Disney had a big win in court today when a Judge agreed with the Mouse and dismissed a case that claimed the park’s Disabled Access Card (DAS) violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Not only was a summary judgement granted, but the court will also… Read More »Disney defeats lawsuit claiming Disabled Access System violates ADA, discriminates against autistic children
A group of guests have filed a lawsuit against Disneyland and Walt Disney World alleging the new Disabled Access System (DAS) violates the American with Disabilities Act, specifically for guests with cognitive impairments, such as autism. The main argument of the lawsuit is that prior to the new DAS system, Disney was much more accommodating allowing families to have wonderful experiences together. And because Disney had the knowledge to provide those accommodations then, to not provide them now is discriminatory. The lawsuit gives multiple examples of guests who are unable to comply with the new DAS process without risking a meltdown from the impaired individual.
As you might expect, the lawsuit systematically excludes evidence that doesn’t support its theory. For nearly everything it lists as examples of Disney’s bad behavior, I’ve read first hand accounts of the exact opposite behavior from Disney. But that’s how a lawsuit works.
Some of the facts in the lawsuit are incorrect or border on the incorrect. It mentions that a photo of the disabled guest is added to the DAS, but then states that it is related to the entry to the park, which it’s not. It’s related to making sure the person who is using the DAS is the disabled person, not someone who picked it up off the ground.
They also accuse Disney of sponsoring videos to make the ‘rented invalid’ problem seem worse than it was. I would like to see the evidence for that.
What is true, is that Disney changed their procedures and they are not as accommodating to those with cognitive impairments as they were in the old system. But it does not also follow that that change now places Disney outside the boundaries of the protections the ADA provides.
I guess that is now for the courts to decide.Read More »New Lawsuit Accuses Disney Parks of Discrimination Against Guests With Cognitive Impairments
It’s a problem that began back in 2010 in the heat of a long running labor dispute and has been a black eye for Disney in an area where they are usually known for their excellence. Disney’s parks have prided themselves on diversity in every… Read More »Former Employee Sues Disneyland Over Religious Discrimination
I am going to make a blanket statement about the scheduling practices of Walt Disney World resort and parks. I know there are exceptions to this, but overall this appears to be their default practice. Disney World does not discriminate against religions when hiring or… Read More »Disney World sued over Dress Code/Religious Discrimination
Check out this 1938 rejection letter sent to a woman seeking a job with Disney. She was apparently rejected for being a woman. Turns out she went to work for Disney anyway. I found it via Recruitment Views, and they found it via A Welsh… Read More »How Times Have Changed