How Disney's Decision Cripples Us All

I cannot tell you how heartbreaking it was for me to hear the decision by Disney to cease the Guest Assistance Pass program and instead implement in its place a “Flash Pass” type of program.  I am incredibly disappointed in the implications this raises as a society.  The Guest Assistance Pass aided special needs families in so many ways that I will not even begin to scratch the surface of it here.  Every such family has a story, an experience, or an exact example of the benefits it provided to them.  But what large companies and corporations who enact these new policies do not realize is how much our special needs population exactly PROPELS US FURTHER AS A SOCIETY.  Yes I said it.  My non-verbal, immobile child advances our society forward in ways you never even fathomed.  We are engulfed currently in issues such as twerking, gun violence, terrorism, illicit language, sex on prime time tv, and so on.  We find these things acceptable, and slowly they are leaking their way into a sense of “normalcy” in our family life.  We have heard study after study and debate after debate on the video games creating a world of violence issue, the abuses of power in politics, and the sexualization of advertisers promoting to our children.  Yet when we turn on the television and see a disabled child pushed around a wheelchair or struggling to walk, see a wounded veteran boarding a plane home, are out at the store and watch a mother interact with her autistic child, what do we do?  We consciously stop our racing minds for maybe a moment, maybe an hour, perhaps even a day and we think about what it must be like to be that child, that veteran, that parent.  Perhaps we think about what we would do, what we would need to make the situation better, how we may be able to offer assistance or help this person.  OUR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN HELP TO ADVANCE OUR WORLD.  Considering the culture of violence we live in, we are blessed enough to look at these kids and have a moment where our hearts swell and we project an aura of love and compassion.  When my son was granted his wish to Disney, I cannot begin to tell you how many smiles he received when boarding a ride, how many sets of eyes were on him when he smiled and laughed, or how happy people felt when they were able to hold a door for us or when the staff would puff up their chests and gladly usher us through to the ride or show.  The community around us was granted so much pleasure.  Now because of people who abused that gift and who do not belong to that special population, not only are our privileges revoked, but a sea of others as well.  This Disney decision supports the downfall of our society, and THAT is what is heartbreaking.