Do companies care or not ?

[007paul007]

I thought I would start a thread about events like fairs , circus's or anywhere that you could take your children to and whether they were helpful or not to any requests. This thread can include things like holidays , travelling or anything , but me personally I am getting sick of places saying they can cater for the disabled and when you get there they cannot cater for children with autism.

They are like most firms that when they say they cater for disabled they are actually , like most people , think of a wheelchair.

For example , I take my daughter to a thing called Collectormania at Milton Keynes, where they say they cater for disabled . It's a place where you can pay a small fee , meet a star and get their a personalised signed photo. To keep the queues down they give you a ticket and you wander around until your number is called, well, I cannot take my son as the crowds are just to distressing for him , so I take my daughter and we really are on limited time when we are there , as we have to get back to home to look after my son. Well my number was like 10 out out and there was only two people in the queue I asked the guy if I could go into the queue as I had to get back , the autograph was for my daughter , someone from Harry Potter, well he said no , I had could not wait up til an hour for the number to change as I had to be back , I have since emailed the organisers and they have not even had the bottle to reply , I thought that others should know and that this thread is for other people to name and shame or praise certain groups !!

Edited August 25, 2005 by 007paul007

[Elefan]

Hi,

 

Sorry to read about your experience.

 

However, as much as a thread like this would be helpful, the moderating team are going to have to advise caution.

 

We are very vulnerable as soon as we 'name' and especially 'shame'. Please feel free to place recommendations (with members noting that they are personal recommendations not endorsed by KrisM), but ask members to PM you for the name of any company you may wish to shame, or describe a scenario with.

 

Hope you understand.

 

Kindest regards,

 

Elefan and Co.

[lorryw]

We have been to Florida and always found the welcome from the people at Mouseland not particularly warm. It seems that so many peolple claim to have a disability that the waiting lines for disabled guests are sometimes longer than the actual line.

We have always been met with far more kindness and genuine concern over at Universal Studios. The staff are lovely in fact this year I didnt want to have the bother of going to guest services to get a special pass. Whilst going through the park entrance a gentleman kindly drew us to one side and asked if we realised we could have the pass. He then took us directly to guest services and produced three passes in about 5 seconds, no fuss, no bother, brilliant

Loraine

[007paul007]

Thanks Elefan I have taken the company name out if that is ok , but a little follow up with this now after a few pushing and shoving and humming and harming something might be set up soon , i will keep you informed. I am pushing for things like several theme parks do.

[TuX]

I thought I would start a thread about events like fairs , circus's or anywhere that you could take your children to and whether they were helpful or not to any requests. This thread can include things like holidays , travelling or anything , but me personally I am getting sick of places saying they can cater for the disabled and when you get there they cannot cater for children with autism.

They are like most firms that when they say they cater for disabled they are actually , like most people , think of a wheelchair.

For example , I take my daughter to a thing called Collectormania at Milton Keynes, where they say they cater for disabled . It's a place where you can pay a small fee , meet a star and get their a personalised signed photo. To keep the queues down they give you a ticket and you wander around until your number is called, well, I cannot take my son as the crowds are just to distressing for him , so I take my daughter and we really are on limited time when we are there , as we have to get back to home to look after my son. Well my number was like 10 out out and there was only two people in the queue I asked the guy if I could go into the queue as I had to get back , the autograph was for my daughter , someone from Harry Potter, well he said no , I had could not wait up til an hour for the number to change as I had to be back , I have since emailed the organisers and they have not even had the bottle to reply , I thought that others should know and that this thread is for other people to name and shame or praise certain groups !!

I think one of the problems is the way the general public view the term 'disability',people who have no particular experience with it think disability means a person is unable to walk,which is why we are all wrongly represented by the person in a wheel chair logo.

It is like you have mentioned,companies assume disability=inability to walk,it's degrading.

 

Political correctness is probably a part of this-they don't want to specifically announce 'for physically disabled people'.

I have often seen on evacuation procedure signs in buildings state that in case of fire,

disabled people should be left in building to wait for the fire service to carry them out in their chair,again-they're assuming people who are disabled don't have use of their legs.

It is evident that some people do have disabilities affecting their legs,but I remember hearing the statistics of people in Britain who are physically disabled and other-disabled,on a BBC programme and those who were not physically disabled outnumbered physically disabled people,surely this means they should understand far more and cater for the needs of disabled people who do have difficulties with being in establishments and theme-parks-but not the kind of difficulties they traditionally assume us to have?

Edited August 25, 2005 by TuX

[Zemanski]

it's not just theme parks that get this wrong - our LEA actually stated in writing that the school that they wanted Com to go to (which was completely inappropriate in almost every way) was the best school for him because it had 100% accessibility for disabled students while the one we wanted had only 10%. We really should not have had to point out to the LEA that Com is not in a wheelchair and does not have a problem with stairs

 

nearly got a holiday camp for disadvantaged kids that was based in the huts just down from our chalet to take Com for the week - they ran a mile when I said AS though, good job I was ony joking

 

Zemanski

[mrs q]

I think you should have a word with the local paper and explain how the compnay were so unhelpful...maybe they run a story.

 

I did that the time I was stuck in a lift with my son who was in a pushchair and freaking out.....I was told I should not have bought a pushchair into the lift as the lift was only for disabled people in wheelchair....I explain that T has autism....so he has a disability....this was while a security was shouting at for being so stupid.....this was in a really big store in front to of a lot of people.....when I finally got out of the lift....and spoke to the manager she was as helpful as a paper plate in a swimming pool

 

I was so angry with the way the store treated...i rang head office...they were worse....so I rang the local paper who run the story....saying be careful in the lift as it breaks down and the staff are unhelpful

 

I felt better...and the compnay got some negative public feedback....

 

Hope this helps....

[call me jaded]

It would never occur to me to ask for special treatment when my ASD child is not with me. I don't think the local press would be very sympathetic.

 

We've just had very considerate treatment at a caravan park - Rockley Park in Poole, Dorset where they allocated us a quiet corner very close to all the amenities. The people staying there didn't make us feel like a freak show, either.

[007paul007]

My daughter is also disabled , we get the DLA for her and the ICA , doctors think it might be Aspergers but I am not too sure , she has a statement of special and is classed as having a disability , she has communication problems as well to boot, so I still had someone with me with a disability.

I have finally contacted them and they have said that if I contact them a week before then they will make the team on the floor aware so they are ready for the for us, its a shame cause places like Chessington and Legoland will stamp your hand and you can go straight to the exit and be let on the rides without having to queue, at the end of the day it is not the child's fault that they don't like crowds or get stressed do to their autism.

If it was me that wanted to meet the celeb and my time to stay there was up I would leave it and go home not worrying about it , but my daughter has enough to cope with , not only her special needs but the severe special needs of her brother which she struggles to cope with and understand at times.

[call me jaded]

Ah Paul I wasn't aware that your daughter had difficulties too. Now it makes sense.

 

Siblings get a rough deal - everything is rushed for them.

[bevalee]

Companies should be giving their staff 'Disability Ettiquette Training'. This should cover the unseen 'Disabilities'.

[smallworld]

That's a great idea for all disabilities, but I think would be especially welcomed by those with unseen disabiltities. How are staff supposed to know ? Perhaps some acceptable standard needs to be developed nationwide where people with an unseen disability could make their needs aware with a nationally recognised card ? A sort of pedestrian 'blue badge' ?

Or perhaps a bit of common courtesy might be a start ?

Now I know I'm asking for too much in our 'survival of the fittest, and rudest' culture !

 

wac