Alton Towers to remove disability pass for people with ADHD and anxiety

[AnitaRita]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2gwgj4xreo
Too many people wanting to join the "Fast pass queue" so you actually end up with two queues rather than one queue and a fast entry! Got to agree with them - if you're too anxious to queue then a white knuckle ride is probably not for you!

I do have a diagnosis, and I’ve been taking 60mg of medikinet for 12 years. Calling it a disability is patronising because it’s a sensory condition not a disability

I'm surprised this is such a divisive debate, but then realised this is on chat, not the SEN area. So the depth of knowledge of the RAP system and Neurodivergent conditions is probably less well understood. I get that if you don't have experience then you may have obvious thoughts like "why are they at a theme park" but medical professionals like OT will answer that with reasoning.

I can't speak for ADHD/anxiety as I don't have experience of them.

Whilst there is so much I could say on this topic. A diagnosis is not an entitlement to anything. It's about needs alone, anyone who has done DLA and EHCPs will understand this. It's no different here, ASD/ADHD doesn't mean you need RAP, but there are plenty of people that do.

The purpose of RAP is not queue jumping, that is a paid service called fast track, which RAP holders can buy as well. The service can be abused in many ways including by those who can queue, but also gaming the system to get on more rides. Nimbus is more strict compared to Merlin who didn't request evidence at least when we had it.

The purpose of RAP is to provide a reasonable adjustment, not preferential treatment. If the park is busy and people only get 5 rides in, RAP users should also get the same 5 rides. There are flaws in RAP that Merlin could fix, but they haven't and people do abuse it.

The main issue I have in all this is the communication of it all. Merlin gave just 2 weeks notice before the park opened. Nimbus on the other hand, still haven't said anything, only posting up FAQs on the website. Nimbus pass lasts 3 years, they only keep medical evidence for 90 days, but have reassessed everyone, without asking for evidence to make a decision, then didn't tell anyone about the decision they made. Their FAQ implies a split between physical and neurological conditions. This is why everyone is saying hidden disabilities have been put into 1 category.

I think Merlin have made a massive mistake here. Merlin offloaded their assessments to Nimbus, who then have told them to provide a virtual queue as a reasonable adjustment, but Merlin refused.

@EleanorReally no confirmation on the ADHD, but definitely other ND confirmed diagnoses. It was the open gloating about using their ND status to get things that I found really off. It makes it harder for others who come behind.

And that is your right to feel that way about you and your condition. My intention one is not to tell you how to feel but for me, it’s different. My children have a diagnosis of ASD and ADHD. For them it’s a disability as they can’t talk, the have limited understanding of verbal communication, they are high risk and a danger to themselves as they lack danger awareness, they don’t interpret or understand the world in the same way I do. They lack social understanding of what is acceptable and what isn’t. There are lots of other examples I won’t go into but for them it’s a huge disability.

Thank you for explaining your life and your children’s difficulties. Sounds terrible and I don’t have SEN children or grandchildren as you surmise. I understand your anger about this thread and some of the comments.
Having said this I don’t understand why you cannot see that if there weren’t so many children accessing all the services you need who really don’t have anywhere near the level of difficulty that your children have there might be greater resources to make you and your children’s life so much better. From your description no one on this thread would grudge your children all the help they need.
i appreciate we cannot know exactly what problems people are facing but Im sorry the numbers speak for themselves and no longer make sense. And I’m sorry but the public do have a right to be angry with those who are clearly gaming the system and costing taxpayers money and while you don’t see it they are inconveniencing others in many circumstances.

Thank you. I do see it and I agree with you. I just live in a very small world of SEN and it’s all about the kids and just surviving a day at a time. I see so many families struggling and it’s a fight just to keep the kids in school and get out to work every day. We have minimal help as I work full time and flex my hours a bit and use a bit of paid help. I think I have felt very upset by some of the comments and lack of understanding that some of the adjustments we get, like not having to queue, mean we can get out and get some fresh air. We can actually feel a bit normal for a change. And as usual the benefits some of us need are ruined by those who abuse the privilege.

We went to Alton towers with my mum who wanted to spend time with us as a family. She had no viable disability but she had terminal cancer. She had no fast pass. She died exactly 2 months after our visit.

Visible not viable sorry

Totally inaccurate. Very judgmental and unnecessary. You could have just asked.

Why? I haven't heard about this.

You haven't heard about the government making benefits harder for people specifically around neurodiversity and mh don't you watch the news. And then services like airports/ theme parks etc its just obvious there is only so much capacity and the more and more people needing extra help there is only so much to go around.

ADHD is a disability. A person in the UK is disabled if they have "a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities." (Equalities Act 2010). The fact that someone has been assessed as having deficits in attention, impulsivity and/or hyperactivity, especially if they require medication to overcome them, means they meet the above criteria.

You may be sufficiently medicated that your ADHD doesn't impact you. You may be borderline enough that your ADHD can be managed with lifestyle adaptations. You don't speak for all people with ADHD.

And if you didn’t have the medication to help keep you stabilised would you still not be disabled?

You may not feel like you are disabled by the condition which is great but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a disability.

This has all arisen because of abuse of the system. My husband is a wheelchair user and has used disabled assistance at airports for well over 30 years. The numbers of people using this service have risen dramatically in recent years, and I have been surprised by those who can seemingly walk unassisted from the chairs. I’m not obtuse enough to believe that wheelchair users cannot walk at all, my husband can, with two sticks, but we have seen several people walk completely unaided, with no obvious impairment, on recent trips, and it does make you wonder.

who do you feel is abusing the system? and how
so disappointed to hear so many claims of abuse

My condition (Myasthenia) doesn't affect my gait at all if I am well rested (eg if I have been sat in my wheelchair) and it isn't immediately obvious when you see me walking but the more I move my muscles the less signal gets through to my muscles so how I look after a short walk versus how I would be at the end of the long walk or standing in a queue are entirely different

I think the answer to your question is that not all wheelchair users have an obvious disability. There are many conditions which cause exhaustion and pain - not always obvious in the persons’ gait or demeanour. There are also conditions which cause a knock on effect, so walking may be contra indicated because it actually makes the underlying condition worse. During my career I came across many wheelchair users who could technically walk, but whose walking ability wasn’t useful because it made everything worse, and the medical advice was to limit as much as possible to short walks when transferring etc.

This is my question too. We’re being told that not every disability is apparent and to be tolerant to hidden disability. This whole thread is the antithesis of that. The attitude seems to be if you can’t see it, it doesn’t exist.

I should add though that due to my condition there is no way I would ever think it's safe or appropriate to ride on a roller coaster and I am slightly amazed at the number of people who are far too disabled to queue but absolutely able to go on a roller coaster.

Also when I do have my wheelchair I am more than happy to stay in a queue with everyone else. But I do realise there are circumstances when actually that isn't as easy for people even if they are in a wheelchair, for instance it's easier to get cold quickly if your body doesn't work properly

This has been explained upthread. The sensory input from the rides is completely different from the stresses of queueing. That’s why the adjustments existed in the first place.

I think booking a slot for rides is better.
Either through an app or by picking up a timed ticket if you don’t have the app
The Queues wouldn't be do long if everyone just arrives based on their slot
This is what places do for talks and guided tours and no one would be faced with standing in long queues for ages

Agree and then it would be fair for everyone because people could all be given the opportunity to go on the same number of rides

What about if time slots for certain rides sell out? What if a ride breaks down? Do you just lose your slot? What if that ride was a ND child’s favourite ride ever and they only attended to go on that ride and now they’ve missed it? What if a disabled child was having a meltdown/overstimulated and needed some time out but it clashed with a booked time slot? Do they just miss it? What if a parent has time blindness due to ADHD and can’t get their child autistic to the slot on time?

Surely if the time slots sell out they sell out for everyone. It makes no difference whether you turn up to join a queue in person or virtually by booking

If it breaks down then again it breaks down for everyone and there’s no ride

If someone wants to go to Alton towers for one ride then they book it in time to make sure they get it.

If a child and parent can’t get to a particular time slot then they would need to book another or the whole system breaks down with people turning up late to a slot already booked out

It may not be a perfect system for everyone but it’s much better than waiting in queues and arguing about who should or should not take priority.