On Wednesday, U S District Judge Gregory A Presnell dismissed a suit that had been filed against Walt Disney World in 2007. That lawsuit was aimed at forcing the company to allow disabled guests to use two-wheeled Segways in it's theme parks.
The three had been seeking to gain a class-action status with their suit which could have potentially opened the suit up to thousands of Segway users nationwide. Disney on the other hand, had claimed that they offer adequate accomodations for the disabled and they had no way of determining if users of the Segways had been trained properly in their use in large crowds. They had stated that they had serious concerns as to the safety of their other guests in the park from Segways being used in the often large crowds.
While this may settle the immediate concerns raised by the lawsuit that had been filed, I am sure that it may be revisited in the future if the use of Segways by disabled persons were to increase. Disney has valid concerns and they as well as SeaWorld Orlando will continue to ban the use of them in their parks for now.
For an earlier post, go here.
"We asked for dismissal and the court agreed it was appropriate. We provide a variey of accomodations to guests with disabilities, which allow them to fully enjoy our theme parks," stated Disney World Acting Vice President Jacquee Polak.Judge Presnell dismissed the suit from the U S District Court for the Middle District of Florida after he agreed with Walt Disney World's contention that none of the three who had brought the suit had shown any intention of visiting the parks in the near future. The two men from Illinois and a woman from Iowa had contended that Walt Disney World violated the had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by forbidding the use of Segways within the park.
The three had been seeking to gain a class-action status with their suit which could have potentially opened the suit up to thousands of Segway users nationwide. Disney on the other hand, had claimed that they offer adequate accomodations for the disabled and they had no way of determining if users of the Segways had been trained properly in their use in large crowds. They had stated that they had serious concerns as to the safety of their other guests in the park from Segways being used in the often large crowds.
While this may settle the immediate concerns raised by the lawsuit that had been filed, I am sure that it may be revisited in the future if the use of Segways by disabled persons were to increase. Disney has valid concerns and they as well as SeaWorld Orlando will continue to ban the use of them in their parks for now.
For an earlier post, go here.
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