In recent history, Disneyland has had quite a few issues when it comes to the Rider Assistant passes that is uses for guests with disabilities. It seems that Disney is still trying to figure out a method to make the park a happy and accessible place for all their guests but so far they have not been making either side happy.
The idea of a Rider Assistant Pass is simple, if you need special assistance, such as being in a wheel chair, walker, crutches or any other device needed in order to move around, they are supposed to make your visit to the park more enjoyable. It seems that Disney has gone from one extreme to the other in the past few years. We first noticed them when we would see a person in a wheel chair and 20 of their family members all walking up the exit to a ride. We asked a cast member why they all got to go through the exit and didn't have to wait in line like the rest of us, only to be told that they had a special assistance pass and were allowed to take their whole party up the exit and board the ride. That didn't seem quite fair to us when we where told about it. Why did the whole group get to bypass the line? Why didn't they just allow one person to accompany the person who needed assistance? Something just wasn't fair about that.
Now it seems they have gone to the other extreme and flat out deny anyone a special assistant pass and make the people who really can't sand in line rent an electric scooter and navigate the lines anyway. That isn't fair to anyone as those scooters are not easily maneuvered putting undue stress not only on the driver of the scooter, but also on the rest of the guests in the line. I don't know if you have noticed, but some of those lines are hardly wide enough to walk through, let alone get a scooter in there, and don't get me started on turning the corners!
The solution seems simple to me and I can't understand why Disneyland is having such a problem with it. First of all, it isn't very hard to identify if someone has some kind of handicap and should be given special privileges when it comes to the lines. If you have a handicap placard or ID card, show it to the people at city hall, if you don't then bring a doctors note to explain why you need special assistance. With the pass, it should allow you and one helper the right to go up an exit while the rest of your party waits in the standard line. Once the rest of your party has reached the ride then you are reunited with them and all of your board and ride the attraction together. Simple? Yes, I would say it is very simple. I know it isn't the only solution, but it is surly a simple and logical one.
One Mickey News visitor had a very emotional and stressful trip to Disneyland this past Christmas and that is what sparked this.
