TAMPA, Fla. — According to Disney, World is the best place on earth. But a family from Tampa Bay, Florida, says the magic is gone because their son couldn’t get the help he needed.
ToniLynn McElreath buys a Disney pass every year and loves taking her twin 3-year-olds to Magic Kingdom. Luke, one of those twins, has a food tube in his nose.
“You usually throw up a lot if you have this condition or a feeding tube,” she said. “This is especially true if you are overstimulated.”
The Disability Access Service Pass (DAS) has been used by the McElreath family in the past. Until now this year.
McElreath said, “We went through the renewal process and were turned down.” “So, I went for the first time yesterday and had to wait in the regular line. While we were waiting in line for Prince Charming’s Carousel, Luke threw up.”
McElreath said that if they had a service pass, they would have known exactly when they would get to the site, which would have helped them get Luke ready for it.
McElreath said, “We could make sure that he had eaten and that his stomach was empty so that we could get on that ride.” “That way, if he gets too excited and starts gagging, he won’t have anything to throw up.”
But Disney recently changed the rules for the DAS pass, so the McElreaths no longer meet the requirements.
The company says, “DAS is only meant to help guests who, because of a developmental disability like autism or a similar disorder, can’t wait in a normal line for a long time.”
McElreath told them she knew why the rules were changed.
“I feel like some of these programs are being abused,” she said. “We were the ones who never cashed in.”
The mother of two said that her son and the whole family had a better time because they had the pass.
She said, “It’s sad that they’re almost taking away the magic from us.”
