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Tokyo Disneyland Experience with Prof. Danene of OSU
On March 9, at the invitation of Prof. Danene of Ohio State University, four of us; Sensei, myself, a UT student, Ms. E, a faculty member of Tsukuba University of Technology, and Mr. S, a student, visited Disneyland.
Since Ms. E and Mr. S are visually impaired, this was an opportunity for me to accompany them and experience firsthand the services for the disabled.
On the day of the tour, we took an express bus directly from Tsukuba to Disneyland. When we booked the bus on the Internet, the four of us were seated far apart, but when we boarded the bus, the driver was considerate and arranged for us to be seated next to each other on the lower floor.
Upon arrival, we first visited the Main Street House, where we were informed about services for the disabled. Here, we rented “Handy Guide,” which allowed us to listen to information about the facilities and audio guidance for some attractions in the park.
Handy Guide
We also experienced a scale model that allows visitors to check the seating and movement of the attractions with the sense of touch. We were told that this model is a service unique to Tokyo Disneyland and not available in Disney parks in other countries.
We then registered for Disability Access Service (DAS) in front of the “Beauty and the Beast,” the first attraction we wanted to ride. This service reduces the burden of waiting in long lines for people with disabilities and allows them to wait outside of the line until a designated time.
When the reservation time arrived, we were admitted through the Priority Pass queue, and the ride went smoothly. During the waiting time, we were able to eat, go around the shops, and rest on the benches.
DAS
Before making reservations, we had detailed explanations from the cast members about the attractions and precautions to be taken. In particular, since Japan is prone to disasters, emergency evacuation procedures were also explained.
For example, in the event of an emergency, specific information such as how many centimeters of step to descend and how many meters to walk to the evacuation site is explained in advance. Furthermore, in order to facilitate assistance during an evacuation, it was a basic rule to ride in pairs with an able-bodied person.
Through this experience, I realized that Disneyland pays close attention to every detail to accommodate people with disabilities. In the future, if I have the opportunity, I would like to actually experience barrier-free efforts at Disneylands overseas.
