Considering over 43 million Americans have disabilities, we really do a poor job in making the world more accessible. You don’t have to be old or have a crippling illness, anything can happen to you that makes you spend your days looking up at everything. Many years ago, I wrote about building homes that make life better. New construction houses should be required to meet a certain standard for mobility issues and make it easier for older people to age gracefully at home.
After I recovered from one sprained and one broken ankle, I remodeled all 4 of our bathrooms so for wheelchair access and safety. My bathroom doorways were too small for a wheelchair so it was fun getting to the toilet.
I’m so sorry that your 10-year-old didn’t have the time of his life at Universal. But the rudeness and lack of diplomacy was truly uncalled for. My family lived in Orange County for several years and we for pretty familiar with all the parks.
May I suggest Disneyland for your next fun vacation. Disney takes it seriously when it comes to making sure people with mobility, hearing, blindness or just if they could not tolerate waiting in long lines. I have watched Disney employees walk people into alternative entrances to accommodate their needs. You can bring your own wheelchair or rent them. There are special tickets that allow your whole party to take advantage of reserved entries. There are some rides that require that the rider be placed in the ride seat and belted in. A smaller child might be lifted in and out for a fun ride. Other rides have special wheelchair ride platforms. Google “Disneyland Special Needs Visitors”. You can try other keywords, too. There are a half dozen Disney owned web sites complete with coded maps and lots of info on preparing for your visit. I also found info from other people who used the disability services. This info won’t erase your child’s disappointment but hopefully you can have a do-over.
I was confined to a wheelchair for several months a few years back. Boy, that was eye opening. I encountered doorways that a wheelchair couldn’t easily go over. Loved the electric carts in the stores but it wasn’t unusual to find aisles that were too small and corners too sharp to get around. I knocked over an entire end cap of toilet paper. Served CVS right. LOL!
I was going to say the same thing about Disney. My brother in law uses a wheelchair and at Disney, everyone was courteous and proactive. It was all seamless, and I’d have to ask him, but what I witnessed felt like he was treated with dignity. They were proactive and communicated with one another. You know, because there are hundreds — maybe thousands — of people with disabilities attending their parks every single day. Just like at Universal.
I’ve never been to Universal, but it sounds like they have a lot to learn. While I was reading your description, I also wondered if the rudeness and lack of empathy had a racism or prejudice element to it as I thought about how well-treated my white brother in law was at Disney. I know that the only way to know would be a comparison of how many white and many non-white families are treated at Universal. In any case, it sounds like your description included a lot of defensiveness by Universal employees, lack of preparation as an organization, and not really being caring. I’m glad your family had a better experience at Disney!
Thanks Sharon! Disneyland was actually where we spent most of our time (four days!) and we had a great time. You’re right about the accessibility. It was one of the most seamless trips we’ve taken with our son.
The kid did have a good time overall at Universal, but I sometimes worry that he’s gotten used *too* used to these curveballs. It’s sort of like “of course, this is happening,” which is frustrating for his mother and me.
As a former USH teacher, when I hear a phrase like “that's the way things were” uttered as an excuse for bad behavior/accommodations *ever* but especially *today,* I immediately want to throat punch the speaker.
You & your family were exceedingly patient and kind in a terrible situation; I hope you received a refund of at least the supposed-VIP upgrade, if not all of the entry fees.
God, this just breaks my heart. I hope your son knows he deserved a great time like any other park guest. There’s no excuse for a park that size having such shitty accommodations.
so i developed rheumatoid arthritis at a really young age & as a result have used a cane to help with mobility for most of my adult life. i really don’t mean to complain—i realize i’m much luckier than most—but it has been baffling to me over the years how many people think it’s just…a fashion statement? or something?
i’ve had servers at restaurants try to lead my party up huge flights of stairs without bothering to check if that was feasible; a woman stopping me on the street to question me at length about my cane, why i use it, how others perceive it, how she needed one but didn’t like the aesthetics & that she was just too young for one and didn’t want to “look old” (i was easily half her age at the time, not that it should have mattered); plus some other things i don’t even like repeating.
thus, i can only begin to try to understand what your son is facing every day. rather then acting like they’re doing your family a huge favour, people should remember that accommodations are actually just the very baseline of service they should be offering anyone & that if they want to somehow go, like, “above & beyond”, it actually means doing special things for people, not what will simply allow them to have a normal experience.
I'm trying to figure out how the guide could think 3 escalators are "ADA compliant." Because they still had a shuttle service? That does not seem like direct accessibility, since your son couldn't access the same entrance as other people. Sorry you had to deal with that BS!
Yes, there’s an elevator at our son’s school specifically for the disabled. Everyone else takes the stairs, which are often quicker but it’s also a three story building. In buildings with a substantial number of floors, everyone takes the elevator generally so the disabled and non-disabled have the same experience of access.
But yes, a “solution” involving escalators defies the spirit of accessibility, especially if the shuttles aren’t running reliably.
Ugh, I'm so sorry, Stephen. That is really disappointing (infuriating, rage-inducing, fucking ridiculous, etc). We were at Universal last fall, and I even thought about this issue when we were making the endless descent to the lower level (we used the stairs because we like to torture ourselves) I simply assumed there was an elevator somewhere because how on EARTH could a theme park in California in the 21st freaking century not be accessible????
Whelp, I guess that shit happens even in liberal havens. Again, I'm sorry your family had to go through yet another disappointment in our lousy society.
This is what happened to my mom at the end of her life. She was already struggling a bit when COVID started and that turned the Florida condo community where she and my dad had enjoyed decades of retirement into a prison. Totally auto dependent and she was trapped and isolated. I spent much of my time there working remotely just to keep things together, but it was never enough. The isolation exacerbated her decline and I believe shortened her life. "But the county has a shuttle service that you can reserve and it might even show up so you can see the doctor!"
It was exhausting and demoralizing to try to manage it all while watching her life shrink around her. We finally got her out of there but she died soon after. Really one of the most exhausting and terrible periods of my life. Trying to deal with it just leaves you feeling so helpless.
I'm so sorry, SER! Maybe that guide couldn't personally do anything about the accessibility issues, but I know (as the mom of a 23-year old with food allergies) that the guide's dismissive, uncaring attitude must have made it worse. :(
And now - beware of Disney: https://people.com/woman-with-eye-disorder-does-not-feel-welcomed-disney-with-disability-guideline-change-exclusive-8635464
Considering over 43 million Americans have disabilities, we really do a poor job in making the world more accessible. You don’t have to be old or have a crippling illness, anything can happen to you that makes you spend your days looking up at everything. Many years ago, I wrote about building homes that make life better. New construction houses should be required to meet a certain standard for mobility issues and make it easier for older people to age gracefully at home.
After I recovered from one sprained and one broken ankle, I remodeled all 4 of our bathrooms so for wheelchair access and safety. My bathroom doorways were too small for a wheelchair so it was fun getting to the toilet.
I’ll get off my soapbox now!
Always room for your soapbox here. This is a big issue for me.
I’m so sorry that your 10-year-old didn’t have the time of his life at Universal. But the rudeness and lack of diplomacy was truly uncalled for. My family lived in Orange County for several years and we for pretty familiar with all the parks.
May I suggest Disneyland for your next fun vacation. Disney takes it seriously when it comes to making sure people with mobility, hearing, blindness or just if they could not tolerate waiting in long lines. I have watched Disney employees walk people into alternative entrances to accommodate their needs. You can bring your own wheelchair or rent them. There are special tickets that allow your whole party to take advantage of reserved entries. There are some rides that require that the rider be placed in the ride seat and belted in. A smaller child might be lifted in and out for a fun ride. Other rides have special wheelchair ride platforms. Google “Disneyland Special Needs Visitors”. You can try other keywords, too. There are a half dozen Disney owned web sites complete with coded maps and lots of info on preparing for your visit. I also found info from other people who used the disability services. This info won’t erase your child’s disappointment but hopefully you can have a do-over.
I was confined to a wheelchair for several months a few years back. Boy, that was eye opening. I encountered doorways that a wheelchair couldn’t easily go over. Loved the electric carts in the stores but it wasn’t unusual to find aisles that were too small and corners too sharp to get around. I knocked over an entire end cap of toilet paper. Served CVS right. LOL!
I was going to say the same thing about Disney. My brother in law uses a wheelchair and at Disney, everyone was courteous and proactive. It was all seamless, and I’d have to ask him, but what I witnessed felt like he was treated with dignity. They were proactive and communicated with one another. You know, because there are hundreds — maybe thousands — of people with disabilities attending their parks every single day. Just like at Universal.
I’ve never been to Universal, but it sounds like they have a lot to learn. While I was reading your description, I also wondered if the rudeness and lack of empathy had a racism or prejudice element to it as I thought about how well-treated my white brother in law was at Disney. I know that the only way to know would be a comparison of how many white and many non-white families are treated at Universal. In any case, it sounds like your description included a lot of defensiveness by Universal employees, lack of preparation as an organization, and not really being caring. I’m glad your family had a better experience at Disney!
Thanks, Debbie! Yeah, Disney was incredibly accessible.
Thanks Sharon! Disneyland was actually where we spent most of our time (four days!) and we had a great time. You’re right about the accessibility. It was one of the most seamless trips we’ve taken with our son.
The kid did have a good time overall at Universal, but I sometimes worry that he’s gotten used *too* used to these curveballs. It’s sort of like “of course, this is happening,” which is frustrating for his mother and me.
As a former USH teacher, when I hear a phrase like “that's the way things were” uttered as an excuse for bad behavior/accommodations *ever* but especially *today,* I immediately want to throat punch the speaker.
You & your family were exceedingly patient and kind in a terrible situation; I hope you received a refund of at least the supposed-VIP upgrade, if not all of the entry fees.
And I want glib tour guide profoundly demoted.
Thank you so much!
God, this just breaks my heart. I hope your son knows he deserved a great time like any other park guest. There’s no excuse for a park that size having such shitty accommodations.
Thank you!
Universal studios doesn’t seem to understand Universal Design.
so i developed rheumatoid arthritis at a really young age & as a result have used a cane to help with mobility for most of my adult life. i really don’t mean to complain—i realize i’m much luckier than most—but it has been baffling to me over the years how many people think it’s just…a fashion statement? or something?
i’ve had servers at restaurants try to lead my party up huge flights of stairs without bothering to check if that was feasible; a woman stopping me on the street to question me at length about my cane, why i use it, how others perceive it, how she needed one but didn’t like the aesthetics & that she was just too young for one and didn’t want to “look old” (i was easily half her age at the time, not that it should have mattered); plus some other things i don’t even like repeating.
thus, i can only begin to try to understand what your son is facing every day. rather then acting like they’re doing your family a huge favour, people should remember that accommodations are actually just the very baseline of service they should be offering anyone & that if they want to somehow go, like, “above & beyond”, it actually means doing special things for people, not what will simply allow them to have a normal experience.
sending good thoughts to your family.
Thanks so much for your comment
"“That’s just how they built things back then,” he said."
Yeah, well, I'm sure Universal has enough money to refit things to how they are supposed to be now.
I'm trying to figure out how the guide could think 3 escalators are "ADA compliant." Because they still had a shuttle service? That does not seem like direct accessibility, since your son couldn't access the same entrance as other people. Sorry you had to deal with that BS!
Yes, there’s an elevator at our son’s school specifically for the disabled. Everyone else takes the stairs, which are often quicker but it’s also a three story building. In buildings with a substantial number of floors, everyone takes the elevator generally so the disabled and non-disabled have the same experience of access.
But yes, a “solution” involving escalators defies the spirit of accessibility, especially if the shuttles aren’t running reliably.
Ugh, I'm so sorry, Stephen. That is really disappointing (infuriating, rage-inducing, fucking ridiculous, etc). We were at Universal last fall, and I even thought about this issue when we were making the endless descent to the lower level (we used the stairs because we like to torture ourselves) I simply assumed there was an elevator somewhere because how on EARTH could a theme park in California in the 21st freaking century not be accessible????
Whelp, I guess that shit happens even in liberal havens. Again, I'm sorry your family had to go through yet another disappointment in our lousy society.
I’m sorry, Stephen. Makes me mad and breaks my heart.
Thank you!
I'm partially disabled, so I know what you're talking about. No worries, though, we are all still VIPs, we are stars!
https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/pelican-eyes
https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/make-the-bed
https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/premonition-become-ethereal
https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/invaded-neck-romantic
https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/ogs-original-gravewarm-graveworms
This is what happened to my mom at the end of her life. She was already struggling a bit when COVID started and that turned the Florida condo community where she and my dad had enjoyed decades of retirement into a prison. Totally auto dependent and she was trapped and isolated. I spent much of my time there working remotely just to keep things together, but it was never enough. The isolation exacerbated her decline and I believe shortened her life. "But the county has a shuttle service that you can reserve and it might even show up so you can see the doctor!"
It was exhausting and demoralizing to try to manage it all while watching her life shrink around her. We finally got her out of there but she died soon after. Really one of the most exhausting and terrible periods of my life. Trying to deal with it just leaves you feeling so helpless.
So sorry to hear this. Yes, it’s horrific how these condo communities can turn into prisons as one gets older.
Everyone could do better in this case - but you'd think the ones with all the money could do even better.
To be clear - everyone could do better means me too.
January/February
2017
US Capitol
Disabled/Handicapped visitors(peacefully lobbying) dragged from the Capitol. Compare to January 6, 2021.
I'm so sorry, SER! Maybe that guide couldn't personally do anything about the accessibility issues, but I know (as the mom of a 23-year old with food allergies) that the guide's dismissive, uncaring attitude must have made it worse. :(
The dismissive, uncaring attitude was uncalled for.