MTF Rant! People Are Abusing ADA Services For The Handicapped And Disabled At Comic Con To Get In Before The Public!
We have only yet to start the Comic Con recaps, but there was one thing troubling about the con, that upset everyone I knew.
Billy felt so strongly, for the first time he did an MTF Rant about what happened. In a nutshell people were saying that they needed ADA disability or handicapped access. This allowed them to get in early, get multiple drawings and more signings. Just look at eBay, if someone got more than three WB signings on a given day by themselves… It’s probably someone who did this.
As I say, I’m for bending the rules, living in a moral grey zone, but this… It’s crossing the line.
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I have to say, this year Comic Con was quite successful from a graphing stand point. I got a lot of the signings I was hoping for, and even more. To do this, I had to spend quite a bit of time in lines and sleeping outside. Was it worth it for me? Yes. Some people think I’m crazy when I do this, but I’ve found that it usually increases my odds if I do. I’m definitely not the only one doing it at the Con!
So after spending hours of time waiting in line, I felt like I had a pretty good spot for the chance to draw for Game of Thrones on Friday morning, knowing that a number of people in front of me were also going for Toys and Legos. Finally when the doors opened and we walked quickly up the stairs. You could understand my amazement that the first pen for the WB was already full. How the hell did that happen? I noticed people that I know were not in front of us and nowhere to be seen earlier now in front of us? By the time I got into the 1st pen, they announced Game of Thrones was out. The whole time, I was still wondering how the hell was I so far back. The previous year, people snuck through the back, but that didn’t happen this year.
Finally after talking to a number of people throughout the day, I finally found out. People were saying they were disabled so they could get in earlier. In fact they didn’t even have to put the time in waiting in lines. They would just roll up around 5am and be waiting there before the doors even opened. It wouldn’t surprise me if some of them were stupid enough to even run to the line even though they were “handicapped.”
Now I understand there are ways to try and cheat the system at the Con. Pretending you’re in the bathroom so you can cut in line with your friend, stuff like that. But it ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED me that people would say they were handicapped to get a spot in line and get more signings.
Definition of Handicap: a disadvantage that makes achievement unusually difficult
I would like to stress those words “Unusually Difficult”.
Are you telling me you couldn’t sit in a chair or lay on the ground just like the rest of us because you “hurt your feet or ankles”. Guess what, by the end of the weekend, all of our feet and ankles hurt. Should we all get handicap badges?
And it doesn’t look like these people have problems standing in the lines once you’re inside. In fact the same people with these handicapped badges keep going from line to line getting as many signings as they can. Then once the signings are gone, you stand in line after line to receive the autographs.
Yet you’re “handicapped?”
You should be ashamed of yourselves! It’s absolutely disgusting you would pretend to be someone with a disability just to get more autographs!
One thing I appreciate about Marvel is they select “Wounded Warriors” to be able to get signings. Some of these solders have lost limbs. Yet they waited while other people in line went first, until Marvel finally told them to go up. They didn’t ask for any special treatment. You wouldn’t have even know they were “handicapped” unless you saw them uncles and realized they made a sacrifice for their country.
You’re telling me you deserve the same privileges as someone who lost body parts for their country, cause you supposedly rolled your ankle or foot, but can still walk and stand in lines?
My Grandfather received a Purple Heart in World War 2, and I bet he would still wait in line with the rest of us, because he would feel he was able too.
A friend came up with the idea that they should have to show their placard to receive a handicap sticker. It’s sad that it would have to come to that, but if it would keep the scum from taking advantage of the system, I’m all for it.
I might not have gotten my Game of Thrones poster, but at least I have my morals and dignity!
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This is revolting. I have always said SDCC brings out the best and worst in people, but for someone to be so low and vile it’s still shocking.
This really has to be someone with low morals. My jaw dropped just thinking someone could abuse the system in this way. It just hurts the people who really need help. People are gross.
Very well said Billy. I’m still still floored by this. Year after year we see the same people getting multiple wristbands some how and so be it, but not this way. So disgusting. I hope Karma catches up with them all soon.
A few points. I did see some abuse of the handicapped. A lady at the Kiss signing in a wheel chair (she wasn’t really disabled; just fat?) was insisting on being up front and telling people to get out… and they were so worried to upset her, they let her run things. Second, I am going blind; my husband had a heart attack recently and we slept out all night. i had 5 blisters (thought I had 6 but the other was just red). Two of the blisters covered my entire toe. I could barely walk and my ankles were swollen to twice their size. I followed all the rules of the con. Nobody else seemed to. I was pushed and shoved on an escalator because I stood like you supposed to and people rushed past me. I waited in line after line and slept out 12 hours before only to be told all that waiting and suffering and paying 225 a night for a hotel I could not use was in vain. Why? Because the people at the convention didn’t follow their OWN rules. They gave out autograph bands the DAY BEFORE the signings. Yet all the ads and rules and sheets said 9 am when they open, go to the booth DAY OF and get the bands; first come/first served. TWICE I lost out. I did not get more than the Kiss autographs and I was fortunate. They did a scam on that too but I won’t get into it. Let’s just say the volunteers did not want to stay in the booth so everyone was a winner. At least the first 100. Luckily I got that. But I went for the first time to this con for THREE things. 1) Hall H Star Wars/Walking Dead panel 2) Walking Dead autographs and 3) To Meet Nathan Fillion. NONE of those things happened. The third I knew probably wouldn’t happen. But the first two I thought I had a shot. In order to get into Hall H, you’d of had to forgo your Thursday pass/badge and miss everything that day in order to stand in line over 24 hours. I would have been awake well over 36 hours by the time the panels ended and I ate, showered and went to bed and I’d of missed part of Saturdays stuff plus everything Friday. It’s gone beyond ridiculous. Can’t even enjoy the con …. First and LAST time I think. The exhibit floor was so crowded Sunday I couldn’t see half the tables and what they were selling. Supposedly that was to be the “slow” day? LOL All the graphs that were supposed to be free, were not. I was told frequently any cast signings, even in the sails pavilion were free. Manu Bennett didn’t even show for his signing. My fourth and fitth things I wanted were Vampire Diaries and Originals autographs. Didn’t get those either. I missed even the ones I had to PAY for because the conflicts. Lastly, I got the last autograph band for Robot Chicken and didn’t make it. We were getting ready to leave Comic Con and my hubby didn’t get to do one thing he wanted… so I didn’t get the autographs so he could see the Grimm/Outlander panels. Ah well, nothing like going to comic con and coming home with nothing you wanted and spending 4 grand! Lovely!
PS People I was with a couple nights in a row (we had HOURS to talk!) lol all were in agreement that SDCC should do ONLINE LOTTERIES for toys and possibly autograph signings. It could be like the same system to get your badges? You could do an ala cart wish list and get randomly selected. Your wrist band could be like the Disney smart bands and give you access to get in, to get your autographs that you won, and to get you your “exclusives”. This would stop people from using friends to get things, from people getting multiple bands and toys and from people pushing/shoving each other. WHY won’t they do this???
right on Billy. I think I saw this same girl in line all the time (no way sleeping in the line) and getting all the wristbands then also triple dipping sometimes cutting in line in the standby line at Fox and then cut again after getting her second. Mike knows who this is….:)
well DUH Billy this has been happening all 14 years ive been going.
I think the whole purpose of waiting in line IS TO WAIT IN LINE. Sometimes it’s hard to see when someone has a disability, but when its over done like that, and then autographs are sold. They obviously didn’t go because they were a fan, they went to make $$$. I have an ORIF, and cadavers in my left leg. I have never played the disability card, anywhere, I still park and walk (I am proud of the year it took to relearn to walk in Gait Training.) It is a slap in the face if I rolled up, and demanded to be first to everyone that is waiting too. When I know I’ll be standing for long periods of time, I wear my compression stocking. I pride myself on being strong.
Yeah. I noticed this a lot ever year I worked at our booth. Not cool at all. Not cool.
I still remember being in the Castle panel at my first SDCC and there was one woman running and diving for a close-to-the-stage handicapped seat, all the wile holding up her badge and yelling “I’m disabled, I’m disabled”