Lego Land and DDA

daska

EdgEy wrote: »

A disabled child doesn't "need" anything more than anyone else.

You get to enter the park, go on the top rides and go on the other rides.

The "one ride per hour" limit on the top rides more than makes up for the fact that normally you'd be queuing for roughly an hour.

While others are sat in queues, you can go on some of the less popular rides.

What is hard to understand?

I fully understand that your child requires special treatment due to disability. You seem to be suggesting you should be able to go in and essentially "occupy" the top rides. The park are being reasonable in their compromise.

And really, the sheet is a non-issue, for the reasons I've stated here. You have no argument besides "ugh, you don't understand, ugh, silly bigoted people".

I understand the point you're trying to make but how about this scenario: take two children of comparable age, say 10. A 'normal' child will cope with a full day if they want to concentrate on going on all the big rides they can achieve this (though I admit that even the best behaved 10 year old will probably be getting tired and tetchy towards the end of the day). Compare to a 10 year old with ME/CFS where just getting to the park will have used up a good portion of their available energy, where the noise and excitement will use up their energy extremely quickly, where it will take days, possibly weeks for them to recover from just one ride or up to an hour in the park before being so exhausted that they have to leave. To give them an equal chance of getting on the big rides they will have to fit them into a much shorter time.

Can you argue that this disabled child doesn't need more assistance or allowances to be made in order for them to have the same opportunities as an able child?

It's a family day out but it's a lone parent family and two kids. What about the sibling? If the disabled child has to leave after an hour then should the sibling only get an hour and be able to ride with the disabled child, perhaps the sibling should be left unattended while the disabled child and the parent ride or should the family have to pay for a carer in order for the disabled child to attend the park when the parent is able to do this for their child and make it into a family event.

wattdallas

SingleSue wrote: »

Wattdallas - I am not sure if it is intended but I feel ever so slightly uncomfortable reading your post.

uncomfortable , youve confused me.

I appreciate the concessions my daughter and i receive

mitchyjules

My eldest daughter is 15 and was formally diagnosed ADHD aged 7. We have taken her to numerous theme parks (not only Legoland - but also Disneyland Florida). I had no idea until recently, that not only were we entiltled to concessionary entry in many places, but also this queue jumping in many parks. I just paid my dues, joined the line and put up with it.
Yes - it would have made our day out alot more enjoyable and much less stressful. It is not widely advertised, and many people with disabilities only find out through chance - or word of mouth. So saying that - i don't think the system is abused. Too many people simply don't know about it to make it a real issue.
I recently went to Chessington. Due to my own mobility issues, i couldn't join my other kids standing in line. So had to find a spot to sit - on my own - until they emerged from the other side. As some of the queues were over an hours wait - out of sympathy for me, these rides were abandoned. This is why some parks offer fast track for more than 2 people - it gives families on a day out more of a chance to enjoy the rides together.

Flyboy152

mitchyjules wrote: »

My eldest daughter is 15 and was formally diagnosed ADHD aged 7. We have taken her to numerous theme parks (not only Legoland - but also Disneyland Florida). I had no idea until recently, that not only were we entiltled to concessionary entry in many places, but also this queue jumping in many parks. I just paid my dues, joined the line and put up with it.
Yes - it would have made our day out alot more enjoyable and much less stressful. It is not widely advertised, and many people with disabilities only find out through chance - or word of mouth. So saying that - i don't think the system is abused. Too many people simply don't know about it to make it a real issue.
I recently went to Chessington. Due to my own mobility issues, i couldn't join my other kids standing in line. So had to find a spot to sit - on my own - until they emerged from the other side. As some of the queues were over an hours wait - out of sympathy for me, these rides were abandoned. This is why some parks offer fast track for more than 2 people - it gives families on a day out more of a chance to enjoy the rides together.

Sadly, there are too many people (many of whom populate this thread), who feel children, with any disability, shouldn't be allowed to enjoy a family day out.

**Patty**

This thread has degenerated somewhat since the OP but for what it's worth:

1. Those who have previously stated that they have never needed to produce this/that/the other letter as proof......the disabled policy for ALL Merlin group parks changed in february this year. It's on the Alton Towers website. They actually ask for now....a photodriving licence , attendance allowance book, DLA book, council issued card from the register of disabled persons or a blue badge.

Notes: Children don't have driving licences. You no longer get books for DLA and i seriously can't see anyone over the age of 65 doing Oblivion so AA is doubtful.Staffordshire CC (which is where alton towers is) don't have a register of disabled persons and a blue badge gives zero indication of disability.

Excellent thought out policy there Merlin

easy

Well I've ploughed thru all of this, and basically feel that Legoland are being very fair. What I don't understand is why they make it soooo complicated.

We have been to Legoland twice, when DS was 9 and 10. Guess what, altho not AS nor ASD didn't do queueing well either.

So we paid extra for a quebot. Which was brilliant, made for a good day, we got on all the rides we wanted to, and had a great time. I don't know why they don't just make quebots available at concessionary rate (or free) to those who have a valid reason not to be able to queue.

pipkin71

Flyboy152 wrote: »

Sadly, there are too many people (many of whom populate this thread), who feel children, with any disability, shouldn't be allowed to enjoy a family day out.

Have we been reading the same thread?

It certainly hasn't come across that anyone on this thread feels that children shouldn't be allowed to enjoy a family day out.

What has been said is that many feel the concessions are fair. You don't agree. You feel that your family was treated badly but, in what way, I'm not sure.

You are letting personal feelings dictate how you are reading this but there are not many people on here who would deny a child a fun day out.

Googlewhacker

Flyboy152 wrote: »

This was no positive discrimination. It was about allowing disabled children to have the opportunity to enjoy the facilities at the park the same way able-bodied children do. It is about equal consideration.

We are not talking about swathes of disabled children abusing this facility. We are talking about no more than about four or five children at a time, being able to use their exit passes at the ride. Four or five of them is hardly making much of a difference.

Can you explain to me how it is fair that, even if the ride's queue is only half an hour, that the disabled person now has to wait one hour, before going on that ride?

Because I would like to think that they would take an average over the season so sometimes it will be less than one hour but sometimes it will also be over 1 hour so on somedays a disabled person will benefit and sometimes they won't.

sunnyone

When we went to Lego land I thought they were great about my disability, on rides that I couldnt get on for age reason but I couldnt queue for due to steps they allowed my son on his companion pass to use the exits, that common sense and so are the new policies quoted on this thread.

They offer a good consessions for disabled people, the consessions may not suit some who are used to just getting what they want but they are fair.

Zziggi

**Patty** wrote: »

This thread has degenerated somewhat since the OP but for what it's worth:

1. Those who have previously stated that they have never needed to produce this/that/the other letter as proof......the disabled policy for ALL Merlin group parks changed in february this year. It's on the Alton Towers website. They actually ask for now....a photodriving licence , attendance allowance book, DLA book, council issued card from the register of disabled persons or a blue badge.

Notes: Children don't have driving licences. You no longer get books for DLA and i seriously can't see anyone over the age of 65 doing Oblivion so AA is doubtful.Staffordshire CC (which is where alton towers is) don't have a register of disabled persons and a blue badge gives zero indication of disability.

Excellent thought out policy there Merlin

I briefly looked at the policy on the Alton Towers website and actually found it contradictory.

Also just showing a 'DLA book'/letter is what has caused the problems in the first place! People who receive DLA but whose conditions do not in anyway affect their ability to queue have been getting exit passes which has made the exit queues too long for those who DO have queuing problems relating to their health. Similarly a blue badge IN IT'S SELF does not mean the person cannot queue (although there could well be access issues which mean an exit pass is perfectly legitimate).

Either way though, we'll still be eligible for exit passes. However unless the new policy cuts down the number of people who get exit passes when there is absolutely no medical reason for them to have one, then we simply won't go because as it was at the end of last season, the exit queues were too long for members of my family when considering their health problems