Not so happy

The wonderful World of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has been confronted with a lawsuit by numerous families of children with developmental disorders and could potentially be facing more unhappy parents. The lawsuit alleges that the families of children with development disorders have experienced suffering and the company has violated the American With Disabilities Act. Disney denied these allegations when the complaint was originally brought to their attention. The initial complaint had up to 57 grievances and is now looking at tripling the accusations against the power house.

This whole legal blunder all started when Disney made an effort to weed out con artists and got rid of their Guest Assistance Card program and brought in Disability Access Service at its parks and resorts in Florida and California. In the beginning of the legal dispute there were 16 children and young adults with autism and other developmental disorders along with their guardians/parents who filed legal action. They stated Disney recently implemented Disability Access Service that violates federal and state law and is completely unsuited to the needs of individuals with such special needs. Disney obviously opposes these remarks and stated by a Disney Parks and Resorts spokesperson, “Disney Parks have an unwavering commitment to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all our guest.”

Many of the plaintiffs are stating that the new system now results in long waits for rides and often results in meltdown behaviors. Along with other complaints such as the once-helpful staff is now inadequate and “robotic” in dealing with such disorders, resulting in various cases of breach of contract and emotional distress. Disney has continuously rejected all claims and has asked for the case to be dismissed or moved to Florida federal courts. There has been no decision yet on those requests and the case. Hopefully the dispute ends quickly and Disney can continue to be a joyous place to visit for all.