Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who works with people with disabilities, I can tell you that what a Disney does for accessibility is unparalleled. Many families who could not manage a trip to the beach or almost any other popular vacation destination because of disabilities, can handle Disney.

As a result, many families where one member has a physical disability choose a Disney for repeated trips. The result is more scooters.

I can tell you that not all of these people were physically disabled. I am 100% certain of that.

Since I was 18 I've had severe arthritis - from the middle of my back, down through my pelvis and hips, through my thighs, shins and in my ankles. I'm 40 now, and you still will never see me limping. But I have cried at night from how much pain I'm in at the end of a day filled with a ton of walking. My body picks up on changes in barometric pressure up to 150 miles away. So if it's raining one state over, I'm feeling it. And you would never, ever know. I do back walkovers, dance around with my kid, go bike riding, etc. But I can absolutely see myself needing a scooter. And you'd look at me and think "She's FINE!"

Different poster.

If I saw a more or less fit, youngish person in a scooter I would immediately think that they must have some sort of health issue. I would never think lazy.

I bet if you asked, those who are saying most scooter people are lazy are not meaning people like you and are talking about the overweight or obese people using them because they are too heavy to walk the park.

Anonymous wrote:What is the perk of "faking it"? PPs have confirmed that you no longer get to cut to the front of the line, so why do folks think all these scooter riders are faking? If there isn't a benefit, why go to the trouble of a scooter?

If the benefit is that you get to sit instead of walk, and they determine it's worth it...then good! That's what the scooter is for.

The benefit is being lazy and not having to walk.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok I get it, obviously some people have a legitimate need but just got back a couple weeks ago from Disney and I literally could not believe how many scooters were there. Some people have got to be getting them because they simply don't want to walk. Everything took longer because the transit buses have a special lifter thing for scooters and there was not one time we rode a bus that this didn't have to be used. Also it was clear that some people had no idea how to steer them and were very close to knocking people down. Do you have to show a legitimate need to be able to request one? There has got to be some abuse going on.

How does one "abuse" a scooter? I'm trying to sort out such a scenario and I can't for the life of me envision how.

The idea that a scooter or other mobility device is something shameful and should be a last resort keeps so many people trapped at home when they could be enjoying independence and time with their family.

What is the perk of "faking it"? PPs have confirmed that you no longer get to cut to the front of the line, so why do folks think all these scooter riders are faking? If there isn't a benefit, why go to the trouble of a scooter?

If the benefit is that you get to sit instead of walk, and they determine it's worth it...then good! That's what the scooter is for.

Anonymous wrote:It's true that you can't know just by looking at people. But there is an extremely large and disproportionate amount of people in scooters at Disney. Also, some of them are very bad at operating these scooters, as though they're not used to using them, which is a clue.

Many people who might ordinarily use a walker, cane or manual chair will switch to a scooter at Disney because of the distances. Some people might use a power chair but have concerns about it being damaged in the hold of the plane. Being a first time scooter user is not a clue that one does not have a need for it.

My mother has a knee replacement, she can walk for short distances of a mile or so, but she can't walk the 5-10 miles a day that going to Disney world requires, especially not 4-5 days in a row. She has rented a scooter in the past for Disney trips, and this is pretty much the only place she will rent one. Otherwise she won't be able to keep up with her grand-kids and enjoy her vacation with them.

My dad has cancer and the chemo therapy makes him tired and he isn't able to walk all day. A scooter allows him to vacation with us and he is able to easily ride the scooter back to the hotel for a nap when he gets tired.

From looking at the two of them, they aren't that old (mid-60s) and aren't overweight. I'm sure people like the OP are judging them secretly, but you don't know my family's story.

Anonymous wrote:Ok I get it, obviously some people have a legitimate need but just got back a couple weeks ago from Disney and I literally could not believe how many scooters were there. Some people have got to be getting them because they simply don't want to walk. Everything took longer because the transit buses have a special lifter thing for scooters and there was not one time we rode a bus that this didn't have to be used. Also it was clear that some people had no idea how to steer them and were very close to knocking people down. Do you have to show a legitimate need to be able to request one? There has got to be some abuse going on.

How does one "abuse" a scooter? I'm trying to sort out such a scenario and I can't for the life of me envision how.

Ugh. I have a handicapped hang tag and get SO much judgment from people when I get out of my car. Some disabilities are hidden and you need to just quit judging!

Gee, I was at Disney with my daughter and her wheelchair and I couldn't believe the number of people who stopped walking right smack in front of the wheelchair, the number of kids who ran into or in front of the wheelchair, the number of people who deliberately refused to give us disabled seats, who had to be first on or off the monorail. Seems to me there's ait of assholes out there. Including OP.

It's true that you can't know just by looking at people. But there is an extremely large and disproportionate amount of people in scooters at Disney. Also, some of them are very bad at operating these scooters, as though they're not used to using them, which is a clue.

We were at Disney during the summer when it was extremely crowded and we didn't notice that many scooters. Maybe more disabled people want to be at Disney at the holidays with their families?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to think this.

Then my father fell off a 25 foot cliff and shattered his pelvis and legs. He can't walk more than 10 steps even after 8 surgeries. He "looks" fine. We beg him to use a scooter but he thinks people will judge him.

From this thread, I guess he's right.

Op here. Obviously your dad needs a scooter. He is not who I am talking about. I know people need scooters, but the amount of scooters at Disney is at a level where there has got be people getting scooters who do not need them.

But how do you know that all those other people don't have disabilities that you can't see? If you looked at the PP's dad, you wouldn't know what his disability was, so how can you be sure about other people?

Anonymous wrote:I used to think this.

Then my father fell off a 25 foot cliff and shattered his pelvis and legs. He can't walk more than 10 steps even after 8 surgeries. He "looks" fine. We beg him to use a scooter but he thinks people will judge him.

From this thread, I guess he's right.

Op here. Obviously your dad needs a scooter. He is not who I am talking about. I know people need scooters, but the amount of scooters at Disney is at a level where there has got be people getting scooters who do not need them.

I used to think this.

Then my father fell off a 25 foot cliff and shattered his pelvis and legs. He can't walk more than 10 steps even after 8 surgeries. He "looks" fine. We beg him to use a scooter but he thinks people will judge him.

From this thread, I guess he's right.

Anonymous wrote:Another HUGE reason for the amount of wheelchairs- they get to cut to the front of all the lines. After I had knee surgery in my 20s, I had many people request to go to Disney with me so we could all jump to the front of the line.

Not anymore. That is what the PP referenced.