The lines at Disney's theme parks can be long. Painfully, tediously long for most people - torturously long for people with disabilities. That's why, for the past 12 years, Disney had a program that allowed some disabled people to move towards the front of these long lines.
Now though, Disney is sharply curtailing
this program - requiring anyone who wants a "Disability Access Service" (DAS) pass to be interviewed by
both a Disney staff member
and a medical practitioner contracted by Disney. And even people with very serious medical disabilities are being denied.
Tell Disney: don't make disabled people's lives harder. Reverse its restrictions on the DAS pass for people with disabilities!Reporters with AP News interviewed one woman who has an ileostomy bag, who can't stand for long periods of time due to her related medical condition. Disney determined that she was "ineligible" for its DAS program - or, as the woman said, not "disabled enough."
Even worse, Disney
also denied her 25-year-old son. He is blind, is autistic, and has cerebral palsy.
Disney originally established the DAS program in order to demonstrate understanding and recognition that some people will require accommodations and adaptations, to ensure their well-being is properly considered. For it to narrow the scope and make it impossibly difficult for disabled people to qualify is outrageously cruel.
Sign the petition to demand that Disney show some compassion and humanity! It must stop making it harder for disabled people to qualify for its access service program!