Describe an experience you have had assisting a guest with a disability in your current or previous job.
Topic：Module Discussion
：Discussion
：600 words （450words post and 75 words reply for each”2 replies” ）
：APA
need reference
Module 10 Discussion
Please read the article “Changing the Way Employees Interact With Guests With Disabilities.”
Link to article (NID login required): https://login.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/login?auth=shibb&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=105775378&site=eds-live&scope=siteLinks to an external site.
Write a FORMAL discussion post answering ONE of the following questions:
1. Theme parks must be prepared to accommodate guests with varying abilities and disabilities across all lines of business. Choose two lines of business from the following list and discuss the accommodations you would expect them to make for guests with disabilities, as well as any other ideas that you think might help in providing a consistent experience for all guests regardless of ability/disability. Lines of business to choose from: Attractions, Merchandise, Food and Beverage, Entertainment, Ticketing/Guest Relations, Transportation
2. Disability awareness and accommodations are not only an important issue for guests, but also for employees as well. Answer question 1 as it would apply to employees with disabilities instead of guests.
Write an INFORMAL (1-2 paragraph) discussion post about the following:
Describe an experience you have had assisting a guest with a disability in your current or previous job. How well was your company prepared to accommodate all guests? What could you or the company have done better/differently to enhance the experience for your guest? Please do not mention the company by name.
Required elements (formal post only):
Post a 1-2 paragraph response by the assignment due date.
Cite at least one outside source that adds relevant information to the response.
Use APA format, including in-text citations and references (the assigned article as well as outside sources need to be cited properly and included in your references).
Ask an open-ended question at the end of your response to promote discussion.
Required elements (informal post):
Post a 1-2 paragraph information answer to the question/prompt given
Submit both your formal and informal posts in the same submission.
Replies:
Reply to at least two students’ posts within 1 week from the assignment due date.
Replies must be substantial and contribute to the ongoing discussion.
Outside sources are not required in your replies, however if you do use an outside source you must cite it properly in APA format.
See rubric for grading details. The rubric can be found by clicking on “show rubric” at the top right corner of this page.
80% of your grade for this assignment is based on your initial post, and 20% is based on your replies. Late work is not accepted. If your initial post is submitted after the webcourse due date, you will receive a zero for that portion of the grade.
1.Formal Post:
Walt Disney World Resort theme parks provide numerous accommodations for guests with mobile disabilities, visual disabilities, and hearing disabilities. Some examples of accommodations include ECVs, assistance for service animals, braille guidebooks, audio captioning, etc. DAS or Disability Access Service is the name for the system in place designed to provide assistance for guests and families with disabilities navigate and enjoy the Disney Parks. This is intended for guests whose disability prevents them from waiting in a conventional queue environment. This service allows guests to schedule a return time is comparable to the current queue wait for the given attraction. Most attractions have space for guests to move around with their ECVs, and also have special assistance for people to transfer from their ECV onto the attraction.
Not only are attractions a major line of business to accommodate guests with disabilities but also in transportation. Disney World buses fasten the ECV onto a platform that is then lifted onto the bus. Monorail systems can be also be accessed by elevators and or ramps. Watercraft access depends on the type of watercraft and the existing water levels and conditions (“Services for Guests with Mobility Disabilities”, n.d.)
Informal:
Currently, I work at a bar at a theme park.. At this bar, it is very small but there is a standing room and some seating room. If we see a guest who is disabled we usually mark it on the iPad when they check-in so that we can accommodate them at a booth. However, if we know that they are probably in an ECV and can stand, we ask them to park outside and head on in. I think the problem is most guests want to sit down and they cannot but the area in which they made the space is so small. What they need to do is either cram fewer guests inside to make room for more accommodations.
References:
Services for Guests with Mobility Disabilities. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/mobility-disabilities/.
At theme parks all around the world, guests with different abilities visit and it is important that the parks are able to accommodate these guests and make their visit uncomplicated. Guests visit theme parks mainly for the attractions, so these parks must make sure as many guests as possible are able to experience them. One system used in the theme parks across Orlando involves exempting the guest from having to stand in line, but out of fairness, they still technically wait the amount of time posted as the wait time. For example, at Disney this system is called DAS, Disability Access Service, and it begins with getting your card, which “will be issued at Guest Relations main entrance locations and will offer guests a return time for attractions based on the current wait time” (Disney, 2019). This allows all guests to have the same wait, but accommodates those who aren’t able to stand in long lines.
Another area of theme parks that should address how to accommodate differently abled guests is entertainment. Many theme parks have impressive daytime and nighttime shows, including stage shows, parades, and fireworks. Each of these sections needs to be able to find areas for those with disabilities, a main concern being those in wheelchairs. Most shows have handicap seating implemented and ramps wherever necessary, but many nighttime fireworks shows have a harder time designating a wheelchair section, which should be fixed. How do you think other disabilities can be accommodated at entertainment offerings?
References
Walt Disney World. (2019). Disney Parks Disability Access Service Card Fact Sheet. Retrieved from: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/disney-parks-disability-access-service-card-fact-sheet/ (Links to an external site.)
Hall, Elizabeth W. (2008). Changing the Way Employees Interact With Guests With Disabilities. Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1044207308315284 (Links to an external site.)
Informal Discussion
At my current job, I am on the crowd control team for our two nighttime shows. Each night, I am asked if we have a designated wheelchair section for the show. Unfortunately, our wheelchair section was removed as it was too difficult to police that the only people who could be there were those in wheelchairs and their families. I do my best to suggest spots that their view may not be blocked, but many times we are already crowded and it is difficult to find a spot. I try and find an empty spot for them, but am often unsuccessful and they have to resign to a partial view. I hope we eventually reintroduce a wheelchair section again.
