Click here for Here & Now (Prologue): The Question Of Autism In Amusement Parks Under The ADA
Click here for Here & Now (Pt. 1): Is Immediate Ride Boarding For Autistic Guests Really Necessary?
Click here for Here & Now (Pt. 3): Isn't Standing In Line An Essential Rule Of The Park ... Even For Autistic Guests?
A recent
lawsuit filed against the Walt Disney Company has put before a Federal Court
in California the question of whether amusement parks have a legal obligation
under the ADA to allow autistic guests to skip the line and board rides
immediately upon arrival. It’s a question that the
industry has struggled with for years without much guidance in the legal
literature. This series is taking a
closer look at that question. Last time,
I looked at the question of whether it was “necessary,” in ADA parlance, for anautistic guest to have immediate boarding privileges. Today, I’m tackling what I believe to be the
central question raised in the Walt Disney lawsuit: Is it reasonable
to allow guests with disabilities to have on-demand, immediate boarding on amusement
rides? Put another way, is it reasonable to provide guests with disabilities with an appointment time at which immediate boarding will be granted?
As I mentioned in the first piece in this
series, public accommodations, like amusement parks, are only required to make
“reasonable modifications” under the Americans With Disabilities Act. But what does "reasonable" mean in the context of an amusement park?