Once upon a time in a magical kingdom in Florida, a certain tourist hub instituted a policy for guests with disabilities. This policy, known as the Guest Assistance Card, allowed those who were familiar with its existence and could justify its use, powers unseen to mere mortals. With one of these mystical passes, a disabled guest and their party could avoid the long lines which plagued the kingdom. Although this could not heal the guests’ wounds, and could never make up for the challenges faced by these people in everyday life, it offered the promise of an escape. It kept true to the dream of a magical vacation unbound by the stresses and turmoils of everyday life.
Unfortunately, in a storybook example of why we can’t have nice things, there were evil-doers with poison in their hearts, who sought to abuse this system and corrupt it for everyone. Shady businessmen would rent their grandparents in wheelchairs to rich families craving the awesome power to cut lines. Eventually it became inevitable that the kingdom had to close this loophole. When it did so it shattered the hearts of many a handicapped child and their families.
Alright, I think you’re all caught up on the backstory here.
Though it disappoints me greatly that it came to this, with the level of abuse being turned up in tabloids and travel blogs, it was inevitable that Disney would have to end this program. As one who has used it myself, I will be the first to admit- it was overpowered. But from the impression I got from the guest services folks, that was part of the point. The point was never to get to the lowest common denominator necessary to adhere to federal anti-discrimination laws. The point was to enable these guests to enjoy their vacation. To enable magical moments which, for some of these kids, might never happen again.
There are many reasons why, for a long time, Walt Disney World was the default Make-A-Wish Foundation (and similar) destination, and this approach to disability is one of those reasons. The new program which replaced the GAC is workable- it basically works as a sort of on the go fastpass, giving you a return time equal to the listed standby wait minus ten minutes, after which you can go through the fastpass line at your leisure. But it is mundane compensation rather than a magical silver lining to living with disability. It is a crutch rather than a tricked out motorized wheelchair.
I don’t blame Disney for this change in policy. I know how some of the people were using the GAC, and they really had no choice. I do blame the ringleaders of these black market operations, and the people who paid them. As far as I am concerned, these people are guilty of perfidy, that is, the war crime of abusing the protections of the rules of war (such as feigning wounds) to gain an advantage. As for Disney, I am disappointed, but understanding.
I wish that this fairytale had a more appropriate ending. I wish that I could say that the evil doers faced poetic justice and were made to wait in an endless line while having to listen to the sounds of children crying and complaining about waiting. Unfortunately, this did not happen, and these few bad apples spoiled the bunch.