Hello readers,
I thought that I would start my non-news articles with my view on how Disney handles and accommodates Guests with disabilities and how it there have been improvements for the better.
In the last twenty-one some odd years that I have been going to the Disney parks as an adult, I have noticed that Disney has made great strides in making so that Guests in wheelchairs and electric scooters are able to get around their parks with a lot of ease.
Evan as far back as 1992, Disney parks rented out electric scooters, or as Disney calls them Electric Convenience Vehicles (ECVs), for guests to use in the parks. I can honestly say that Disney probably was not the first to do so but they were one of the first to encourage guests to use them to help provide an enjoyable vacation.
With the increase in the use of the ECVs in the parks, disney finally realized that they would need to increase the width of their queue lines at their attractions to help accommodate the ECVs easily. I believe that the reasoning behind this was because guests complained that they were not able to enjoy the well themed queue lines that Disney had designed for the parks. The other side of the coin came from guests that watched guests with the scooters in their opinion get front of the line access to the rides while they had to wait in long lines to ride the same rides.
Now days, the only reason why guests with ECVs or wheelchairs bypass a portion of the queues if not all of it is because there are stairs that need to be climbed. Disney has published Guides for Guests with Disabilities with updated information regarding their attractions and what guests should encounter when they try and ride them. For first time guests to the parks I strongly recommend that guests get the guides and read them over. There are versions available on the Disney web sites at the following addresses:
- Walt Disney World Resort: http://bit.ly/RHUawV
- Disneyland Resort: http://bit.ly/QuPPhX
These links go to websites that Disney has setup to give guests planning information before they come to the resorts. Disney also provides information for all types of disabilities including guests with vision and hearing issues.
Again I really can’t emphasize strongly enough how useful planning ahead of time before going on vacation to the Disney parks will reduce the amount of stress you will have when you come down.
Disabled Disney Guests Blog 