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!

Do they still have Merlin’s magic wand? That’s a charity ?

I don’t know I had an anxiety disorder, just being in a place like that would have been extremely difficult for me. The crowds and noise would have resulted in an anxiety attack, sorry but it sounds sensible to take it away imo. Allowing for ADHD probably makes a bit more sense for children.

My autistic son can't queue purely because he kicks the ankles of other people. If I have to queue for over an hour that's literally holding him still and struggling the whole time. As a result we don't go to theme parks. A pass would stop that

My husband has a fairly recent diagnosis of ADHD and ASD. No doubt previously he would have qualified for a RAP. I’ve been to theme parks with him loads of times and he’s never struggled to queue, no more than me. Yes it’s boring and no one wants to do it. Does that mean he shouldn’t have to? I don’t think so.

likewise a friend who’s late teen daughter has the same diagnosis (diagnosed mid teens). Spent had her childhood at Legoland and queued as well as any kid does. My friend now refers to her (jokingly!) as the golden ticket - they went to Legoland recently with family friends with young kids and she said they all got to skip the queue cos the girl has a diagnosis.

I’m not sure this is what the RAP was created for.

I genuinely find the queueing more anxiety inducing than the ride. But I think that's the build up and anticipation. I spend the entire queue time feeling sick, the actual ride asking myself wtf was I thinking, I hate rides. Then I get off and think to myself "that was fucking amazing, should I do it again?" I've never had any kind of pass to skip the queue though.
Anxiety* is wild

*actually diagnosed Anxiety, medicated. Not just feeling anxious.

It's because everyone thinks they deserve to be fast tracked ...

I wonder what some of these posters would say when they’re stuck in the pens like sardines , behind a child in full autistic meltdown for 45 minutes.

Oh look a thread full of people who haven't got any idea how anxiety actually works. It doesn't mean you are anxious about anything and everything ffs. Like a previous poster pointed out, it is possible to enjoy the sensory thrills of a ride but not be able to cope with the unpredictability of a crowd. They are totally different experiences.

However I do agree that the system as it was, was becoming unworkable/overused/abused.
We had Merlin Passes and Ride Access Pass for a few years until they brought the new booking system in. That made it inaccessible for other reasons, and thankfully we found out before we renewed. But we had already begun to notice the sheer number of people using the RAP was increasing year after year to the point that for some rides (Eg Vampire @ Chessington,)sometimes the RAP queue was longer (time wise) than the normal queue, at which point the ride became inaccessible to ds (and any other people who genuinely can't wait that long) because the RAP queue is already full of people who apparently could queue that long after all!

And quite frankly it was ridiculously easy to get a RAP, so yes, I do believe a lot of people were abusing the system which ruins it for those who do genuinely need it. They should toughen up the criteria but a blanket disregard for anything but physical disabilities is a really shitty way to go.

@Playingvideogames in real life I have never met a diagnosed child I didn’t think met the criteria. The over diagnosis thing is pretty much a myth in my view.

The same is true of the benefits system too, surely ?

Different people have huge differences in how conditions affect them despite all of them having ADHD/ anxiety or autism. If you or your child can queue, leave the passes for the people who can't - I feel really sorry for the kids that are now unable to enjoy these rides

They offer single person fast track for a few of the big rides. No extra pay, no need for a pass , no disabilities. Just being able to ride on your own.

This is how it works at Legoland. My son has ASD. He either queues then decides an hour in he is going to walk off or his stimming pisses everyone off after standing next to it for an hour. He has a blue badge, so he physically can't queue either. He wants to lay down in the queue.

I do think the queuing system is a bit unfair as it is. It should be tiered by need. So wheelchair users don't wait or queue, and the rest of us wait in our virtual queues. My son is disabled and people do take the piss if they can. Like parking in the disabled bays with no blue badge. If everyone gets to jump the queue at the same rate, it's not fair on those who have the most severe needs. We need our blue badge, so his needs are by no means mild. But his aren't the greatest either as he can walk. He can queue. It's just queueing for too long or too many times he then decides to disappear completely. Or roll about on the floor. He is 13

Take if from me, making life better for the disabled is not even in the appendix of their book,.

Sadly it’s on the rise. Apparently people who struggle physically to queue weren’t able to use the pass due to the fact that so many people now use it

i have a pass for a physical condition and it doesn’t bother me. It’s a virtual queue so I don’t ever see people. It doesn’t make it faster as far as I’m aware?

im also neurodivergent and I have no issues with queuing at all. But it’s the hot sun for me being a problem. I can’t control electrolyte levels in weather hence why I get it

It’s interesting. I suffer with anxiety, I cannot leave the house. The thought of going anywhere like that as a sufferer fills me with horror!

I think modern life is producing ADHD like traits in children but that’s a different thread I suppose

The overall problem is the lack of limits or ‘policing the system’.

People that are afraid of flying aren’t allowed to board first and sit at the front.

My point is there is misuse. And now the lines are too long for those who really need the because waiting in a queue just sucks. So some people have ruined it for everyone.

No one disagrees that there should be consideration for disabled people however having a bit of anxiety for example doesn't mean that everyone else should get behind them.

People feel entitled and take advantage and I think when people ruin it for everyone there has to be a limit.

@Playingvideogames i agree for whatever reason the traits are increasing and I think there is some evidence it’s related to air pollution for autism at least.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1kl9rmwvn7o

The whole queuing system at theme parks is so antiquated in this digital world.

This is precisely what a lot of people don’t understand and I doubt they’d be understanding when they are in a queue with any of us who have children that get this distressed.

Firstly, they need to make money. Secondly, even if they halved the number of tickets, if 80% of those sold all have a RAP you still have too many people in the RAP queue. Or are you saying that if queues were only 60 minutes instead of 120 minutes no one would need a RAP?
If you think the queues should always be 10 mins or less, how would the theme park make any money at all? You’d only be allowing in a couple of thousand people at a time.
Also, you hear all the time that it’s “disgusting” that they sell out of RAP/limit the numbers. People say it’s awful that disabled people cannot just spontaneously choose to go to a theme park like everyone else. So what you want is for theme parks to be sold out a year in advance for EVERYONE because they are only allowing a few thousand in a day?

I’m a pretty anxious person (had therapy, CBT etc.) and can also get very claustrophobic so I am very sympathetic to those suffering. However, it would’ve never crossed my mind that I could’ve got this sort of pass, I’m not a massive theme park person anyway but when I have gone occasionally shelled out for fast pass which felt worth the money.

It’s a shame that this has been abused so much that people with severe ADHD or crowd anxiety can no longer have this reasonable adjustment.

I have severe ADHD, but I wouldn’t use this pass because I can personally cope with queueing (I don’t like it, but no one does). Just because you’re legally eligible for something doesn’t mean that morally, you should use it.

I’m eligible for a blue badge as I have autism, and someone has offered to help me apply. I won’t, because walking a little way doesn’t bother me, and I don’t need wide spaces at all.

If people only used these things if they truly needed them, then people with invisible disabilities who do actually need them wouldn’t be at risk of losing their reasonable adjustment.