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Ride Access Pass Systems and Disabled Access (pre 2024)

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Matt.GC said:
People who struggle with queueing do have the same levels of access to the park as everyone else on quiet days when they don't have to queue. That's what I do. Can't cope with queues, don't visit on a busy day. It's just common sense surely?
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Not always possible for a magnitude of reasons.

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ihaveaspergers said:
Not always possible for a magnitude of reasons.

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Why not? There are plenty of days throughout the season when the main queue lengths are shorter than the RAP queues are on peak days. No one is stopping anyone visiting on a quiet day. Surely by not excluding access to anyone within reason, Merlin have done their duty?

I get that everyone has a right to visit on a busy day, but visiting on the last Saturday of August, for example, is just asking for queues. Why should any park have to make adjustments for someone who clearly should expect to be queueing on such a day?

It's not as if there aren't dozens of days accross the season when most rides are walk on or less than 10 mins wait. Alton even provide a nice colourful app for you to decide which queues to decide to join or not. Everyone has access to the park when it is quiet.
 
Matt.GC said:
Why not? There are plenty of days throughout the season when the main queue lengths are shorter than the RAP queues are on peak days. No one is stopping anyone visiting on a quiet day. Surely by not excluding access to anyone within reason, Merlin have done their duty?

I get that everyone has a right to visit on a busy day, but visiting on the last Saturday of August, for example, is just asking for queues. Why should any park have to make adjustments for someone who clearly should expect to be queueing on such a day?

It's not as if there aren't dozens of days accross the season when most rides are walk on or less than 10 mins wait. Alton even provide a nice colourful app for you to decide which queues to decide to join or not. Everyone has access to the park when it is quiet.
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Work schedules for one, for me the person I have tended to use for rap is my sister, she mainly works weekends and I work Monday-friday so it's not easy arranging a day that's convenient for both of us to go without one of us getting in trouble with work.

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Matt.GC said:
People who struggle with queueing do have the same levels of access to the park as everyone else on quiet days when they don't have to queue. That's what I do. Can't cope with queues, don't visit on a busy day. It's just common sense surely?
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That’s the biggest load of rubbish I’ve read this year, if you’re suggesting people only go on quiet days that implies that you want to restrict the days they go.
 
ihaveaspergers said:
Work schedules for one, for me the person I have tended to use for rap is my sister, she mainly works weekends and I work Monday-friday so it's not easy arranging a day that's convenient for both of us to go without one of us getting in trouble with work.

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I can't think of a single job that prevents it's employees from being able to take a single day off or holiday on a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday outside of school holidays between March and November.

My point is, the park provides access. Where is the line between reasonable adjustments and personal choice?
 
Matt.GC said:
I can't think of a single job that prevents it's employees from being able to take a single day off or holiday on a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday outside of school holidays between March and November.

My point is, the park provides access. Where is the line between reasonable adjustments and personal choice?
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Erm rap is on the reason adjustments side of the line, hence why it's provided.
All that is needed is rule enforcement

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Matt.GC said:
I can't think of a single job that prevents it's employees from being able to take a single day off or holiday on a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday outside of school holidays between March and November.

My point is, the park provides access. Where is the line between reasonable adjustments and personal choice?
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Also no one is saying It wouldn't be possible to take one of those days off but the holiday books are quite competitive so I might not get all the days I want without pre-booking far in advance which isn't practical for my sister

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It is not a legal requirement for Merlin to provide RAPs for the reasons they do. Otherwise, all European parks would do the same.

Before we all get frothy mouthed over this we're not talking about about pushing wheelchairs down the steps into the Nemesis pit or forcing an Epileptic to stand in the Smiler projector room for an hour.

But why should someone with Anxeity for example, rock up on Saturday 28th August, with everyone from Uncle Joe to Aunt Fanny and Dave from down the road in toe and expect to walk on to rides?
 
Matt.GC said:
It is not a legal requirement for Merlin to provide RAPs for the reasons they do. Otherwise, all European parks would do the same.

Before we all get frothy mouthed over this we're not talking about about pushing wheelchairs down the steps into the Nemesis pit or forcing an Epileptic to stand in the Smiler projector room for an hour.

But why should someone with Anxeity for example, rock up on Saturday 28th August, with everyone from Uncle Joe to Aunt Fanny and Dave from down the road in toe and expect to walk on to rides?
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Who said anything about walk on rides?

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Matt.GC said:
People who struggle with queueing do have the same levels of access to the park as everyone else on quiet days when they don't have to queue. That's what I do. Can't cope with queues, don't visit on a busy day. It's just common sense surely?
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Looks like you have got the FB MAP holders additional needs group hackles up (images are screenshots of Facebook, the images posted on there are of this thread bar the first opening post)

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Matt.GC said:
It is not a legal requirement for Merlin to provide RAPs for the reasons they do. Otherwise, all European parks would do the same.
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By law, business have to make reasonable adjustment to allow accessibility. What is defined as reasonable is a grey area. Having level access is a requirement by law. Anything beyond that can be viewed as above and beyond reasonable.
 
ihaveaspergers said:
Would you prefer the Legoland qsmart system where it's wait then rap entrance?

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If it wasn't for physical access reasons, then yes I would. However, I would prefer the park just adopted their legal requirements, which prevents them from excluding anyone. Because I think we're all agreed, that the current system does not work and actually harms those who genuinely need it.

I think rules or not, to simply have a RAP queue for any reason other than the need for direct access., would always be open to abuse and become hard to police. Its simply just not right for someone with anxiety or dyslexia to clog up queue lines for autistic kids.
 
RoyJess said:
Looks like you have got the FB MAP holders additional needs group hackles up (images are screenshots of Facebook, the images posted on there are of this thread bar the first opening post)

jInXmUN.png


31Ln2hZ.png





By law, business have to make reasonable adjustment to allow accessibility. What is defined as reasonable is a grey area. Having level access is a requirement by law. Anything beyond that can be viewed as above and beyond reasonable.
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Yeah sorry about that I wanted their opinion on this.

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Matt.GC said:
If it wasn't for physical access reasons, then yes I would. However, I would prefer the park just adopted their legal requirements, which prevents them from excluding anyone. Because I think we're all agreed, that the current system does not work and actually harms those who genuinely need it.

I think rules or not, to simply have a RAP queue for any reason other than the need for direct access., would always be open to abuse and become hard to police. Its simply just not right for someone with anxiety or dyslexia to clog up queue lines for autistic kids.
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I'm sure there are plenty of people with anxiety that need it more than people with autism...
 
speedy said:
I'm sure there are plenty of people with anxiety that need it more than people with autism...
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I would beg to differ with you there. A theme park can actually have many benefits for someone who is autistic. If someone's anxiety is so bad that they can't wait in a queue then they shouldn't be in a theme park in the first place.

I digress, I get anxious in queues and confined spaces, especially when there's loads going on. I either don't join the queue or don't go on innopropriate days when I know it'll be like that.
 
Matt.GC said:
I would beg to differ with you there. A theme park can actually have many benefits for someone who is autistic. If someone's anxiety is so bad that they can't wait in a queue then they shouldn't be in a theme park in the first place.

I digress, I get anxious in queues and confined spaces, especially when there's loads going on. I either don't join the queue or don't go on innopropriate days when I know it'll be like that.
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Hmm sorry if I was a bit unclear, I'm just trying to say that it's hard to say how having condition X will affect someone.

I am autistic myself (Asperger's), maybe ten years ago I'd have struggled with queues but now I'm totally fine, possibly even more patient than your average person. I used to be super embaressed and insist I was normal, now whenever I mention it my mum says I was misdiagnosed :rolleyes:

I think there may be a difference between not liking to queue (sounds like your case) and being unable to queue without going into a panic attack

Edit: for what it's worth Thorpe Park just posted this: https://www.thorpepark.com/blog/ride-access-pass
 
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