Efteling to check disabled access cards more strictly due to abuse

Amusement park Efteling will scrutinize the use of special access cards for people with disabilities more strictly after reported abuse. The pass can be downloaded from the Efteling site, and young people are abusing it to skip the lines for rides, one mother told Omroep Brabant on Saturday. Many people responded with similar stories, according to the broadcaster.

Sandra’s daughter Kyara has Down Syndrome and uses the special access card for people with disabilities. But according to Sandra, the separate entrances were so crowded on Friday that Kyara couldn’t find any attractions to go on. Sandra’s own investigation showed that young people were unjustly in the queue, she said.

“The park wants to offer guests with disabilities the same access as other guests. This is based on the trust we have in our guests. When applying, people must fill in a declaration that they cannot go through the queue. They must also sign that they have filled it in truthfully,” an Efteling spokesperson told Omroep Brabant. “But if it turns out that it is being misused, we have to look at improvements.”

Checking whether people are using the pass correctly is “up to the colleagues at the attraction,” the spokesperson said. “That certainly shouldn’t have been up to the guests themselves,” he stressed. What makes it challenging, however, is that not all disabilities are visible, he added.

The park has contacted Sandra to discuss what happened.