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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think attitudes to disabilities in a themepark should be better...

568 replies

LunarRose · 03/09/2011 12:16

We have exit passes for DS with ASD.

AIBU that "I'm going to kick their head in" cos they're "queue jumping", was neither clever nor original (especially after the third time my DP heard it during the day)

AIBU that pushing DS out the way (in the chest with some force) because he failed to respond instantly to your demand he "get out of your way" (whist waiting at the disabled exit) was just plain unpleasant Angry (I was bending down to move him at the time)

So many more similar incidents through the day.

I normal circumstances I wouldn't want to wish my son's disability on anyone, nor the days over backache that a themepark trip entitled before we knew about exit passes (from carrying DS through Queuelines kicking and screaming) however....

We shall retreat to Chessington where we have always found people lovely!!!

OP posts:
mamababa · 04/09/2011 22:49

Have read all this and just think spiderpig is ignorant. He/she is saying that just because someone (adult or child) is disabled doesn't mean they can't queue. I agree some prob can queue eg wheelchairs users if they q layout permits, the deaf possibly, the blind maybe but it will depend on so many factors. Those with SN kids say they can't queue for a number of reasons. how on earth can a theme park or similar judge who with disabilities is capable of queuing or not and why would they want to??? To appease the ignorant presumably Hmm
When I queue at lego, or Thomas land with DS (age3) it's tough they don't have a great attention span at that age. But I'll pay my 40 quid or whatever and queue all day rather than be in the shoes of some of the posters on here. Really cannot understand the anger at disabled kids (however so) getting on a ride quicker. I just think myself lucky that my DS is 'normal'.

unpa1dcar3r · 04/09/2011 22:50

Ho hum still no response from the spider pig re: what she/he warrants as 'normal'...
I'm waiting with bated breath there. Actually I'm not cos he/she won't be able to answer that therefore he/she's choice of words is defunct and irrelevent as they have no meaning in the real world.

There is no 'normal'; even Piagets tests were based on a non existent child to hazard a guess at what is 'normal functioning in the cognitive sense'.

I have been neither insulting nor used swear words etc...merely asked some lucid questions for some reasonable explanations to statements made
Like I mentioned before there is the individual model of disability and the social model of disability.
The individual model puts the onus of the illness/disability on the person. The social model puts the onus on societys reaction to it. In other words it is society which disables a person not the actual disability/illness.
Of course there are arguments against this theory and those who say it doesn't go far enough or take other factors into account (interactionist theories for starters) but the basis of the social model is very very true.
Spider Pigs concepts of, and attitudes towards, disability prove this here.

Is that nice enough for you dearie?

Claw3 · 04/09/2011 22:52

Article also said "ADHD experts have praised the attitudes of tourism bosses, many of whom now give anyone with the condition a special wristband so that they can sail ahead of the crowds with their friends"

"But some (not most as you claim) teachers have criticised the scheme, saying it would be better for the children to be taught how to wait and that patience is something they are trying to encourage in the classroom"

It also goes on to say "The fact teachers are criticising this shows how much ignorance there is in schools about the condition and how they have a preconceived idea of what it is and believe they can manage it on their own without training"

Last bit must have written especially for you.

unpa1dcar3r · 04/09/2011 22:53

Most teachers think fast passes are a bad idea, and SN children should learn to wait!

Interesting. I'm a trainey adult tutor BTW and I think teachers who think this are clearly ignorant and I fear for our SN kids if they have teachers with this attitude!
I'm jolly glad the teachers at my boys school don't follow this school of thought!

ApocalypseCheeseToastie · 04/09/2011 22:58

And you can't compare a child who has ADHD with a child who has severe autism, the spectrum differs hugely. Ridiculous comparison.

Claw3 · 04/09/2011 23:06

"and SN children should learn to wait" as it has already been pointed out on this thread, yes sn children do need to be taught how to wait. Its not something they just learn, they have to be taught this skill and a theme park is not the time or the place to do it.

Riveninabingle · 04/09/2011 23:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MugglesandLuna · 04/09/2011 23:09

YANBU OP.

We took DS2 (who is 4 and has ASD) to Legoland in July. We wanted to go on the underwater ride (the submarine one but I cant remember its name). Instead of using the exit the staff member just put us in the queue, which was fine to me. Silly woman behind us put up a massive fuss because we were jumping the queue. DS was upset by her getting cross with staff member and put his hands over his ears shouting 'no no no'. Another woman with silly woman said 'Oh, there is obviously something wrong with him' in a sneering tone.

ruined the day for me, and it had been lovely up until then.

Spiderpig - Bully for teachers for thinking that, but they dont have to have their day ruined and thier child traumatised by queues. Its not about the waiting, its about the amount of people that are there in an enclosed space (or thats what the problem is for my DS). Do you actually believe the controversial stuff you spout out or is it all an act??

MugglesandLuna · 04/09/2011 23:11

Well said KungFu @ 21:43:22

StarlightMcKenzie · 04/09/2011 23:12

Omg, don't tell me you are a teacher?

MugglesandLuna · 04/09/2011 23:14

Probably a SENCo!

Claw3 · 04/09/2011 23:15

Spiderpig is obviously on a wind up, he/she is ignoring any posts that prove her/his ideas as extremely flawed and just continuing to pick and choose the bits to cause as much controversy and upset and bait people to respond.

MugglesandLuna · 04/09/2011 23:16

here is that article

I hope non of these teachers ever have the pleasure of teaching my child.

MugglesandLuna · 04/09/2011 23:17

Though the article is 2 years old, so hopefully they have wised up!

MugglesandLuna · 04/09/2011 23:18

Having read it, it looks like SpiderPig has made up the fact that most teachers support queuing.

StarlightMcKenzie · 04/09/2011 23:22

Yep. Claw explained.

MugglesandLuna · 04/09/2011 23:24
Blush

Sorry - got angry and carried away and didnt read the last few replies.

Claw3 · 04/09/2011 23:25

I think its safe to say, we cant take anything Spiderpig says seriously.

wasuup3000 · 04/09/2011 23:37

HA HA HA! spiderpig8 takes what some teachers in the TES forums write seriously!! She/He is a laugh a minute!!

ouryve · 04/09/2011 23:38

Just marking my place.

My kids effectively have an exit pass for their mainstream school. While the other kids have to wait and queue up on the yard in the morning, I get to walk (actually, sometimes carry) mine in through the visitor's entrance. :o

Kladdkaka · 04/09/2011 23:42

I think that some of the resentment stems from the incorrect assumption that those with passes are getting more. You're at the park say 8 hours, queue around an hour for each ride, so 8 rides. Why then is it fair that someone with a pass queues for 10 minutes so gets a gazzillion rides (can't do the maths)?

The answer being that the sheer effort in being there and getting around is exhausting to someone with a disability and there is no way they will spend 8 hours going on ride after ride. By the time they've had their 8 rides in just a couple of hours, they've had enough. And the effort involved in such an outing means it won't happen again for a lot longer than your average visitor.

I'd bet my entire secret jaffa cake stash that in the course of their life your average disabled person will get far less of this sort of fun than your average non-disabled person.

Claw3 · 04/09/2011 23:44

I didnt realise that TES is supposed to be a forum for teachers, the comments and attitudes written under the article are potentially from teachers, thats worrying.

pleasestoplying · 04/09/2011 23:46

Oh spiderpig. Last time I took my son to a theme park that had a policy not to allow anybody to 'queue-jump', he broke one of my ribs. He cannot queue repeatedly; can just about manage short shop queue now, but no more, not without a meltdown - screaming, biting, lashing out. He is in Y5 and has autism, ADHD and sensory problems that mean he's always wanted to go either at the back or front of a line at school and runs off if he feels crowded.

He couldn't queue in a special queue - he doesn't have the skills to wait. Once he's seen the ride, his brain can only think about going on it. He can't wait.

But, with the right legal 'reasonable adjustment', he adores theme parks now that we get an exit pass.

I'm not going to swear at you, but I will say that to begrudge a disabled child what is their legal and moral entitlement: to enjoy a day out, is pretty sad and disgusting for a (hopefully) intelligent, empathetic adult.

wasuup3000 · 04/09/2011 23:48

Its just a shame spiderpig8 wasn't standing next to my son in queue at a theme park when my son decided he needed a wee.......straight away!!

DandyLioness · 04/09/2011 23:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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