sadI do not wish you my experience. I do not wish you injury or handicap, however temporary. I do not wish you pain. I do not wish you the soul-bruising frustration of being limited by a body that refuses to listen to your commands, or the salt in the wound that is knowing you did nothing to deserve this: that you didn't injure yourself running a marathon or rock-climbing, but instead fell prey to something that can strike anyone, at any time, for any reason. I do not wish you years spent sedentary, watching your friends rush by able-bodied and healthy, and struggling not to resent them for it.
Instead, I wish you empathy.
I wish for a future where you can look at someone using an assistance device, whether it be a cane, a wheelchair, or a motorized scooter, and think "isn't it wonderful how we live in a world where this person can have the same experiences I do."
I wish for a time where you can see someone using a motorized scooter to enjoy something as large as Disney World and think "isn't that person kind, to spare their friends and family the effort of pushing a manual wheelchair around this huge place, just so that they don't have to experience the nerve-racking stress of navigating something so large and potentially dangerous through a crowd."
I wish for a society where you can listen to simple, necessary requests and hear, not an inconvenience, but a leveling out of a certain small imbalance in the world.
I wish for a place where you can see a wheelchair user sitting to watch a parade and not think "great, let's stand in front of them, that's open space," but instead "isn't it lovely how we can all get a good view."
I am not asking for special privileges. I am not asking to go to the head of the line just because my left foot doesn't work sometimes.
All I am asking is to be allowed, unjudged and unresented, to join the line at all.
Thank you.
May 17 2015, 21:31:54 UTC 2 years ago
Unfortunately, for years there have been people abusing Disney's disability access program. That got a lot of press. And now many people feel, wrongly, that people in scooters are 'faking it' to get in line. I've personally observed such a few times. So I have to admit, when I see scooters, I do wonder at times ...for a moment.. and then I proceed as if they really need one. Which is the right response no matter what, because there is no visual definitive way to determine who needs assistance and who doesn't and either way people should be treated with respect unless they demonstrate otherwise.
This abuse has resulted in new policies, btw, that nobody likes (so I guess they are probably right)
And I give you credit for not trying to go to the front of the line.
It's sadly necessary that I file issues like this, as with ones like 'I paid for this vacation, so I better well be able to....' and others, as 'crap that has to be tolerated because many of my fellow humans do not know how to play with others'.
May 18 2015, 21:50:20 UTC 2 years ago
I also can't imagine someone who would find it worth the emotional effort more than once unless it was absolutely necessary.
I assert there's an order of operations issue here. Huge publicity for stories of someone cheating at Disney aren't the *cause* of suspicion and negative attitudes, but the *effect.*
May 20 2015, 08:09:14 UTC 2 years ago Edited: May 20 2015, 08:15:09 UTC
Wow. This line really rubs me the wrong way.
I was once in line (not at Disney World) for registration that took literally 10 hours to process to even enter the convention. I was there from 7am and had already waited two hours when I had a severe asthma attack that drove me to my knees, literally. Inhalers did not remotely relieve the pain (mostly due to extra scarring in my lungs, what fun). I asked if an exception could be made to get to the beginning of the line, or at least to have my space saved while I went to lie down on a nearby sofa.
And I was told that it wasn't fair to ask to be processed faster or to get out of line. I would wait no matter *what* and that if I wanted door prizes I would damn well stand there with everybody else or leave if I couldn't take it for "some reason".
So I stood in line as long as possible before giving up my space, which wasn't long. Nobody offered help, even though I could barely handle walking even with the assistance of my cane.
I registered after all the door prizes were long gone hours later.
Oh well.
Edit: You didn't mean anything ill with that, I know. I'm just overly sensitive and these days I just don't bother trying to join the line.
June 7 2015, 15:01:29 UTC 2 years ago
What I find interesting is how no one complains about, say, the docent program, where I can pay someone to walk me to the front of every line, forever, but "oh no that woman might be using a wheelchair to cut in a line, after spending her whole day in a sea of crotches, BURN HER" is somehow understandable.
(Not mad at you, I just hate humans.)