Windsor, EN — A mother of a wheelchair-bound boy expressed her disappointment with Legoland after the theme park’s staff asked his son to get up out of his wheelchair twice and walk, before he was allowed on the rides.
The 5-year-old Sebby Brett, from Gloucestershire, was visiting the theme park following four operations in 12 months. Furthermore, the boy reportedly suffers from an undiagnosed medical condition similar to cerebral palsy. Subsequently, his condition left him unable to walk even short distances without help.
Sebby was super excited to spend the day meeting his heroes and going on his favorite ride, Ninjago.
However, what should have been a fun experience turned out to be a nightmare. The staff told them that Sebby could not board the ride unless he could prove he could walk. Moreover, they asked the boy to walk three paces holding just his mother’s hand.
Once Sebby completed the steps, the staff told them they had to do it again. According to Sebby’s mom, Joana, the employees were not satisfied with his first attempt.
“It was humiliating, and a totally arbitrary number. Are they saying you are only ever three steps away from danger?” Mrs. Brett said in an interview. “Everyone was watching, and knew we were the reason the ride was delayed.”
Eventually, the staff allowed Sebby to ride the Ninjago. But as they finished the ride, Sebby asked her mom, “Why would they make a disabled person walk? It really hurt.”
Moreover, the mother claimed that despite booking a disabled pass, staff at the park had not made her aware there would be any accessibility issues. When she questioned the policy, staff handed her a guide which showed that only 20% of the rides are accessible for disabled people.
“Had we known, we wouldn’t have gone,” Mrs. Brett said.
The family is now calling on Legoland to change its disabled policy.
Legoland apologized to the family for any distress but said the policy was “necessary”.
“The health and safety of our guests is always our priority and we have a number of requirements in place to allow our guests with disabilities and additional needs to enjoy our rides,” a spokesman for Legoland said. “On some rides, such as Lego Ninjago The Ride, guests are required to walk unaided. This is necessary in the case of guests being evacuated from the ride, as they would be required to walk during the evacuation process.
We are always working to make the resort more accessible and constantly review our processes”
