Grousing About the Mouse
by Scott Hardie on January 15, 2025
Kelly and I still have our annual passes to Disney World, but we've had more trouble going recently because of disabilities that slow us down. A friend suggested joining a busy Facebook group for Disney World fans like us who struggle with disabilities and share advice with each other.
I clicked the button to join, and up popped a 4-question form asking questions that are required for membership. I started typing a simple one-sentence answer to each, but cognitive impairment slows down the speed at which I think and the speed at which I type.
I was midway through the third question when I got a terse message from an admin that I had been barred from the group because I neglected to answer the questions. I checked the time; it had been two minutes since I clicked the join button.
At first I laughed it off. Come on, a group for people with disabilities that blocks membership to people who type slowly? That's funny.
But to be honest, the more I sat with it, the more I felt hurt. The world is not kind to people who struggle with simple tasks, especially invisibly. I expect corporations like Disney* to be cold and insensitive; they have corners to cut and shareholders to appease. But a group like this should be a safe and welcome haven, run by people who understand what it's like to struggle. But apparently they don't.
I tried re-applying, but it still says I'm barred. I tried contacting the admins with an explanation, but have been ignored. Apparently the decision is final.
That was a kick in the feels that I didn't need.
*I have all kinds of other complaints about Disney, but to be fair to them, they're actually very accommodating to people with disabilities, far more than I would expect. The parks have been made accessible in nearly every conceivable way, and they have published thorough trip-planning information online for people with special needs. Kelly and I wouldn't be able to go if they hadn't.
One Reply to Grousing About the Mouse
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
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For sake of illustration, here's a photo from our December visit to the Magic Kingdom. We wanted to ride the Liberty Square Riverboat before it closed permanently. I snapped this photo of Kelly as the boat left the dock.
click image to zoom
Kelly has had to wear that boot on her left foot for ten months now, and she's probably going to have to wear it for another ten months after her upcoming March surgery on that same foot. Between her long recovery and my fatigue problems, we typically each rent an ECV upon arriving at Disney World, a service offered at the front of each of the parks. But those ECVs are first-come-first-served, and we arrived late, so the only option left was a wheelchair rental. Pushing Kelly in a wheelchair for seven hours demolished my legs; it took me a week to get my strength back. Lesson learned: Pre-rent ECVs from a service like Scooterbug that will leave them waiting at our hotel for us.
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