Advocates confront Disney on Segway ban

Disability rights advocates are confronting the Walt Disney World company on their Segway ban in theme parks during a fairness hearing in Orlando this morning.

The case, which is being heard at the George Young Courthouse, is expected to set a national precedent under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A group from the Disability Rights Advocates for Technology (DRAFT), a private non-profit charity responsible for donating more than 340 Segways to military service members disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan, plan to attend the hearing.

The proposed legal settlement would permanently ban the use of personal Segways nation-wide in all Walt Disney theme parks.

Advocates argue that the Segway, a personal mobility device originally intended for police, security and urban commuters but which has developed a loyal following among many disabled people, is a ``necessity for medical and psychological reasons for the disabled who rely upon it.”