Guest stays at Orlando Walt Disney World Resort. Then she can’t use the ADA room because Disney doesn’t plan for solo disabled travelers

Booking a trip to Orlando's Walt Disney World Resort is, by many accounts, a dream vacation. Thousands of solo travelers, couples, and families save up to get tickets and a hotel suite at “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” Yet one guest said that her stay didn't have much magic as a direct result of her hotel room's inaccessibility.

Content creator and registered nurse Andrea Dalzell (@andreadalzell) posted a video that received more than 254,000 views. In it, the nurse told her audience that she requested an ADA-compliant room, as she uses a wheelchair. When she arrived at her room, however, she found that there were numerous devices, appliances, and furniture items she couldn't reasonably use. 

Dalzell's experience with her Disney suite

Dalzell posted a video of herself “crashing out” inside her suite at Disney World after a long day.

“ I came to Disney with the thought process that at the very least, they were at the bare minimum of the ADA,” she said. “ I'm sorry, Disney, I don't know who, who you have on your accessibility council, this is not it.”

In her video, Dalzell went through a laundry list of ways the room was not accessible. She pointed out that there was a “huge thing” blocking the curtains, which made them inaccessible for her. A coffee pot placed in the room was sitting on a perilously tall counter, which she normally wouldn't be able to reach.

“ I moved it down because I was like, if I wanted to make tea, I would burn the living [expletive] out of myself,” she said.

As soon as she moved the coffee pot to an accessible area, she realized there wasn't a plug she could use to power the appliance. Then she pointed out a general issue.

“ Why is all of these things so high? Why do I have to reach so much?” she said, while panning her camera across the room. Dalzell said the closet didn't have racks that could come down, and the thermostat was out of reach.

Dalzell told her audience she couldn't even reach into the shower to test the temperature of the water.

@andreadalzell @Disney Parks Disney resorts… your person told me Disney doesn't expect solo disabled travelers because they need help. So the rooms accessible accommodations are the bed and shower! #dobetterdisney #disney #solodisney ♬ sonido original – Karla Bloom Journal

Are Disney's hotel rooms really accessible?

Dalzell referenced the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in her video, which “is a [U.S.] federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities.” In the United States, hotels such as those found at Walt Disney World Resort must have ADA-compliant hotel rooms. 

An ADA-compliant room for a wheelchair user should have entrances and exits with wide dimensions, as well as restrooms with grab bars, sinks that can be used from a seated position, and “sufficient clearance for wheelchair maneuverability,” according to AudioEye.

Despite this, many wheelchair users report struggling to find ADA-compliant rooms. WheelChair Travel, an online blog founded by travel advocate John Morris, says “Travelers should expect consistency in the design of accessible hotel rooms and bathrooms, regardless of which hotel they select. Unfortunately, many hotels have not adhered to the ADA standards, causing problems for travelers with disabilities.” 

Did Dalzell receive alternative accommodations?

In an update shared on her page, Dalzell said that a conversation with a manager at Disney did not go well. She brought up concerns with her room, she said, only to be asked why she was traveling alone. 

“ So I came back to talk to a manager, a head manager, and Miss Candace came to speak to me and she says, ‘Well, I don't know what your personal preference is to travel by yourself,'” Dalzell said. “ Ma'am, the issue is the accessibility of the room, not me traveling by myself or with someone.”

Dalzell said that after that conversation, another Disney representative spoke to her. They told her that they would try to find her lodging in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Dalzell noted that it would require a significant amount of physical exertion on her end to transfer her belongings to another room.

In a later update, Dalzell told her audience that she did get an alternative room. She added that Disney “zapped [her] magic.” 

“ Yes, I'm in a new space, but I think once you start to move around in space, you start to realize what's gonna zap your energy,” Dalzell said. “What I think misses the mark is that there is no standard across the board, and because there's no standard and no understanding of how disabled people use the space technically, I'm zapped.”

Disney itself states that its hotels “offer a range of rooms with added features and services for guests with mobility, visual or hearing disabilities.” It's unclear, however, if Disney offers the same features and services in each of its holiday properties.

Buzz News reached out to Dalzell via TikTok direct message and Walt Disney World Resort via email for comment.