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Post by Nemo on Jun 26, 2013 20:33:24 GMT -5
Hey guys! I'm just really curious about your input and opinions on a topic I had found out about during my Disney World Trip in May. It was discovered that rich families have been hiring disabled 'guides' in order to skip lines at the Disney parks. The disabled 'guide' gets paid a pretty good hourly wage (like a couple hundred) or nearly $1,000 for a whole day at the park!!! So the guide is basically pretending to be related to the family who hired him or her just to bypass the lines. Paying hundreds just so you don't have to wait in the lines at the parks. To me it honestly seems very unfair because those services were made to help families and guests with disabilities that would make it difficult to get around or enjoy themselves at Disney. It really just disgusted me when I read the whole article (in a link below) while we were on vacation. On a personal level because the very last trip with my brother he had to use that special Guest Assistance pass because he couldn't walk more than 10-15 minutes due to his illness (so he was mainly in a wheelchair). And because of it we did pretty much everything those people said: skip the stand in lines and go in through the exits, or a couple times just be sent to the fastpass line, and get really close show seating. This is the article my mom found online on her cellphone about the issue: www.cnn.com/2013/05/15/us/disney-skipping-linesA recent youtube video discussing and showing how it happens www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iqC83mJ2zoWhat are your thoughts about this? Good way to make money? Handicapped being taken advantage of?
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Post by Stirfry on Jun 27, 2013 0:27:06 GMT -5
Hmm... well... it is of course pretty unfair that people would use their wealth to get special treatment like that. As if the wealthy didn't have a cushy enough life as it is. And it is obviously an abuse of a system designed to help people.
On the other hand most disabled people can't work and have to live off social security, which I know from my parents doesn't pay that well, just enough to get by on. Have to wonder if they are being taken advantage of or earning needed money. They are willingly doing it so I find the disabled to be just as guilty of going along with it. Not being taken advantage of at all.
However, as I said that wasn't the intended purpose of the system but it is mutually beneficial to the employer and the employee. It seems the only real victims are the people not rich enough to pay disabled people to cut in line. As I see it anyway.
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Post by Sweeney Terrier on Jun 27, 2013 1:09:33 GMT -5
Bloody rich bastards. If hell was set up like it is in Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy", the rich families doing this scandal would obviously end up in the circle of Greed, and as for the handicapped people accepting the bribes, either Greed or Fraud.
Apparently, imo, members of the upper class, [those who DON'T deserve to be in the upper class], are ruining the good name of yet ANOTHER thing the public adores/praises. And as for the handicapped people accepting the bribes, they ARE PATHETIC for doing so. Putting money, a mere green paper that humans find as a requirement for life, above the value of their own self-esteem, respect, and position in society. If I was one of those handicapped people being paid the money to act/look like a family member of a rich family, I'd instead tell the parents to look at Expedition Everest, until they get the idea of my answer.
Disney should start using DNA scanners, such as fingerprints, at the lines used for handicapped people to make sure that those handicapped are ACTUALLY directly part of the family they are with.
As for the rich that are causing the scandal, they ARE Pathetic COMPLETELY. They clearly have NO patience, tolerance, intellect, [in regards to GOOD knowledge], or wisdom just by doing this. I'd like to see how they'd actually do WITHOUT all their money for ONE DAY.
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Post by babclayman on Jun 27, 2013 9:53:10 GMT -5
With me, Due to my Autism, My family has the Handicap item at Disney. Although, with my case, it's an actual case and not us Buying the pass.
I mean, Buying a Handicap Pass would be considered wrong since you are comminiting fraud in a way. Getting Benefits one isn't truly entitled to. Isn't that Court Punishable?
Disney does sometimes do items to counter this. Like if the Queue is VERY Long, they will give you a Fastpass to come back later (like the Cars ride in California Adventure).
Although, Would Disney, as a result of this, start a special package where one could purchase a special pass?
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Post by Nemo on Jun 27, 2013 10:26:52 GMT -5
@general: I agree it is unfair the use their wealth to get that kind of treatment. I'm mostly mixed with this issue and disagree with it cause of my situation I explained in my original post. This was made to help people with legit handicaps, not for the 1%'ers to avoid waiting in line like us normal people. You do bring up a good point, since disabled people likely can't work, or if they can they have a harder time getting it cause most companies are hesitant about hiring disabled. (Off topic it's why I'm worried about not being able to find work, though Autism is mental/neurological it's still a disability no less.)
@lupus: I agree that it's unfair the rich are just exploiting a system Disney made to help families and individuals with a member who had an honest handicap to have a happier experience. Because of this now it'll likely be harder for the real handicaps (as in those with their real families) to enjoy disney because of these schemers. However I can understand why some people offer their 'handicap' services to these people. Since it is hard for a disabled person to find work, or they may be unable to work entirely. Since some of them are getting over $1,000 a day to just pretend to be in the rich person's family.
@bab: I have it to, but my parents don't see reason to get that pass -shrug-. Never saw reason actually.. weird. And I have no idea if they'd do that, but they may likely take a lot of steps in the future to find the people exploiting this system.
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Post by Belchic on Jun 27, 2013 18:41:33 GMT -5
I can understand giving special treatment to handicapped people, but rich people seems extremely unfair!
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Post by Nemo on Jun 27, 2013 20:55:22 GMT -5
I can understand giving special treatment to handicapped people, but rich people seems extremely unfair! Basically what's going on is that some rich people are hiring handicapped individuals to "pretend" to be their family so that they can bypass all the lines since the handicapped at disney get really good treatment and help at the parks. But now cause of those rich people Disney may make it harder for those handicapped who are with their legit family and not just someone paying them :<
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Post by Cruella on Jun 27, 2013 22:19:14 GMT -5
DNA scanners wouldn't work. Adopted family members are also family members. Some of my own kids are adopted.
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Post by babclayman on Jun 28, 2013 9:14:51 GMT -5
DNA Scanners? DNA tests do take a while to do. Although that is a fair point, that a family member 'might' be adopted.
With me, My Family has all the legit documentation and even proof of my condition. Or is that getting purchased too?
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Post by Stirfry on Jun 28, 2013 9:36:45 GMT -5
DNA scanners wouldn't work. Adopted family members are also family members. Some of my own kids are adopted. Also DNA scanners are expensive pieces of forensic equipment that require people in lab coats and a lab to read anyway. Not that Disney doesn't have the money to throw away, but still probably not worth the cost just to stop people from doing this.
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Post by RaceFanX on Jun 28, 2013 12:53:31 GMT -5
A DNA Scanner? Seriously? That's not even real in a practical context in addition to being a HUGE, HUGE invasion of privacy. Normal people wouldn't even go to Disney if they had they to face invasive screening like that.
I don't know where to side on this issue because it's not a black-and-white issue, more in the gray. If a disabled person, who can't work or has trouble finding work, can make up to $1,000 a day just to go to Disney World with some rich freaks with more dollars than sense more power to them. A lot of people will kill for a job that easy that pays that well.
Personally I think the whole backlash of this is just part of the tendency of late of knock the rich. The "1% are clearly the most evil thing around" according to a lot of people...what a load of huff. This is an annoyance at best. You want real problems walk through Flint after dark, hang out on the street in Karachi, or take a public bus in Mumbai. I think this whole deal is questionable but I'll let the disabled decide for themselves.
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Post by Nemo on Sept 26, 2013 18:50:30 GMT -5
Replying to this again because there has been an update! Just google "Disney tightens up resort disability program" and you'll get tons of news articles about what happened. Basically next month Disneyland and Disney World are going to implement a new policy to hopefully curb people from hiring disabled "tour guides" and able-bodied people who rent wheelchairs pretending to be handicapped to get the "guest assistance cards". Which would immediately allow a guest and their party (of up to 6 I think + disabled member) to get on the ride much quicker through a ride exit. What will be happening now is instead of that system. Guests with a new disability access card will be issued a ticket with a time to enter an attraction, based on the current wait time, so they don't have to stay in line. It's been stressed this is NOT a fastpass, but a "new" sort of system. Like booking a reservation at a restaurant with time, party #, etc.. Why not just ask for proof of disability instead? Due to confidentiality laws (in Florida or US..?) Disney is not allowed to ask those kinds of questions. So my question is, how do you guys feel about this? Yay or nay? For me... I applaud Disney is trying to do something about the "fakers" and people abusing the system. But this change will likely affect future DL/WDW trips for many people. On my family's last trip to WDW before a family member passed, we got to use the Guest Assistance Card because he could not walk for more than 10-15 minutes and would tire easily due to his illness. Because of this card we bypassed the main line and got on through ride exits, or got to be placed in the fast past line. This trip was THE best trip my family had ever been on. I think we got to do every single ride everyone wanted (which I think is rare at Disney), best seating for shows, and all those great opportunities. So to me, it will be sad to see this system gone, but we have to pay for a few bad apples. Article I read about it: www.cnn.com/2013/09/23/travel/disney-disability-policy-changes/?hpt=hp_t2
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Post by RaceFanX on Sept 26, 2013 19:51:11 GMT -5
Disney got so much bad PR they had to do something but it will probably work out in the end.
Before my grandmother passed we went to Disney World one year with her and she used a wheelchair at the park when she didn't at her home because of how much more travel she would be doing in the park, I remember Disney was very accomdating even then (late 1990s, I think it was while they were building Test Track). We went to The Land at EPCOT to ride the boat ride and since the normal exit wasn't handicap accessable a few employees took us through a normally off limits area behind the building to loop back up to main portion of the park.
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Post by Nemo on Sept 26, 2013 20:15:08 GMT -5
I think it will to. But I've seen many people complain about it being "more difficult" for the disabled. And awww that must've been a fun trip. We went on one with my grandma to during Christmas, she had to be in a wheelchair as well! Love how accomodating they are
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Post by babclayman on Sept 27, 2013 5:32:55 GMT -5
I hear on that too and am fretting on it. Like said, sometimes there are some people who genuinely deserve it and we shouldn't allow a few bad apples to taint the system.
Also, if you give them a pass and come back at the time that the current queue time is, you might as well just stand in the line, hence making the pass redundant.
My family is considering bring EVERY Piece of Disability Documentation that we have, just to prove we're the genuine deal. Also, what about the disabled areas for Parades or Show? What happens to them?
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