Employment for disabled adults

[Christine43]

A friend on a board for parents of autistic children has an adult high functioning autistic son and asked me to pass this along. She (and I'm interested in knowing also) wanted to know if Disney hires disabled adults with autism, Downs etc...I would imagine it would depend entirely on the severity of their disability. Anyone know?
I'm editing this to also ask does anyone know who she would need to contact at Disney?
Thanks very much for any help

[Shorty82]

I would think and hope so. As long as they can do the job I see nothing wrong with it.

Right now though, they're out of luck. Hiring is completely frozen at this time and has been for a while now. Nobody is being brought in except new CPs to replace the ones that have left. I don't see the freeze being lifted until the economy turns around.

I would think she should contact Casting as they are the ones in charge of hiring. If nothing else they can put her in contact with the right people. (407) 828-1000 is the Casting Hotline.

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

A friend on a board for parents of autistic children has an adult high functioning autistic son and asked me to pass this along. She (and I'm interested in knowing also) wanted to know if Disney hires disabled adults with autism, Downs etc...I would imagine it would depend entirely on the severity of their disability. Anyone know?
I'm editing this to also ask does anyone know who she would need to contact at Disney?
Thanks very much for any help

I would just be afarid that if he got hired, that he would run into an SG, and not be able to handle the BS that they would give him for some preceived problem. Not fair to the kid!

[DisneyMom]

SGs strike quickly and randomly- I imagine even the most perceptive CM sometimes just stands there dumbfounded with surprise
I ran into a CM at Disneyland across from the pin shoppe in Frontierland who I'm sure might have been high-functioning ASD- He was very nice but seemed to persevere on the Country Bear Jamboree. I ran into him again next trip, said Hi, and he repeated the same things as the last time. I didn't mind, of course, and I suppose not many guests would take time to talk, he had a pin lanyard and they probably just trade and run.

[Big Wallaby]

In regards to the SG's, there are a couple options, I hope.

First, one of the nice things about Disney is that there is a position for everyone. I mean, from this board, I've now met quite a few people, and maybe three of you have met my wife. She is very quiet and reclusive, bordering on anti-social... if I want to get her to meet people I either have to give her copious amounts of caffeine or alcohol... then you can't stop her from talking.

She and I are in two very different roles: I constantly interact with people and thrive on it. I love what I do, because of the interaction I have with guests. I could not have gone long as a Monorail pilot after 9/11 when guests were not allowed in the front cab at all. I hate driving empty, unless for a special reason.

Little Wallaby, on the other hand, goes out, sits on a boat, watching people from a distance. She loves it. Talks to people a few times a day, and that's usually it.

At Disney, we have something for everyone. I'm thinking if your friends' children could not handle the SG's, we have many jobs that are backstage and away from guests, or if they like working with others and can handle it, there has to be a job out in the public where they can gain that fulfillment.

Casting would certainly know.

[turkeyham]

Shorty82, no hiring freeze out here. My friends who are managers said that they are hiring and the upper management is being shift around between the parks. have have seen allot of new hires walk through the parks. Over 100 at least. You might have a hiring freeze, but Disneyland has open location spots. I guess they are hiring for Spring Break and summer locations. ;)

[kurtisnelson]

Little Wallaby, on the other hand, goes out, sits on a boat, watching people from a distance. She loves it. Talks to people a few times a day, and that's usually it.

Is she one of the boat rental safety people? What department is that?

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Is she one of the boat rental safety people? What department is that?

Sounds like she is one of the patrol boat operators.

[Shorty82]

Is she one of the boat rental safety people? What department is that?

BW can give more details but I can help a little. Little Wallaby works Lake Patrol. Lake Patrol are the people in the Boston Whalers (I think that's what they are) that drive around the waterways making sure that all the guests who rented boats are operating them safely, staying out of restricted areas, help out guests whose boats have left them stranded for whatever reason, etc. She started out as a regular lifeguard but got promoted to lake patrol a while back.

Lake Patrol is wonderful. They do a good job at keeping everybody safe on the water. The other week BW and I went out on the Seven Seas Lagoon on a small sailboat and on our way back to the Poly marina the wind dies completely. We had to flag down a Lake Patrol CM to give us a tow back in as we never would have made it on our own (or at least not in a reasonable amount of time).

[hobie16]

The other week BW and I went out on the Seven Seas Lagoon on a small sailboat and on our way back to the Poly marina the wind dies completely. We had to flag down a Lake Patrol CM to give us a tow back in as we never would have made it on our own (or at least not in a reasonable amount of time).

You've learned one of the basics of sailing. Don't be in a hurry to get anywhere. There's also the old saying. If it's not blowing, it sucks.