View Full Version : "Wheelchair-bound" CM on Haunted Mansion ride
tonytone
12-30-2006, 09:49 PM
Now maybe the following is old news for a few of you MP members, but it's new to me--while waiting in line just before getting into the HM buggy, I noticed a HM CM (he was wearing the dark-green HM jacket w/ CM nametag) in line ahead of us; I hadn't initially realized that he was in a wheelchair until I was in the buggy room. In any case--when it was time for him to get in, he "nimbly" got out of his wheelchair and stepped into the buggy; then another HM CM placed some sort of sticker on his buggy. Now before anyone tries to pass judgment on me regarding my views towards disabled folks because of my "nimbly" comment--in no way am I insinuating that the CM was deceitfully "faking" anything; I was just simply describing the manner in which he was able to exit his wheelchair w/o any assistance from anyone else. Also--since he was ahead of me by I think two or three buggies, when it was time for me to get out--right when I got to the disembarking point, the buggies stopped moving so that this same CM could exit his buggy and get into his wheelchair. Anyways--short of perhaps timing how much time it takes for a wheelchair guest to reach the buggies w/o using the handicapped elevator or whatever is used to get disabled and/or wheeled guests down to the lower level, does anyone know what (other) purpose this "exercise" served?
Maybe this HM CM was indeed wheelchair-bound...or maybe not; but I found it a somewhat-"interesting" event seeing a CM in costume, in a wheelchair, riding HM.
I Heart Disneyland!
12-30-2006, 09:50 PM
You spent too much time explaining yourself, to me.
tonytone
12-30-2006, 10:08 PM
You spent too much time explaining yourself, to me.
Huh? If by your comment, you meant that I should have been brief and to the point...then here is the condensed version:
I saw a wheelchair-bound HM CM (I know he was a HM CM 'cuz he was in HM costume w/ CM nametag, and he was acknowledged by another HM CM) board, ride, and exit HM; other than perhaps ride time purposes for wheelchair-bound guests, are there any other reasons behind this event? ;)
If the above wasn't what you meant by your post, then I'm confused as to what purpose your post served in this thread... :confused:
cstephens
12-31-2006, 11:01 AM
In any case--when it was time for him to get in, he "nimbly" got out of his wheelchair and stepped into the buggy; then another HM CM placed some sort of sticker on his buggy. Now before anyone tries to pass judgment on me regarding my views towards disabled folks because of my "nimbly" comment
I think it's interesting that you 1) chose to use the word "nimbly" and 2) that you also chose to put the word in quotes. Did he leap out of his chair? Did he spring out of his chair? Did he tiptoe out of his chair? If he just got out of the chair on his own, without any assistance from anyone else, why not just say that?
Anyways--short of perhaps timing how much time it takes for a wheelchair guest to reach the buggies w/o using the handicapped elevator or whatever is used to get disabled and/or wheeled guests down to the lower level, does anyone know what (other) purpose this "exercise" served?
There is no other method by which guests using wheelchairs are taken down to the bottom level. They are in the same stretching room as you. They get to the foyer via a different route (through the right side) because it's easier to maneuver a wheelchair that way. Often, once they get into the changing portrait hallway, they use the roped-off walkway to the left. I think that works well because it's hard to maneuver a wheelchair in a crowded room, and you also run the risk of accidentally running your wheelchair into the person in front of you in close quarters.
They put the sticker on the buggy so that the CM at the exit knows to allow that particular party to stay in the buggy (whereas everyone else has to exit) because they have a wheelchair waiting for them at the entrance, so they need to be able to exit the same way they entered. They do also take the elevator back up (whereas everyone else uses the moving [or non-moving, as the case may be] ramp at the exit), so it becomes the shrinking portrait room, which is pretty cool. There can be difficulty in getting out of the elevator as other guests are trying to get into it unless there are other CMs present to help manage the crowd or the other people are particularly polite and stand away so the people can exit first.
I have no idea what the situation with the CM you saw was, and I do think it was odd that the CM was in costume on the ride, but that aside, I can tell you that I've been in a situation where being in a wheelchair for the day helped me, but I didn't need anyone to help me out of the wheelchair when it came time for that. Depending on how someone chooses to use the word "nimbly", I suppose someone could have described me getting out of the chair that way since I was able to get out of the chair under my own power. And yes, I got the looks of "you don't need a wheelchair because you look perfectly healthy". People will judge when they don't know. I don't know that I was ever that harsh, but I have learned a lot about people in wheelchairs in the last 5 years because of personal experience and that of friends.
MickeyLumbo
12-31-2006, 11:31 AM
does anyone know what (other) purpose this "exercise" served?
Training.
The costumed CM was "the Guest" ... so that new hire CM's could "rehearse" the procedure.
I Heart Disneyland!
12-31-2006, 12:26 PM
If the above wasn't what you meant by your post, then I'm confused as to what purpose your post served in this thread... :confused:
As a member of this board, we are allowed to post in all threads. I felt that you explained it away, as if to detract from you claiming he may not have been handicapped, by "nimbly" going from the wheelchair to the buggy.
I too need help at times, as I have a handicap, and I felt it was unnecessary to have said that part. That is all I meant.
dsnyredhead
12-31-2006, 12:39 PM
There have been many instances where I have used a wheelchair also. I was able to get up and stand on my own just fine. I just couldn't have walked very far without using the wheelchair. So, as you stated "nimbly" means absolutely nothing as a determining factor of their disability.
In addition, for all I would have known by witnessing this event, could it have been a training exercise for the cm's? Maybe it was a person who simply could not have stood in line for the length of the cue.
Katlovett
12-31-2006, 12:58 PM
My aunt, who has been a wheelchair-bound paraplegic for about 30 years, has learned a physical therapy method where she can lock her knees and, using armbrace crutches, move about 3-4 feet to or from her wheelchair. This method significantly improves her mobility and, with so much practice as she has had, she is able to do it very smoothly. Perhaps the word you were looking for was "smooth" not "nimble?"
Katprint
Bytebear
12-31-2006, 01:04 PM
CMs cannot assist physically, so the handicapped must get into that buggy either on their own or with the assistance of members of their party. I am sure this was just an exercise in procedure. I did, however, notice one of the secondary players in the Aladdin show used an electric wheelchair. I thought it was great that they could use her in the cast.
MammaSilva
12-31-2006, 01:09 PM
I think the bottom line here is that the OP was questioning what he saw, the fact that it involved a costumed CM in full uniform would lead me to believe it was some form of training excercise. I've yet to see a mobility impaired CM at the attractions or in the stores using any assistive mobility devices such as crutches, canes or wheelchairs. My daughter uses her chair on a fairly consistant basis but if someone who didn't know us saw her get in/out of her chair I think that they could use the word "nimble" to describe her abilties and while that wouldn't be 'false' it wouldn't reflect her situation at all either.
adriennek
12-31-2006, 01:16 PM
Also--since he was ahead of me by I think two or three buggies, when it was time for me to get out--right when I got to the disembarking point, the buggies stopped moving so that this same CM could exit his buggy and get into his wheelchair. Anyways--short of perhaps timing how much time it takes for a wheelchair guest to reach the buggies w/o using the handicapped elevator or whatever is used to get disabled and/or wheeled guests down to the lower level, does anyone know what (other) purpose this "exercise" served?
Maybe this HM CM was indeed wheelchair-bound...or maybe not; but I found it a somewhat-"interesting" event seeing a CM in costume, in a wheelchair, riding HM.
I'm going to make a wild assumption here that it was an exercise based entirely on the quoted section above. Guests who use wheelchairs never disembark where able-bodied guests disembark. When a party with a chair and stickered doom-buggies is on the ride, they continue in the doom buggies back to the loading zone and unload there, because that's where the wheelchairs are as well as the wheelchair access to exit the attraction.
Adrienne
stan4d_steph
12-31-2006, 02:19 PM
Training.
The costumed CM was "the Guest" ... so that new hire CM's could "rehearse" the procedure.That would have been my guess also. Thanks for the info. MickeyLumbo.
cstephens
12-31-2006, 05:29 PM
Also--since he was ahead of me by I think two or three buggies, when it was time for me to get out--right when I got to the disembarking point, the buggies stopped moving so that this same CM could exit his buggy and get into his wheelchair.
OK, I missed this the first time around but caught it when someone else quoted it. This confuses me. Were you with a party that had someone in a wheelchair? Because if not, and you got off at the normal exit, it would have been weird for the CM to get off as well, since wheelchairs don't really work at the regular exit.
I guess I'm still confused as to what your actual question is.
tonytone
01-01-2007, 09:56 PM
First off, I guess my choice of words--or specifically, one word--could have been better; please do not read into my using that word as having some sort of prejudiced slant or malice towards physically-disabled folks! I thought I tried to explain my use of the word in my initial post, but apparently that didn't suit some of you folks, based on some of the replies in this thread. Again, I admit that I could/should have used a more proper word...but I must stress that I meant no malice or prejudice towards that particular CM and/or towards disabled people in general.
In any case, MickeyLumbo more or less answered my question.
cstephens--since you're still confused as to what my actual question was, apparently in part due to my use of the word "nimbly"...here's what I should have simply said: "Why was there a HM-costumed CM in a wheelchair riding HM? It looked like some sort of exercise, but I can only guess since I am not privy to details of such an exercise...so is there someone out there who knows for sure?" ;)
Malcon10t
01-01-2007, 10:58 PM
Tony, like others have said, they were probably doing a training exercise. Now, if they could only train the guests as well as they train the CMs. We were on HMH this week, and we know the routine well. Well, they loaded another wheelchair family, which consisted of a mom, 2 mouthy teen girls, grandma, and grandpa (who was in a wheelchair and probably about 80) onto the ride in front of us. They were in buggies 5, 6, and 7. We were in buggies 8 and 9. First the 2 teens girls try walking up thru the ride, before a CM stopped them and made them load into a buggy. The CM walked by telling all of the "stay in the buggie, dont get off" spiel. All thru the ride, the girls are using flash, blinding us over and over. Then we get to the end of the ride, and the CM does the "Stay in the buggy", but these 2 get out, and to make it worse, they are trying to drag grandpa off before the end of the walkway. He is half in and half out of the buggie at this point. My daughter leans out and tells them to leave him in, they aren't supposed to get off. As she passes them, they comment about the "witchy girl". (Censored...) Finally we get back to the start and we get off and leave the CMs to deal with Grandpa and Grandma, who are dazed and confused in addition to being physically disabled. We walk back to the elevator, and the CMs bring Grandma and Grandpa down. They keep telling Grandma and Grandpa to stay against the wall, but they keep going out in the center of the elevator while they are doing the loading. Finally, the CM tells my daughter "I know you know how to do the routine, I need to go protect them" and we just keep hearing Grandpa asking why everyone won't let him leave. It was sad. The teens continued being pains throughout the day. We kept running into them, it was unbelievable.
cstephens
01-02-2007, 06:03 AM
cstephens--since you're still confused as to what my actual question was, apparently in part due to my use of the word "nimbly"...here's what I should have simply said: "Why was there a HM-costumed CM in a wheelchair riding HM? It looked like some sort of exercise, but I can only guess since I am not privy to details of such an exercise...so is there someone out there who knows for sure?" ;)
That would have been a much clearer question without the implication that you were somehow bagging on people who didn't appear to need wheelchairs.
tonytone
01-02-2007, 11:18 AM
That would have been a much clearer question without the implication that you were somehow bagging on people who didn't appear to need wheelchairs.
I will readily concede that I can see how my post could have been construed by others as my perhaps "bagging" on certain people w/o seeing the entire picture; again, I admit I could have worded my post a bit more properly...but in all fairness, the most I should be found guilty of is that of poor choice of word usage--nothing more. I was a bit hurt that some of you who posted in this thread were implying in your replies that (part of) my post had some sort of prejudiced slant against a certain group of people, rather than perhaps giving me the benefit of the doubt...or at least question my post w/o the implicit/subtle insinuations. What I mean by that is--something along the lines of Katlovett's post; it would appear that she (or "he"? I'm not at all familiar w/ the gender of many MP forum members) was willing to give me the benefit of the doubt by offering constructive criticism (suggesting that I perhaps should have used a more proper word) w/o insinuating that I had some sort of ulterior agenda by posting what I did.