate one (it has been Winnie) and Woozle is kind of in pieces by the CC break room.

[hobie16]

My son has a laundry list of problems that require him to wear braces. Even with braces he requires a wheelchair to get around for substained periods like going to Disneyland.

The first time we took him we had no idea that passes were available for special needs kids. Even without the pass the CMs at every ride that had alternate access for wheelchairs always pointed us in the right direction so we could get him on and off with no problems. We've been back a number of times and have always had the same positive experience.

Thanks guys, you are the best!! :D

[Main Streeter]

there are exceptions such as myself. I have a brain tumor and after surgery I had to relearn to stand, walk, write, etc. while I can climb stairs and walk certain distances I can't really stand for more than 10 minutes at a time. I am currently on a MLOA because my department cannot accomodate my restrictions. :?
Am curious so will throw this out for answers. How long is a CM allowed to be on MLOA after surgery, injury not Disney related, & injury which was sustained while working @ DLR? Someplace I read a CM could not be on MLOA longer than one day less than a year. If this is true - what happens if the healing process is more than a yr? Is the CM termed even if injury/illness was not their fault? Last sentence sounds odd. :oops: Realize an illness is no one's fault.

[Wendy Peffercorn]

Instead of telling a party with 2 ECVs to "go right on out" of the ER at mansion, I accidentally told them to "zoom on out." :shock: I felt so bad, it just kind of slipped out!

[kimpossible33]

^Doesn't seem like such a big deal to me... . The guest in the ECV probably says stuff like that all the time.

[screnwriter]

I have a good little friend, Jonah, whom I met when I was a cast member. Jonah had to have both legs amputated above the knee when he was newborn. He had quite a few problems from birth, but he's a happy friendly, outgoing and SMART guy, and at age 7, has outlived his original projected life by a mile.

Last time he and his family came out for a visit, Jonah's mom and I went to city hall for a pass. Here we're carrying a kid with TWO artificial legs, and other very obvious and visible differences, and the GR girl was being difficult about the pass. Asking us, "how long can he walk?" telling us that all rides accomodate wheelchairs, telling Jonah's MOM that it's a good idea for him to learn to "wait" sometimes. Jeez. Here's a kid with so many things he can't do, but who CAN appreciate Disneyland. Who's had to miss out on fun because an artificial leg broke, who's had to wait at home due to headaches, complications of his conditions - HE HAS TO LEARN TO WAIT?

We basically pushed the issue, got the pass and went on. I agree, and I'm glad, that CM's are supposed to challenge able-bodied people about passes, but with Jonah - you know the pass is deserved and needed.