Segway Users to Sue Disney
Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 3:10 pm
[Quote=AP]
Disney Sued for Segway Ban
Sunday November 11, 12:21 am ET
Disabled Guests Sue Disney World for Its Ban on Segways
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Three disabled people have sued Walt Disney World for not allowing them to use their Segways to move around its theme parks.
The plaintiffs are each able to stand but cannot walk far, and they have been denied permission to use their two-wheel vehicles at Disney World, according to the federal court lawsuit.
The suit filed Friday says they're among an estimated 4,000 to 7,000 similarly disabled people who have turned to Segways as mobility tools.
A group called Disability Rights Advocates for Technology, which raises money to donate Segways to disabled U.S. military veterans and pushes for their acceptance, previously asked theme parks to lift bans on the devices. Group co-founder Jerry Karr said Segways offer more mobility and dignity than wheelchairs.
Disney says it fears Segways could endanger other guests because they can go faster than 12 mph.
"We've made our position very clear on these Segways in our parks," Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak told the Orlando Sentinel on Friday. "Our primary concern is the safety of all our guests and our cast members. We have a long history of being a leader in creating accessible experiences for our guests with disabilities."
Plaintiff Mahala Ault, 33, has multiple sclerosis; Dan Wallace, lost one foot in an accident and Stacie Rhea has Lou Gehrig's disease. The suit did not give their hometowns, saying only that Ault and Wallace are from Illinois and Rhea is from [/Quote]
I hope this lawsuit gets dismissed because it opens up the possibility for EVERYONE to bring their Segway to the Park. The Segway Company has not listed their product as a Disabled Device, because that would lower sales. If they did list it as a disabled device, then the disabled could use it, but no one else would really be able to use it. What a quandary. I hope the lawsuit fails. Both Ralph and I are against the use of Segways in the Park. There is a really long thread at Board M about the use of Segways in the Park, that I participated in some time ago and some of the suggestions there were sheer lunacy. I cannot see Segway use as acceptable in a crowded Park like say Disneyland at Christmas, when there is no room to WALK let alone try to manuver this heavy vehicle that depends upon the operator to start and stop. What do you think? Will they lose the lawsuit?
BR, I am interested in your response as a lawyer, since it is clear that it is NOT a disabled device, it is a recreational device. How would this fact figure into the case, do you think?
susi
Disney Sued for Segway Ban
Sunday November 11, 12:21 am ET
Disabled Guests Sue Disney World for Its Ban on Segways
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Three disabled people have sued Walt Disney World for not allowing them to use their Segways to move around its theme parks.
The plaintiffs are each able to stand but cannot walk far, and they have been denied permission to use their two-wheel vehicles at Disney World, according to the federal court lawsuit.
The suit filed Friday says they're among an estimated 4,000 to 7,000 similarly disabled people who have turned to Segways as mobility tools.
A group called Disability Rights Advocates for Technology, which raises money to donate Segways to disabled U.S. military veterans and pushes for their acceptance, previously asked theme parks to lift bans on the devices. Group co-founder Jerry Karr said Segways offer more mobility and dignity than wheelchairs.
Disney says it fears Segways could endanger other guests because they can go faster than 12 mph.
"We've made our position very clear on these Segways in our parks," Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak told the Orlando Sentinel on Friday. "Our primary concern is the safety of all our guests and our cast members. We have a long history of being a leader in creating accessible experiences for our guests with disabilities."
Plaintiff Mahala Ault, 33, has multiple sclerosis; Dan Wallace, lost one foot in an accident and Stacie Rhea has Lou Gehrig's disease. The suit did not give their hometowns, saying only that Ault and Wallace are from Illinois and Rhea is from [/Quote]
I hope this lawsuit gets dismissed because it opens up the possibility for EVERYONE to bring their Segway to the Park. The Segway Company has not listed their product as a Disabled Device, because that would lower sales. If they did list it as a disabled device, then the disabled could use it, but no one else would really be able to use it. What a quandary. I hope the lawsuit fails. Both Ralph and I are against the use of Segways in the Park. There is a really long thread at Board M about the use of Segways in the Park, that I participated in some time ago and some of the suggestions there were sheer lunacy. I cannot see Segway use as acceptable in a crowded Park like say Disneyland at Christmas, when there is no room to WALK let alone try to manuver this heavy vehicle that depends upon the operator to start and stop. What do you think? Will they lose the lawsuit?
BR, I am interested in your response as a lawyer, since it is clear that it is NOT a disabled device, it is a recreational device. How would this fact figure into the case, do you think?
susi