Woman with disability goes viral after sharing Disney’s new accessibility policy that prevented her from riding the attractions: “I ate and drank instead.”
A woman named Sarah Todd Hammer went viral on social media after sharing her frustrating visit to a Disney park. Hammer shared Disney’s new accessibility policy, which prevented her from going on the rides.
Hammer suffers from partial paralysis after contracting Acute Flaccid Myelitis, a rare and severe disease that affects the central nervous system. In a video that has already garnered over 5 million views, she explained the challenges she faces and how the park’s new rules affected her visit.
“I have had a spinal cord injury since I was 8 years old, so I have heat intolerance, which means it can be dangerous for me to be in the heat for long periods,” she says in her post.
In her clip, Hammer explains that previously, Disney’s accessibility policy ensured that people with disabilities who couldn’t wait in long lines could more easily access the rides, but now the park claims that only those with developmental disabilities, such as autism or similar, can apply for the DAS, a sort of free pass for the attractions.
After sharing what happened, Hammer, who couldn’t even get a refund, went viral again with a series of posts where she shared everything she ate and drank at another park’s festival. She spoke to Buzzfeed about her decision to still have fun despite the DAS being denied.
“Instead of going to Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT, we just went to EPCOT because that park has so much more to experience beyond the rides. My mom and I didn’t go on any rides; instead, we ate at the Food and Wine Festival for two days,” she said.
“Although we still had fun, it’s unacceptable not to be able to experience Disney’s rides because they denied me accommodations that met my accessibility needs.”
“People with disabilities knew Disney was a safe place for us, where we could enjoy ourselves without worrying about our disabilities limiting our ability to do so. Now, that is no longer the case.”
