Alton Towers will not allow some people with conditions like autism, ADHD and anxiety to use their disability queuing system this February half-term.<\/p>\n
Merlin Entertainments provides a ride access pass to help visitors to its theme parks who have a difficulty queuing because of their disability or medical needs.<\/p>\n
They say the number of people requesting the pass has been increasing, adding that disabled visitors have said the system \u00ab\u00a0simply isn’t working for them\u00a0\u00bb and that \u00ab\u00a0queue times for these guests have increased\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n
A new restriction will also apply at Chessington World of Adventures and Windsor Legoland, as part of a trial to reduce the number of people who get access to the pass.<\/p>\n
Neurodivergent people can become overwhelmed or distressed when surrounded by large numbers of people, which can bring on sensory overload or panic attacks.<\/p>\n
Up until now, people who have a \u00ab\u00a0difficulty with crowds\u00a0\u00bb have qualified for the ride access pass, but only those with \u00ab\u00a0difficulty standing,\u00a0\u00bb \u00ab\u00a0level access\u00a0\u00bb or \u00ab\u00a0urgent toilet needs\u00a0\u00bb will do so during the half-term trial.<\/p>\n
Others will have to queue as normal.<\/p>\n
Merlin says it offers support to people with difficulty with crowds through \u00ab\u00a0a range of reasonable adjustments\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n
Henry Shelford, chief executive of the ADHD UK charity, said \u00ab\u00a0a group of people will be excluded because of this lack of accommodation\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0It’s different from a child just not being happy about it, because no one likes queuing,\u00a0\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0When a kid has ADHD, their energy and their focus makes [queuing] just impossible.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0As an adult with ADHD, I can tell you there’s a whole lot of stuff I haven’t done because I can’t face the queuing.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0I have a need to move all the time, and being penned in in that way is very difficult for me as an adult. And it’s near impossible for children and others.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
All visitors to Alton Towers can opt to purchase a \u00ab\u00a0Fastrack\u00a0\u00bb pass to skip the queues, but these start at an extra \u00a335 on top of the ticket price.<\/p>\n
The change follows an update by the disability access card provider Nimbus, which is recognised by many attractions and events.<\/p>\n
Nimbus has split its former \u00ab\u00a0standing and queuing\u00a0\u00bb card section into two separate symbols: \u00ab\u00a0difficulty standing\u00a0\u00bb (a physical need) and \u00ab\u00a0difficulty with crowds\u00a0\u00bb (often linked to neurodivergence or anxiety).<\/p>\n
During half\u2011term, Merlin says new eligibility for the ride access pass is being trialled.<\/p>\n
Those whose Nimbus card shows only the \u00ab\u00a0difficulty with crowds\u00a0\u00bb icon will be asked to visit guest services for personalised support instead.<\/p>\n
The approach will be reviewed after February before the theme park opens fully in March.<\/p>\n
Rob Smith, chief operating officer at Merlin Entertainments, said growing demand had led to issues for people using the passes, but recognised the suggested eligibility changes had \u00ab\u00a0raised concerns for some guests\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Our commitment to supporting neurodiverse guests and those with mental health needs remains,\u00a0\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0We are listening carefully to this feedback and are committed to keeping this approach under review ahead of our main season openings in March.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0We remain deeply committed to creating inclusive experiences and ensuring all guests feel supported when visiting our attractions.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alton Towers will not allow some people with conditions like autism, ADHD and anxiety to use their disability queuing system this February half-term. Merlin Entertainments provides a ride access pass to help visitors to its theme parks who have a difficulty queuing because of their disability or medical needs. They say the number of people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9756","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}