07/02/2026
We don’t usually call out organisations directly—but Merlin Entertainments’ recent Ride Access Pass (RAP) changes are too significant (and frankly illegal) to ignore.
Merlin Entertainments’ decision to restrict RAP eligibility has left thousands of disabled visitors suddenly unable to access their parks. This week has seen an overwhelming surge of complaints across social media and customer channels as families realise their family members with invisible disabilities will no longer receive adjustments that made visits possible.
Meanwhile, several media outlets have unhelpfully misreported RAP as “queue jumping”, fuelling a wave of stigma, abuse and hate sent to disabled people online. RAP users were never skipping queues—they were queuing the same amount of time, just in a safer place.
The public narrative has also missed the reality: this isn’t about people “wanting to skip the queue”. It’s about people who cannot safely tolerate the physical queue environment. On a recent LEGOLAND trip with my autistic daughter, without a RAP, we spent five hours trying—and failing—to get on a single ride because our autistic daughter became overwhelmed and dysregulated every time we tried to queue. It was not a lack of patience. It was an inaccessible and unsafe.
Merlin claims too many people were using RAP, making it ineffective (it wasn't). But removing virtual queuing doesn’t shorten queues for anyone—it simply forces disabled guests into environments they are unsafe in, leading to more distress and disruption.
The timing is also impossible to ignore: RAP was restricted just as Merlin started advertising a paid alternative and their customer services are now asking those no longer eligible to pay for fast track passes instead. It really highlights the societal differentiation of view when disability is visible or invisible. Would Merlin have the same audacity to remove all step free access from the parks and claim they are only trialling have no wheelchair users in the park to see if it is more convenient without them?
It’s hard not to view this as a profit‑driven decision—especially when the very accessibility partner Merlin relies on, the Access Card, has publicly stated that those excluded were medically assessed as needing quieter entrances or virtual queues. The fallout hasn’t just damaged Merlin’s reputation. Brands associated with their attractions—like the LEGO Group —are now caught in the slipstream of negative publicity.
This situation shows exactly why inclusion cannot be an afterthought or a cost‑cutting exercise. When disabled people, families, and experts are not meaningfully involved, the result is harm, confusion, and the dismantling of previously inclusive spaces.
Meaningful inclusion isn’t about selling us headphones, directing to a sensory room, or forcing people to pay for their reasonable adjustments. It’s about dignity and safety.
