Quote Originally Posted by dban3 View Post
I love this thread. My great nephew is autistic, not to the point where he is unable to enjoy outside public activities but enough to where it severely impacts his participation in them. But he loves going to Disneyland. The idea of him going into a simplest of Fantasyland dark rides, Pinocchio, Snow White, Alice has proven out of the question, reducing him to heart-breaking tears but he is perfectly content to sit on a nearby bench with adult supervision while his sisters, brother, and parents enjoy their rides. Fireworks, Fantasmic, anything else with loud noises are equally out of the question. So what is Disneyland for him? Where is his fun, his opportunity to experience the magic? Strangely enough, it starts with the little rides of A Bug's Land in DCA and the Gadget Go-Coaster in ToonTown. These small harmless little rides are his Disneyland. Give him a chance to take a spin on Flik's Fliers or Heimlich the Train and he is all smiles and perfectly content to let others enjoy their fun.

That's why it angers me to a certain point when people say to get rid of A Bug's Land because the simple off the shelf rides aren't really up to Disney-like standards. What those people are really saying is "I have no interest in those rides, take them out and put in something I might want to go on". Well listen up. There is a percentage of people, people of special needs and challenges where the simple rides of A Bug's Land are just fine just as they are. Disneyland park development shouldn't be left up to those with the loudest voices and deepest pockets. Sometimes people with no voices at all have just as much at stake.
As a parent of a child with Aspergers, I have read this thread with interest, seeing how other families have coped/dealt/strategized/conquered the issues for a successful trip to Disneyland. Each one of these kids is different, functions differently, but still has the 'umbrella' of traits in common.

The line that was the most profound in all these posts, to me, was this: Sometimes people with no voices at all have just as much at stake.

And I believe, in the spirit of this conversation, perhaps it's those people who have even more at stake than others who don't face the same struggles.