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Amusement park in the south discriminating obese? How can they be more fair?

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Replies

  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    edited August 2017
    Jruzer wrote: »
    We were at Six Flags a few weeks ago. A lot of their motion rides had a feature which I liked: they provided seats outside of the line area for patrons to try. It's similar to the way that airlines provide fixture that show whether your bag will fit in the overhead bin.

    That way there was much less ambiguity. If you don't fit in the test seat -- if you can't buckle the straps or lower the bar -- then you won't fit on the ride.

    Yes, Carowinds in North/South Carolina does this as well. This actually makes a lot of sense to me, because 200lbs can look very different on people.

    ETA - and it also gets rid of the gender specific qualification as well.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    Jruzer wrote: »
    We were at Six Flags a few weeks ago. A lot of their motion rides had a feature which I liked: they provided seats outside of the line area for patrons to try. It's similar to the way that airlines provide fixture that show whether your bag will fit in the overhead bin.

    That way there was much less ambiguity. If you don't fit in the test seat -- if you can't buckle the straps or lower the bar -- then you won't fit on the ride.

    King's Dominion in Doswell, VA and Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA have these as well.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Dnarules wrote: »
    Jruzer wrote: »
    We were at Six Flags a few weeks ago. A lot of their motion rides had a feature which I liked: they provided seats outside of the line area for patrons to try. It's similar to the way that airlines provide fixture that show whether your bag will fit in the overhead bin.

    That way there was much less ambiguity. If you don't fit in the test seat -- if you can't buckle the straps or lower the bar -- then you won't fit on the ride.

    Yes, Carowinds in North/South Carolina does this as well. This actually makes a lot of sense to me, because 200lbs can look very different on people.

    ETA - and it also gets rid of the gender specific qualification as well.

    Ah, Carowinds! I worked there when I was in high school, serving up all-the-way foot long hot dogs at Billy Bob's Barbecue. I haven't been there in decades.
    ...
    Whoa, I just had a look at the park map. I hardly recognize anything on there!
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    Jruzer wrote: »
    We were at Six Flags a few weeks ago. A lot of their motion rides had a feature which I liked: they provided seats outside of the line area for patrons to try. It's similar to the way that airlines provide fixture that show whether your bag will fit in the overhead bin.

    That way there was much less ambiguity. If you don't fit in the test seat -- if you can't buckle the straps or lower the bar -- then you won't fit on the ride.

    If they had these seats at entrance to the park they could eliminate the nuances of describing who can and cannot go on the rides. A simple "If you don't fit in this seat you can't go on the ride" would eliminate all ambiguity and let people know up front whether the rides are an option for them. Does anyone know of a park that does this?
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    mph323 wrote: »
    Jruzer wrote: »
    We were at Six Flags a few weeks ago. A lot of their motion rides had a feature which I liked: they provided seats outside of the line area for patrons to try. It's similar to the way that airlines provide fixture that show whether your bag will fit in the overhead bin.

    That way there was much less ambiguity. If you don't fit in the test seat -- if you can't buckle the straps or lower the bar -- then you won't fit on the ride.

    If they had these seats at entrance to the park they could eliminate the nuances of describing who can and cannot go on the rides. A simple "If you don't fit in this seat you can't go on the ride" would eliminate all ambiguity and let people know up front whether the rides are an option for them. Does anyone know of a park that does this?

    Wouldn't different types of rides have different restrictions, though? Having the seats specific to that ride close to each ride seems to make more sense. Then again, I haven't been to an amusement park since my high school days cruising the county fair.
  • SSGKunze
    SSGKunze Posts: 21 Member
    It seems very reasonable to me parks have always done things like this for safety reasons... Nobody is forced to go there if your overweight past Roller Coaster rules maybe that's not a great weekend trip to take unless you plan on skipping the rides like anyone else who might have a condition like hearts and or backs plenty of people can't ride them. You choose what to spend your money on, be responsible and check the place out online before you go. I also imagine if you didn't know and asked for your money back right after buying tickets they would refund you anyway.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    mph323 wrote: »
    Jruzer wrote: »
    We were at Six Flags a few weeks ago. A lot of their motion rides had a feature which I liked: they provided seats outside of the line area for patrons to try. It's similar to the way that airlines provide fixture that show whether your bag will fit in the overhead bin.

    That way there was much less ambiguity. If you don't fit in the test seat -- if you can't buckle the straps or lower the bar -- then you won't fit on the ride.

    If they had these seats at entrance to the park they could eliminate the nuances of describing who can and cannot go on the rides. A simple "If you don't fit in this seat you can't go on the ride" would eliminate all ambiguity and let people know up front whether the rides are an option for them. Does anyone know of a park that does this?

    Wouldn't different types of rides have different restrictions, though? Having the seats specific to that ride close to each ride seems to make more sense. Then again, I haven't been to an amusement park since my high school days cruising the county fair.

    I was thinking of having a seat for every ride at the entrance. That way if your focus is the rides (or even some of the rides) and you don't fit, you don't have to pay to get into the park and then find out you can't ride. I don't know of any places that do this (all the test seats are in front of the specific ride) but I think it makes sense.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    edited August 2017
    I think that most amusement parks just charge you a given rate to get in regardless of what you actually intend to do, like Disney World and Cedar Point. My mother-in-law hates rides and rarely does anything more than walk around and occasionally ride the train, but has to pay full admission; once you are in the gate, there are no controls in place to limit your activity, you can ride anything (that your size permits). Once they start allowing discounted admission based upon riding certain rides, I think it becomes too difficult to administer.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    Jruzer wrote: »
    Dnarules wrote: »
    Jruzer wrote: »
    We were at Six Flags a few weeks ago. A lot of their motion rides had a feature which I liked: they provided seats outside of the line area for patrons to try. It's similar to the way that airlines provide fixture that show whether your bag will fit in the overhead bin.

    That way there was much less ambiguity. If you don't fit in the test seat -- if you can't buckle the straps or lower the bar -- then you won't fit on the ride.

    Yes, Carowinds in North/South Carolina does this as well. This actually makes a lot of sense to me, because 200lbs can look very different on people.

    ETA - and it also gets rid of the gender specific qualification as well.

    Ah, Carowinds! I worked there when I was in high school, serving up all-the-way foot long hot dogs at Billy Bob's Barbecue. I haven't been there in decades.
    ...
    Whoa, I just had a look at the park map. I hardly recognize anything on there!

    Yes, they really keep changing things there. They added a new roller coaster fairly recently. I've only been about 3 times, but I remember the seats they had outside the ride, at least for some of them.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    I think that most amusement parks just charge you a given rate to get in regardless of what you actually intend to do, like Disney World and Cedar Point. My mother-in-law hates rides and rarely does anything more than walk around and occasionally ride the train, but has to pay full admission; once you are in the gate, there are no controls in place to limit your activity, you can ride anything (that your size permits). Once they start allowing discounted admission based upon riding certain rides, I think it becomes too difficult to administer.

    I agree with this - I don't see any reason parks should have to provide discounts for people who only intend to participate in some of the park's activities. I just think it makes sense for people to know going in that something they might have planned as the focus of their visit isn't available to them.
  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
    edited August 2017
    lalepepper wrote: »
    lalepepper wrote: »
    I think that size restrictions for rides are completely understandable, but I don't agree with their method.
    That said, I think setting a cut off weight is silly. I'm a 6' woman. The upper end of healthy weight tops out at 183. If I were 200 lbs I would be under 20 lbs into overweight. I think having a tester seat is a better solution to fit the variety of bodies that would come and could fit safely.
    Some rides have a weight limit for safety reasons like our zip lines, climbing tower, and water slide.

    As I clarified above, I meant having a cut off weight specifically for women. I see how my original post could be construed as dismissing weight limits all together. I completely agree that weight limits are reasonable, but having a particular one for women that is different than men does not make sense.

    It's just a guideline for people to judge if they should go for a certain ride or not. When you think 200 pound woman, what comes to mind? And what comes to mind when you think a 200 pound man? If a taller woman who fits securely comes in, do you think they would stand her on a scale to make sure she isn't over 200? If a shorter man who doesn't fit securely comes in, do you think they would stand him on a scale and tell him "you're under 225 pounds, go ahead". The average 200 pound woman is sized differently from the average 200 pound man. Gender differences exist in several aspects, and that's why sports are mostly by gender, not because they are singling out women. That's why there is are different calculations for men and for women to estimate TDEE. The different formulas don't exist because "women are supposed to be these dainty little creatures who eat less", it's because women do on average need fewer calories than men. Gender differences is also why what is considered a healthy body fat for men is different from what is considered healthy for women. These differences aren't really meant as a "because you're a woman and probably don't have the willpower and mental capacity to manage your body fat we will give you an easier percentage to aim for". Looking at it this way would be reading too much into simple facts, as is dissecting these guidelines... What, in your opinion, do they mean by having gender specific guidelines? What do you believe they're saying that is offensive?

    What comes to mind starts at my own frame of reference. While I logically know that the average height woman will be more significantly overweight at 200 lbs than I would be, I still tend to assume from my perspective, as a 6' woman who would be under 20 lbs overweight at 200, because that is my reality. Folks shorter than myself often do the same with me - they have difficulty guessing my weight because they are working from their own baseline assumptions.

    I don't think that at all about the scales. The initial post referred to them posting a policy that women over 200 lbs or size 18 (the gender specific guidelines I was referring to) wouldn't be allowed on certain rides. Really, my only point was that having such a policy is a bit stupid because women have range of heights/sizes just like men do. Yes, being 6' I am an outlier, but I think a fit/weight limit should apply to both sexes. Looking at it the way that you did - as in these are guidelines to help people decide if they will fit to avoid problems/embarrassment, is totally fine. It is possible I misunderstood how the park originally posted their policy/guidelines.

    I think you are reading too much in to what I was saying. I simply meant that it is kind of silly to have a rule that women should be under 200 lbs to ride when a woman at 200 but tall may easily fit the ride without issue. Maybe I misinterpreted the original post - I was under the impression that the park specifically put weight/size limits on women riders but did not indicate any specific limit for men.

    Just put a tester seat out to use, and allow folks to test for themselves whether they fit/want to wait in line, versus trying to set a random and unreliable measurement based on sex.

    I never said anything they did was offensive to me, only stated that it seems like a silly policy to single out women.


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  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    lalepepper wrote: »
    lalepepper wrote: »
    lalepepper wrote: »
    I think that size restrictions for rides are completely understandable, but I don't agree with their method.
    That said, I think setting a cut off weight is silly. I'm a 6' woman. The upper end of healthy weight tops out at 183. If I were 200 lbs I would be under 20 lbs into overweight. I think having a tester seat is a better solution to fit the variety of bodies that would come and could fit safely.
    Some rides have a weight limit for safety reasons like our zip lines, climbing tower, and water slide.

    As I clarified above, I meant having a cut off weight specifically for women. I see how my original post could be construed as dismissing weight limits all together. I completely agree that weight limits are reasonable, but having a particular one for women that is different than men does not make sense.

    It's just a guideline for people to judge if they should go for a certain ride or not. When you think 200 pound woman, what comes to mind? And what comes to mind when you think a 200 pound man? If a taller woman who fits securely comes in, do you think they would stand her on a scale to make sure she isn't over 200? If a shorter man who doesn't fit securely comes in, do you think they would stand him on a scale and tell him "you're under 225 pounds, go ahead". The average 200 pound woman is sized differently from the average 200 pound man. Gender differences exist in several aspects, and that's why sports are mostly by gender, not because they are singling out women. That's why there is are different calculations for men and for women to estimate TDEE. The different formulas don't exist because "women are supposed to be these dainty little creatures who eat less", it's because women do on average need fewer calories than men. Gender differences is also why what is considered a healthy body fat for men is different from what is considered healthy for women. These differences aren't really meant as a "because you're a woman and probably don't have the willpower and mental capacity to manage your body fat we will give you an easier percentage to aim for". Looking at it this way would be reading too much into simple facts, as is dissecting these guidelines... What, in your opinion, do they mean by having gender specific guidelines? What do you believe they're saying that is offensive?

    What comes to mind starts at my own frame of reference. While I logically know that the average height woman will be more significantly overweight at 200 lbs than I would be, I still tend to assume from my perspective, as a 6' woman who would be under 20 lbs overweight at 200, because that is my reality. Folks shorter than myself often do the same with me - they have difficulty guessing my weight because they are working from their own baseline assumptions.

    I don't think that at all about the scales. The initial post referred to them posting a policy that women over 200 lbs or size 18 (the gender specific guidelines I was referring to) wouldn't be allowed on certain rides. Really, my only point was that having such a policy is a bit stupid because women have range of heights/sizes just like men do. Yes, being 6' I am an outlier, but I think a fit/weight limit should apply to both sexes. Looking at it the way that you did - as in these are guidelines to help people decide if they will fit to avoid problems/embarrassment, is totally fine. It is possible I misunderstood how the park originally posted their policy/guidelines.

    I think you are reading too much in to what I was saying. I simply meant that it is kind of silly to have a rule that women should be under 200 lbs to ride when a woman at 200 but tall may easily fit the ride without issue. Maybe I misinterpreted the original post - I was under the impression that the park specifically put weight/size limits on women riders but did not indicate any specific limit for men.

    Just put a tester seat out to use, and allow folks to test for themselves whether they fit/want to wait in line, versus trying to set a random and unreliable measurement based on sex.

    I never said anything they did was offensive to me, only stated that it seems like a silly policy to single out women.


    There is a guideline for both sexes. Women's sizes go by size number and men's sizes go by waist inches. There are also weight guidelines for both. May not be the perfect method to judge (I like the test seating idea) but I see no singling out.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    <<sidetrack>>

    Dumb question. I haven't been to Disney since I was a kid.

    Do you just pay one price admission and then not pay for individual rides?
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    edited August 2017
    <<sidetrack>>

    Dumb question. I haven't been to Disney since I was a kid.

    Do you just pay one price admission and then not pay for individual rides?

    it was that way when I was there 14 years ago...there may have been a few that were extra but I don't remember exactly where or what...so it probably wasn't many if any...

    but I know my son (he was 10) could go on all but 1 ride (he was tall for his age) and the one he couldn't...we didn't fuss over it.

  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Aren't most people over 200lbs though? Would make more sense for the weight limit to be closer to 250lbs. Maybe they should make some rows of seats for bigger people, and some for smaller people.

    May seem like it but

    Researchers from the CDC found that the average weight of U.S. men over the age of 20 has increased to 195.7 pounds, according to data from 2011 to 2014. The former average, 180.7 pounds, was based on data from 1988-1994. The heights of both men and women remained about the same.

    Women and children are not immune to the slow weight gain of recent decades, either. The average woman in 1960 weighed 140.2 pounds. Today, the average weight for a woman is 168.5 pounds. Adolescent boys and girls seem to be the most at risk, with a 12 pound average weight gain -- proportionately more based on height -- compared to 20 years ago.


    http://abcnews.go.com/Health/average-weight-american-men-15-pounds-20-years/story?id=41100782
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    I don't understand why the "general" restriction is over 225 pounds, but for women it's over 200 pounds. That made no sense to me and is discriminatory.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    I work at a park and several of our rides have restrictions. There are height minimums, and weight minimums and maximums on our water slide for safety reasons. Our rock climbing wall has minimum and maximum weight limits due to the automatic belay system. Our Segway park has a minimum height, and Merlins mystical mansion won't allow anyone in with any type of seizure disorder due to flashing lights. I have to weigh and measure people all the time and never had an issue.

    The minimum size requirements are important for safety and work the same way it does for child safety seats in a car and why kids under a certain size have to be rear facing in the back seat or can't be in the front seat.
  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
    lalepepper wrote: »
    lalepepper wrote: »
    lalepepper wrote: »
    I think that size restrictions for rides are completely understandable, but I don't agree with their method.
    That said, I think setting a cut off weight is silly. I'm a 6' woman. The upper end of healthy weight tops out at 183. If I were 200 lbs I would be under 20 lbs into overweight. I think having a tester seat is a better solution to fit the variety of bodies that would come and could fit safely.
    Some rides have a weight limit for safety reasons like our zip lines, climbing tower, and water slide.

    As I clarified above, I meant having a cut off weight specifically for women. I see how my original post could be construed as dismissing weight limits all together. I completely agree that weight limits are reasonable, but having a particular one for women that is different than men does not make sense.

    It's just a guideline for people to judge if they should go for a certain ride or not. When you think 200 pound woman, what comes to mind? And what comes to mind when you think a 200 pound man? If a taller woman who fits securely comes in, do you think they would stand her on a scale to make sure she isn't over 200? If a shorter man who doesn't fit securely comes in, do you think they would stand him on a scale and tell him "you're under 225 pounds, go ahead". The average 200 pound woman is sized differently from the average 200 pound man. Gender differences exist in several aspects, and that's why sports are mostly by gender, not because they are singling out women. That's why there is are different calculations for men and for women to estimate TDEE. The different formulas don't exist because "women are supposed to be these dainty little creatures who eat less", it's because women do on average need fewer calories than men. Gender differences is also why what is considered a healthy body fat for men is different from what is considered healthy for women. These differences aren't really meant as a "because you're a woman and probably don't have the willpower and mental capacity to manage your body fat we will give you an easier percentage to aim for". Looking at it this way would be reading too much into simple facts, as is dissecting these guidelines... What, in your opinion, do they mean by having gender specific guidelines? What do you believe they're saying that is offensive?

    What comes to mind starts at my own frame of reference. While I logically know that the average height woman will be more significantly overweight at 200 lbs than I would be, I still tend to assume from my perspective, as a 6' woman who would be under 20 lbs overweight at 200, because that is my reality. Folks shorter than myself often do the same with me - they have difficulty guessing my weight because they are working from their own baseline assumptions.

    I don't think that at all about the scales. The initial post referred to them posting a policy that women over 200 lbs or size 18 (the gender specific guidelines I was referring to) wouldn't be allowed on certain rides. Really, my only point was that having such a policy is a bit stupid because women have range of heights/sizes just like men do. Yes, being 6' I am an outlier, but I think a fit/weight limit should apply to both sexes. Looking at it the way that you did - as in these are guidelines to help people decide if they will fit to avoid problems/embarrassment, is totally fine. It is possible I misunderstood how the park originally posted their policy/guidelines.

    I think you are reading too much in to what I was saying. I simply meant that it is kind of silly to have a rule that women should be under 200 lbs to ride when a woman at 200 but tall may easily fit the ride without issue. Maybe I misinterpreted the original post - I was under the impression that the park specifically put weight/size limits on women riders but did not indicate any specific limit for men.

    Just put a tester seat out to use, and allow folks to test for themselves whether they fit/want to wait in line, versus trying to set a random and unreliable measurement based on sex.

    I never said anything they did was offensive to me, only stated that it seems like a silly policy to single out women.


    There is a guideline for both sexes. Women's sizes go by size number and men's sizes go by waist inches. There are also weight guidelines for both. May not be the perfect method to judge (I like the test seating idea) but I see no singling out.
    I guess I missed the reference to waist size in the initial post or follow up posts - if that is the case I agree with you - using size guidelines for both sexes to help people determine if they will fit is reasonable.
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    I don't understand why the "general" restriction is over 225 pounds, but for women it's over 200 pounds. That made no sense to me and is discriminatory.
    That is what I thought was funny.
  • GemstoneofHeart
    GemstoneofHeart Posts: 865 Member
    If it leaves the ground, I don't get on it period. Unless it's a slide or something.

    But I love this and think it's a great way to relieve some embarrassment and save them from standing in the line for nothing.
  • goodkoalie
    goodkoalie Posts: 84 Member
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    I don't understand why the "general" restriction is over 225 pounds, but for women it's over 200 pounds. That made no sense to me and is discriminatory.

    This was explained a couple of times earlier in the post. An average women is shorter than a average man. Therefore, to fit in the ride safely, on average different weights are set as the maximum. If a short, 225 pound man came to a ride and did not fit, he would not be allowed to ride over a 6'2 woman who was 225, yet safely fit in the ride. The weights are just given as a general guideline for the average population and is not discrimination.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    Singling out women specifically is the discrimination issue. There doesn't seem to be any reason for that wording. Saying the ride manufacturer wrote it that way is just lame.

    I'm guessing the wording was just to put it into terms so the average person (who doesn't know their circumference) might have an idea if they'd fit. The height and % muscle variation in men might be such that they couldn't easily give a max weight estimate, whereas women tend to be under a certain height with a lower muscle %.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    ritzvin wrote: »
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    Singling out women specifically is the discrimination issue. There doesn't seem to be any reason for that wording. Saying the ride manufacturer wrote it that way is just lame.

    I'm guessing the wording was just to put it into terms so the average person (who doesn't know their circumference) might have an idea if they'd fit. The height and % muscle variation in men might be such that they couldn't easily give a max weight estimate, whereas women tend to be under a certain height with a lower muscle %.

    I agree this is what they were trying to do, and while I don't think they were intending to be sextist I'm honestly mind-blown that whoever wrote that had such specific ideas about women's bodies that they didn't think applied to men. The weight limit for instance - the ride has a max weight allowance, not specific for men or women - if the max limit is 250 lbs (or whatever), then that's the limit, why would it be different for men or women? And as far as calling out a clothing size (and just for women), again it shows that whoever wrote that is clueless. Just for myself, I am two sizes smaller in a couple of the stores I shop at regularly than in general sizes, and can be wildly different sizes depending on the cut of the clothing. Sure a woman will tend to be shorter than a man at the same weight, and larger around, but this isn't always true, and where a person carries their weight (men or women) will make a difference in how the restrains fit. I really think that giving the max dimensions of the belts (chest size, waist size, etc) and giving people tools to do their own measurements (in private!), or just having a car from each ride available at the entrance for a fit test (easier in my opinion) would eliminate the ambiguity.
  • NoxDineen
    NoxDineen Posts: 497 Member
    I think a discount for entry is Some parks like Marine Land offer discounts for people with disabilities and obesity is a disability. http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2013/10/10/39-theme-parks-with-access-passes-for-special-needs/

    Lol nope.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    mcbrainder wrote: »
    For me, it's just laziness, and so I live a one-click life.


    You've identified the issue. Best of luck doing something about it.
  • gradchica27
    gradchica27 Posts: 777 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I imagine that some rides would not work for small people if they were designed for the obese. People would be falling out.

    We just took the kids to Disney & Universal. I remember roller coasters with the “Click click click” bars that would come down close to you, but there were a number of one-size-fits-all bars that left about a foot between me and the bar. I had to really brace my feet to keep from sliding down, and had to grab my 4 yo under his bottom to keep him on the seat (he was tall enough, but I could have put him in my lap and had room to spare with that giant bar). So I can definitely see seats for bigger people making rides either unsafe or more uncomfortable (bc I’m rocking back and forth between the restraint and seat) for smaller people.

    And nuts to discounts—I’ve gone to parks while pregnant many times and can hardly ride anything and paid full fare.

  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    edited October 2017
    I think a discount for entry is Some parks like Marine Land offer discounts for people with disabilities and obesity is a disability. http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2013/10/10/39-theme-parks-with-access-passes-for-special-needs/

    Obesity can become a "disability" if it persists into a person's middle-age, as it generally leads to impaired mobility, followed by a government recognized disability in the form of authorizing handicap parking tags on vehicles and the use of scooters. Obesity-related disability is then indistinguishable from many of the general non-self-inflicted variety of disabilities.