Disabled people can no longer skip to the front of the line at Disneyland and Walt Disney World due to non-disabled visitors who have been cheating the system.
Visitors who are handicapped or have special needs can currently go through the exit or a special entrance and skip the line for rides, but that's coming to an end and this system has caused problems. The parks will now issue tickets that have a designated return time for a ride. Disabled visitors won't have to wait in line, but they won't be able to have immediate access to a ride, the Orange County Register reports.
This is being done as there has been an increase in disabled "tour guides" who guests hire for hundreds of dollars so that they can cut the lines. Now the parks are trying to cut down on this scam.
"We wanted to curb some of the abuse of this system," Disneyland Resort spokeswoman Suzi Brown told the Orange County Register. "We have an unwavering commitment to making our parks accessible to all guests. 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."
This new policy will go into effect starting October 9 and will be for guests who have park-issued disability cards. More details will be announced once the park employees have been briefed.
Guests who are legitimately accompanying a disabled visitor can receive an assistance card.
Parents of children with autism and epilepsy are not happy about the new rules. Rebecca Goddard, with a 4 and 6 year old son with autism said standing in long lines makes them aggressive.
"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."
However Autism Speaks Southern California executive director Matt Asner said the change was understandable as the current system isn't working.
"Change is difficult," he said. "I didn't want it to change, but I understand there was an issue that needed to be dealt with."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
