tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724814998338928097.post6814460855486884932..comments2024-03-27T03:13:42.345-04:00Comments on The Legal Roller Coaster: Here & Now (Pt. 1): Is Immediate Ride Boarding For Autistic Guests Really Necessary?Erik H. Beard, Esq.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12021548329555288575noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724814998338928097.post-56993000712843275662016-07-24T21:09:44.455-04:002016-07-24T21:09:44.455-04:00Actually parents of autistic children complain all...Actually parents of autistic children complain all the time about long lines in other places, and in at least one context you mentioned accomodation is offered. The TSA will provide an escort for autistic travelers and their families to help them through security, at times bypassing the long security line. Other lines like the post office or supermarket are generally of much shorter duration than amusement park lines, and autistic individuals often do avoid those lines. Also, your points about lines only take into account the behavioral and cognitive reasons an autistic individual might not be able to stand in line. However many people with autism struggle with invisible motor and muscular skeletal weakness which makes the physical act of standing in line painful. Many also have epilepsy or great sensory challenge with loud sounds and lights which may be increased near an entrance to a ride. A noise level that might be tolerable for the 5 minutes of a ride might lead to sensory overload or a seizure after a half an hour or longer wait.spryngtreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12020704572037565814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724814998338928097.post-42982871587018990262014-06-11T17:51:14.856-04:002014-06-11T17:51:14.856-04:00I believe one issue using the examples you discuss...I believe one issue using the examples you discussed, that there is a qualitative difference in the lines at a restaurant, an airport or at a ride in Disney. A restaurant and airport both have areas capable of providing relief for the family...who are able to separate, leaving one person in line... so as if an individual who can in this context be understood to be a dependent adult often requiring special facilities and privacy to eat (possibly using a feeding tube or hand fed), privacy for assisting toileting)... most airports and restaurants do not have appropriate facilities... there are only infant size changing tables. Thus a stronger member of the family may find themselves changing a possibly taller or heavier individual on the floor of a bathroom on a changing pad. Given the number of disabled people who are drawn to Disney because of its accessibility there is often lines for many accessible facilities... I am uncertain as to whether changing areas are available. <br /><br />It is an uncomfortable reality for those with disabilities whether they are cognitively able or not... that if they require assistance in toileting there is a certain amount of urgency in this. The need for assistance, for a safe and appropriate place to receive it and the need for speedy access to an accessible washroom may simply be unaddressed. As many autistic individuals may be walking but still require assistance, their family members often meet résistance to there accessing disability related facilities. There is often an enforced but not discussed curfew for people with disabilities requiring assistance dressing etc. In my own city... it is understood that dependent adults requiring assistance must leave an activity early so as to be able to return home to be changed and readied for bed before 6:00 pm by which time the care-taker goes home to their own family.<br /><br />The lines at Disney are quantitatively different because there are fundamentally a different atmosphere with so many people of varying heights standing in close proximity moving and shifting around. A person with autism may be a wanderer... may require attention at the same time when another child does. Divided attention is very problematic in a large crowd and it has implications for safety... children and adults with disabilities are very vulnerable... many cannot speak and may not be able to identify themselves or family members, there only communication may be tears or screams ... or they may be unreasonably trusting and go with a stranger, get intrigued by something and not move with the family... should a family become separated it could be dangerous. It is difficult for a family of diverse heights to remain together... and there may be more than one autistic individual... perhaps even a group. Each may be a wanderer... going in a different direction...<br /><br />Those who are vulnerable find themselves disadvantaged in lines... there are expectations of speed...people go ahead or become upset if those with invisible disabilities violate social rules. For many with disabilities and their families, conflicting needs and priorities and issues such as fatigue may draw a family away. Some with autism have multiple disabilities... may be very vulnerable to weather conditions...to fatigue, they may also vulnerability for a seizure disorder.<br /><br />There are fundamental difference between a child or adult with a developmental disability and someone who has an adult onset condition that is not progressive, cognitive, painful or fatiguing. An adult is capable of making decisions in their own lives... is able to obtain assistance... is often able to wait. Persons with developmental disabilities may be in fragile health... unable to identify their needs... may only be able to communicate distress not that they are wet, cold, ill, hungry, in pain. There is a narrow window for families to go out together... if refused entry to a ride once they have stood in line... the time that they have spent in line cannot be taken back... it is not a matter of just one ride or line but several... Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com