A new report suggests that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) disability diagnosis epidemic has now reached Disneyland Paris, with priority queues at the theme park reportedly filled with claimants using their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to bypass long lines.
Easy Access Passes Under Scrutiny
Leaf Arbuthnot, a writer for The Telegraph, managed to secure an easy access pass despite the NHS app not being among the approved documents. Upon questioning Disneyland staff about whether the majority of those collecting disability passes were English, one employee replied, “Oh yes. It’s mostly English people.” A second staff member added, “At the moment there are lots and lots and lots of English people who have priority passes and sunflower lanyards and so on. It’s been this way since Covid. I have no idea why. There are parks that are on the stricter side but this one is quite lenient.”
French Visitors Express Frustration
Another park regular told the newspaper, “There are lots of really bitter French people who see the people in the disabled queue and ask, ‘Well why do they have a disabled card?’ That does happen. When the French are refused a pass they can get annoyed about it – but less than the English. I don’t know if it’s because they’re here or because that’s how it’s done in England.”
Legitimate Claimants Also Present
The newspaper was quick to point out that not everyone in the disability queues had passes for dubious reasons. One legitimate claimant, a British mother with fibromyalgia, said, “I don’t think I’d have made it without the passes. I am dying, not going to lie. I’ve taken ibuprofen and paracetamol throughout the day.”
Disneyland Paris Policy
Disneyland Paris explains on its website: “A priority card gives priority (but not immediate) access to visitors with official proof of disability accepted at Disneyland Paris. For attractions, theatres, outdoor shows, parades, meetings with the characters and checkouts at our restaurants and shops.”
