Disabled Ask Disneyland to Restore Passes for Rides

On a roller coaster, though, Kelsey can do what any other kid does: have fun.

So when she and her mom arrived this summer at Disneyland and discovered that the park no longer gives disabled patrons special access to rides, they were reminded of what Kelsey couldn't do.

"For these kids, they don't get to be on swim teams or soccer teams. They're always watching other kids do what they don't get to do," said Kimberlee O'Maley, Kelsey's mother, of Indianapolis. "Disneyland was probably the one place they could have a positive experience."

Other park patrons are voicing the same complaints. Critics have collected 14,700 signatures on an Internet petition that asks Disneyland to again offer "special assistance passes" that allowed disabled guests and those accompanying them to enter rides through the exit, often bypassing long lines.

Many complain that a new system for the disabled is inconsistently applied or not applied at all at the Disneyland Resort's two theme parks. The O'Maleys, for example, said they spent much of their time during a recent visit trying to figure out the new rules and arguing with Disneyland employees.

The park discontinued the special assistance passes in March because able-bodied people -- many of them teens -- were cheating, park officials say.

Some took advantage of the system by renting a wheelchair, requesting a pass and using it to cut to the front of the line. Park officials said the program was so abused that sometimes the handicapped line was longer than the normal one.

Under the new system, Disney employees talk with park visitors to determine the level of assistance they may need, said Disneyland Resort spokesman Bob Tucker.

The employees might then issue a "guest assistance card" that is customized to the type of assistance needed.

A guest with a hearing or visual disability, for example, is assigned a code that alerts employees to give them front-row seating.

"The previous program applied the same solution to all guests regardless of their needs," Tucker said. "Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, we now tailor our assistance to each guest on a case-by-case basis."

The new system was developed with the help of disabled advocacy groups, and Tucker said it has been "very positively received."