ORLANDO, Fla. – A double amputee was denied a Disability Access Pass, or DAS, during a live video chat with Disney a few days before her trip to Orlando, only to have a Disney supervisor reverse that decision when she arrived in person this past weekend.
Chrissy O’Neal told News 6 she has been an amputee for four years and never thought she would “have to fight” to prove her case.
“I just thought if I told them I’m a double amputee that would be enough,” she told News 6. “I can walk fine, I just cannot stand still for long periods of time.”
Disney’s website clearly states the DAS pass “is intended for guests who have ‘difficulty tolerating extended waits due to a disability.’”
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O’Neal told News 6 her left leg is amputated below the knee, all five toes were amputated from her right foot, “so balancing and standing up on my foot for a long time isn’t easy.”
Disney guests have tried to cheat the DAS system in the past to avoid the wait in lines, so News 6 wanted verification that a wheelchair would not benefit O’Neal.
In a letter requested by News 6, her prosthetist-orthotist, Ray Coble, of Hanger Clinic in Stockbridge, Georgia, confirmed, “Walking for long distances or standing for long periods without the ability to rest her residual limbs can be extremely uncomfortable because it restricts the blood flow to the remaining extremities.”
The Georgia mom was so frustrated by the original decision that she posted a message on Facebook as she took off her prosthetic and proclaimed, “Disney says this is not physically disabled.”
Her physician emphasized that resting “is normal protocol for all amputees, not just Mrs. O’Neal.”
O’Neal arrived at the Disney parks on a rain soaked Saturday and when she requested a DAS pass, a customer service employee denied her request.
When she requested a supervisor, he listened to her situation and approved a pass.
“He was very kind,” O’Neal told News 6. “I couldn’t have done it without the pass.”
In a letter shared with News 6 last Friday, Walt Disney World Communications dismissed O’Neal’s request to reverse the decision.
“Although we realize your condition may not ordinarily require the use of a wheelchair or scooter,” Disney writes. “Rental wheelchairs, and Electric Conveyance Vehicles (ECVs) are actually the best option for Guests with limited walking ability. Considering the size of our Theme Parks, as well as the potential length of our Attraction queues, using a wheelchair is really the only way to avoid long periods of walking or standing. "
“I don’t know how I’m lumped into a group just like somebody who might have a sprained ankle,” O’Neal told News 6. “They said they can fix mobility issues by allowing me to rest.”
O’Neal said she is going public to shed light on the issue that may be impacting thousands of amputees.
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