Changes coming to GAC

[Absimilliard]

I can't say more for now, but there are changes coming to the GAC that should remove a lot of confusion for both CM and the guests.

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the heads up.
I'll be happy if there is just some consistency in being handled the same way at the same ride.
Plus, there are still people posting that "dad, who rented an ecv, got to go to the head of all the lines" when some of us who have appropriate GACs for multi-disabled members of our families are told to wait in the Mainstream line ("the GAC doesn't apply here") for the same ride.

[Talking Hands]

I was not pleased with the GAC I recieved the last trip. Although I explained that unaccompanied I cannot run back and forth to obtain fastpass I was given one that would have required exactly that. I hope that when they change the GAC the powers that be realize that not all handicapped guests are constantly accompanied by a companion and if they are in a power wheelchair they do not have the power to criss cross the parks to obtain fastpasses for rides. I don't go on many rides anymore but I feel discriminated again when Disney sets it up so the only lines I can use with mainstream access are the standby lines. I wait long enough once I get to the end of the line of r the vehicles that will load my powerchair.

[magicmaker]

Talking Hands--

I was wondering if you would ellaborate on your situation. I know that many times guests are frustrated that Disney does allow guests with disabilities to simply enter through the FASTPASS Return or the exit. Most guests with disabilities are required to either wait in the stand-by line or get a FASTPASS and come back at the designated time. Do you think this policy should be changed? I have heard compelling arguments on both sides. Many feel that with all of the extra challenges a guest in a wheelchair faces, they should be allowed to go right in throug the FASTPASS Return without being forced to 'use the system' by obtaining a FASTPASS and returning at the designated time. Others feel that Guests travelling in wheelchairs are perfectly capable of getting FASTPASS and coming back at the designated time like every other guest. While "criss-crossing" the parks would be problematic, it is not necessary to do that in order to use FASTPASS. Generally, there are two FASTPASS attractions per land and plenty of other attractions in the same area.

I am curious to hear your thoughts. I wonder if the changes to the Guest Assistance Card might include a change of this policy to allow more guests with disabilities to use the FASTPASS Return queue.

[Talking Hands]

With a power wheelchair you have a limited amount of power to use before you run out. Crisscrossing the parade uses up that power so you run out before your day at the park does. Then what happens is you are stuck sitting somewhere while your chair powers up again and usually it is only enough to get you back to your resort and your romm to plug in for the night so you are stuck in your room for until the next morning. A full charge takes overnight. Most people look at the power chair and make the mistaken assumption that it will run as long as you want without having to plug in. You can borrow a manual wheelchair or rent an ECV from Disney but of course one must be available and you must be close enough to the rental area to get there. Also for a manual chair you must have the strength to actually power it yourself. If you could do that you wouldn't be using a power wheelchair in the first place.
I think there are probably few in my situation where although I am accompanied at times by my daughters or husband, most of the time I am on my own. I do a few rides between interpreted shows but really need to do them quickly or not ride at all since each interpreted show is only done once each day that park is scheduled for interpreters which for all of the parks except Animal Kingdom is twice a week. So unlike others if I go for 1 week I will have only 2 times that I can enjoy each show and somehow must sneak in rides I want between these shows. If I must use the stand by line I may have enough time to get one ride between shows if I am lucky. And often the fastpass times don't even come close to when I am between shows. For instance, when I go to MVMCP I will only have time to see the shows and will not get to ride any rides.
I think each guest needs have to be assessed individually as to how they can best be accommodated. It is not a cookie cutter thing. And the hardest thing about it is I do not look like I am handicapped at all. They see someone who looks quite well, and speaks very normally and never realize I am hard of hearing as well as have mobility issues.

[Michigan]

I hope the one thing they change is if you are staying in your wheelchair to ride those rides that allow you to say in the chair that they let you go to the front and wait for that car. It never fails we are 2nd or 3rd in line and the car goes by then we have to wait on the side while all the people that were behind us in line ride before us.

[SueM in MN]

I think each guest needs have to be assessed individually as to how they can best be accommodated. It is not a cookie cutter thing. And the hardest thing about it is I do not look like I am handicapped at all. They see someone who looks quite well, and speaks very normally and never realize I am hard of hearing as well as have mobility issues.
I agree totally with Lisa here. If it is just a "you are in a wheelchair, this is what happens", that will not take care of the individual needs of people. One person using a wheelchair might be fully capable of waiting in the standby lines, getting fastpasses, etc. To let that person use the fastpass lines without getting fastpasses encourages other people to abuse the system. The Unofficial Guide has always "wink, wink" suggested that.
The years that my DD was just looked at as a "Guest in a Wheelchair, you need to wait in the Mainstream lines," were the most miserable trips of our lives. Yes, she has a wheelchair, but she has multiple disabilities, including ADD, seizures, inability to tolerate heat and sun and some obsessive, compulsive behaviors that can make waiting in lines with her an extreme challenge. You can't relax in line when people keep cutting off your path (they don't understand that a wheelchair needs some room to get around corners) and you are worried about whether your child will hit or pinch the other guests because they touched her wheelchair. We actually had CMs tell us we needed to get a GAC because they saw what a hard time we were having in line, even GIVING us slips of paper with their name on to give to Guest Relations. WHen we got to Guest Relations we were told they could not give a GAC to a person in a wheelchair because she could wait in the Mainstream Lines. Those years involved a lot of tears - and not just from my DD.
People with multiple challenges can't be accomidated if only one challenge is considered. The way to handle that is with GACs where someone actually has to go to Guest Services and explain their needs. Just because someone happens to be using a wheelchair doesn't necessarily mean that they need to have the level of accomidation that a GAC provides. Even when we have gone during Spring break, we have not used our DD's GAC for every ride. We have used fastpass when we could; we have waited in the Mainstream line when the line was 15 minutes or less; we have not gone on rides where the line was long. We maybe only use the GAC once or twice a day sometimes, but JUST having it makes our trip more relaxed because we know it is there if we need it.

Someone who is able to walk, but not distances, probably won't be waiting for the special wheelchair car like Michigan's DDs and my DD do. That person might be able to board the ride as soon as they get to the boarding area and won't be waiting any extra time compared to an ambulatory person. But, I think anyone who uses the wheelchair cars has also had the experience of watching the people who were just ahead of them in line finish the ride and get off while you are still waiting at the exit to get ON.
We've also had the experience of coming back for our fastpass time for shows and finding that all the wheelchair seats are already taken for that show - so we had to wait for the next one.
A person in a wheelchair or ecv who can transfer fairly easily and does not really require help from their companions getting out of the wheelchair is going to have a much less tired group of people at the end of the day than those of us who have a difficult time transferring or have to physically lift the person using the wheelchair for every transfer. We have to pace ourselves during the day and kind of go with the flow - are we too tired to go on another ride where we need to tranfer or not. I'm not getting any younger and lifting my DD (at 85 pounds) in and out of her wheelchair several times a day to use the bathroom plus many times a day for rides tends to tire me out in the Florida heat more than it does here in the Minnesota cold.

Also, there are a number of us who can't get to the parks early because of the amount of care that their person with a disability requires. Because of not being able to get there early, we were not able to get fastpasses for Test Track until 2 years after it opened. And, even if we get a fastpass, we might not be able to use it. If my DD has a seizure or she gets overheated and is as limp as a ragdoll, we are pretty much done for the day. At the very least, we can't do any rides that require a transfer.
I also know some people with disabilities who do not need and (almost militantly) don't want any special treatment. They feel it is demeaning to them to treat them any differently than the ambulatory public. As long as they have access, that's all they want and need. They would certainly not be happy to find themselves being given any special treatment just because they are traveling on wheels.
So, one size does not fit all.

[magicmaker]

Thank you all for responding. I think it is so important to remember that each guest should be treated as an individual. It is nice to hear that from all of you.

I think that Walt Disney World is getting better and better at making sure to treat each guest as an individual, especially in regards to Guest Assistance Cards. Hopefully this will continue to improve so every guest is able to receive the appropriate assistance to make their vacation magical.

[arminnie]

I wish more people understood that ECV usage does not automatically mean one should get a GAC.

I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrom (CFS) and while I have not required an ECV while at the parks I certain can forsee the circumstances where it might help me - particularly if I was traveling with others who did not wish to stop and rest as much as I do.

I don't see any reason at this point that I would need a GAC - (for which I am very grateful). I get tired very easily and an ECV might help in traveling longer distances, but I do not require any special accomodations at the attractions. It would not be fair of me to get special treatment when I do not require it. There are so many people who DO need the assistance and it would be awful of me to take up resources that are needed by others.

I think this all goes back to each individual is indeed individual in their needs - there is no one size fits all solution.

[pumpkinboy]

Wow, reading of your experiences makes me realize how lucky we were to get a great GAC when we've been there. My 6 yr old son is wheelchair bound with severe CP, and both times we have been, once when he was 5, and most recently last month, we have gotten GACs that allowed us to simply enter thru the FastPass line: no FastPasses required, just the GAC (an interesting aside, his ticket also wasnot able to be used to obtain a regular FastPass after that). When we have gone to Guest Svcs we explain his condition, that he is unable to walk at all, that he has trouble with overheating if he waits in the sun too long (combination of being a cute redhead, fair skin and the hot black wheelchair) and that he needs medication/ snacks at set periods during the day. Before we are done explaining, the CM is preparing the GAC usable as FastPass. I dunno, maybe it helps that he flirts shamelessly with the females CMs. ;)

I also remember trying to wait in the regular stand-by line, and then having to wait still longer for the HC accessible car on the ride: never again (if we can help it). I am just hoping it's not just good luck when we have been there so far and we're gonna have trouble next time...

[Sarahsmom85]

If they have a special cart for wheelchairs they should have a special line for that purpose. If there is no one by all means fill the space but if a chair is waiting it should be left on first.

[Sarahsmom85]

My husband is a c-4-5 quad he uses a power chair. He hasn't been to Disney in about 10 years. Before we just went to the door person and they told us where to go in.
What is a GAC and who needs it and how do we get one when we visit in May.
DH can only do about 1/3 to 1/2 of the ride in the park, he has to stay in his chair. He misses so much, the rest of the time he waits, and waits for us. Ok this may be another matter for another subject but if he has to pay full price he should be able to 100% of the things in the park.
At IOA at Universal he will only be able to particate in about 2 of the attractions. There is not much there he can do. They should have some kind of none ride price. This goes for the elderly too.
Years ago our amusment park had a none-riders price.
I don't feel I want to pay the price for him to go to IOA and just sit. But he wants to watch us have fun. The waterparks too.
He can do nothing there but he wants to go.
Well I hope they get it fixed by May.

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES.
Here is a link to the DIS page about touring with mobility disabilities. (http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/disabmobility.htm) Some of the ride lists needs to be updated (there are some new rides missing and some old rides still on). There are some rides and all the shows in each park that he will be able to go on without leaving his wheelchair. Some of them are shows, but there are rides that have special cars that a wheelchair will fit in. MK is the least accessible because it is the oldest, but there are quite a few things, especially at AK and the Studio that he will be able to do. Ten years ago, things were a lot different. Many of the lines were not accessible and there were CMs at each ride/attraction to show you where to go. Now most of the lines are what is called "Mainstream Access", which means the regular lines have been made wider to accomidate wheelchairs and ecvs. All the fastpass lines and most of the others in MK and Epcot have been renovated to be Mainstream. AK and the Studio were built with Mainstream Access, so wheelchair users use the regular entrances and lines in most cases. Using Fastpass allows you to limit your wait in line. Fastpass is available at no extra charge to everyone. You put your park ticket into the Fastpass machine and a ticket comes out with a time on it for you to return. When you come back, your wait in the Fastpass line will usually be less than 15 minutes.
The GAC is our abbreviation for Guest Assistance Card. It's a way to let CMs know about needs that are not readily visible. Someone using a wheelchair would not necessarily need a GAC. If having a wheelchair accessible line is all that is needed, there is no need for a GAC. If there are other, less visible disabilities or things that would cause a problem waiting in line, then a GAC would be helpful. One example would be, someone who has difficulty contolling their temperature in the heat (which I know a lot of quads do) might get a GAC that allows them to wait out of the sun and heat. (I haven't seen a GAC that allows waiting in a warm area when it's cold, but they might have those too, since some immobile people become chilled very easily when the outside temperature is cold).
For children with disabilities who need their stroller in line, a GAC might allow that.

[Sarahsmom85]

Yes, DH has a problem with the heat he is always looking for a cool place to duck into. I think I should look into getting a GAC if this will allow him to stay out of the sun. Also can he stay inside out of the heat if it is a ride he can not do but be would like to go on? I know yrs ago he would sit in a gift shop with air.

Hopefully the lines will not be to large as we are going in mid-May.

Although over the years now he has begun liking the heat. LOL

[Pamlur]

When we went in September, we had DIL who is blind, and DH who had just had a bout with kidney disfunction and needed the ECV to keep up with us. We actually got GAC's for both of them, but didn't use them except in a couple of instances. We just had them with us, in case there was some kind of problem. Used DH's for the Safari in AK, and for Haunted Mansion, I think. I don't know that we used DIL's; they might have when they went off on their own.

We certainly didn't want to take any advantage, just wanted the CM's to have an awareness that there was a disability involved. And only then if we foresaw a problem. DH was able to walk on to the rides, so we didn't have to wait for any kind of special car in the rides. We always watch DIL, just to make sure she doesn't trip or something.

BTW, DIL pronounced the TOT as the "ultimate in coolness". We are planning our next trip for a few years in the future (when the baby granddaughter is able to ride the "big kids" rides).

[BCV23]

We still find WDW the easiest place to travel with our two special needs "kids," but I do think it was easier perhaps 10 years back. There does often seem to be confusion these days from one CM to the next about what procedure to board we should use and we've had a couple CMs (out of very many) become exasperated with us when we follow the procedure that we had used on the same ride a day or two before.

Still, the best place to go for our two, so hats off to WDW!

[SueM in MN]

This type of post (http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=4454946#post4454946) is why I think the people who are able to wait in line should and not get any special treatment just because they have a wheelchair. The perception of people is that wheelchair users get "head of the line" access when they really don't. Almost any time something gets posted about wheelchairs on one of the general boards, someone will either say "aren't you lucky you broke your leg (or whatever else is their temporary disability). Now you'll get to go to the front of the lines." And the other thing that comes up is the "teenagers abusing wheelchairs" like was mentioned in the thread I linked.
There are some CMs that treat all wheelchair users as if they had a GAC. That is a disservice to those of us who rely on having a GAC and that is where a lot of the confusion comes in. It makes people resent tose of use with family members with disabilities and think we are getting all sorts of special treatment that we are not. It also encourages people who actually are brazen enough to pretend to have disabilities they don't.

[Figaro]

"Almost any time something gets posted about wheelchairs on one of the general boards, someone will either say "aren't you lucky you broke your leg (or whatever else is their temporary disability). Now you'll get to go to the front of the lines." And the other thing that comes up is the "teenagers abusing wheelchairs" like was mentioned in the thread I linked."

I agree with you completely, Sue! I know that during the slower times of the year when no one is waiting in line very long it can look to people like someone in a wheelchair is getting to go to the head of the line. What they don't understand, is that often the person in the wheelchair is going to wait for the accessible ride vehicle to show up or wait so that not too many people with disabilities are on the ride in case they have to evacuate the ride.

Add in that sometimes cast members (especially during the slow times of the year) will sometimes let someone with a disability stay on the ride for two ride cycles (if there is no one else that needs the accessible ride vehicle) and I can see how people standing in line believe that people in wheelchairs get all kinds of special treatment(sigh). Because it is so difficult for my spouse to get me up on one of the horses at the carousel, the ride operators tell me to stay on as long as I want to. Since we only go at slow times and since we usually leave when the park gets busy because it is such a pain pushing the wheelchair, I know that we aren't taking a ride "slot" from anyone else, but none of the people in line know that.

[Absimilliard]

Sunday 11/16.

What's changed? New color and the old stamps are gone. Instead, there is 6 stamps.

All mentions of Fast Pass are gone from the stamps..

[oliviaT]

So do you know what are the various stamps?

[Absimilliard]

Please provide guest with alternate entrance, if available. (symbol on it, a big arrow with a small one to the side)

Please allow guests to use wheelchair entrance (the standard wheelchair symbol)

Please allow party to use stroller as a wheelchair. (a stroller)

Please provided a shaded wait area if available (a person under a roof)

Please allow party to sit in front row of ride vehicle or theatre.

That's it. 5 stamps. The new cards are orange/red.

[SueM in MN]

It certainly is less wordy, which should help the CMs quite a bit (I felt sorry for them sometimes having to read that little bitty type and figure out what it meant).
It doesn't seem like it will help for someone who needs to view the sign language interpreter though. We'll see when we go next March whether it does the trick for us.

[Talking Hands]

Interesting. Nothing there for a person like me who both needs a wheelchair and to have access to the interpreters. Doen't seem a very good system to me. Just going to be more problems.

[JudithM]

Originally posted by Absimilliard
Please provide guest with alternate entrance, if available. (symbol on it, a big arrow with a small one to the side)

Thank you for the information. What is considered an alternate entrance?

[Safari Steve]

The new cards have fewer words and seem much more precise from what I've seen. They also list a maximum number of guests per card (the guest with the card + 5 family members) and a clear reason for why extras must use the standard queue. (too many people will be disruptive to normal operations)
The pictures are nice, and -while not international symbols- are I think understandable even if English is not your first language.
We're still fine-tuning the system, so more changes are sure to come.

[Talking Hands]

Steve I am concerned with how they are going to deal with multiple needs as well as the fact some castmembers refuse to recognize my power wheelchair as a wheelchair and not an ECV. The only ride queue it cannot go through is Pirates of the Caribbean and I never do that ride when I am unaccompanied but you know me. I frequently head for the parks without a caretaker. Being independent significantly affects accommodations I need.

[SueM in MN]

thanks, Steve. It's alwys nice to have your perspective. I'm glad to hear they will probably do some "tweaking". Sometimes it's not possible to see what changes need to be made until things operate for a while.
Here's a link to a ThemeParks Board thread (http://disboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=467271) with the perspective of a large group (who apparently didn't get a good explanation of the workings of the GAC).

[Sue & Co.]

We got back yesterday and had the old GAC and were only told on our last day that they had changed and should get a new one (when I said it was our last day they agreed that we shouldn't bother). Ours allowed us to use fastpass lines without a fastpass and meant we had a much more enjoyable holiday than previousy due to timing issues amongst other things. Having seen Steve's reply re the new passes it would seem that this will no longer be available unless they count fastpass as an alternate entrance - can anyone confirm this? we were thinking of going again in Feb 2005 but if we are going to have the problems we had on previously (when I didn't know about the GAC) we will have to give it serious thought. By the way Universals parks are dreadful - they give no help insisting that all lines are wheelchair accesible even if this is not the problem and we may not go back to Universal because of the difficulties.

Sue

[Absimilliard]

Its now truly alternate entrance. If Fast Pass is the alternate entrance, you'll go through Fast Pass. If its means going by the exit, you'll go by the exit. The GAC Fast Pass cards created tons of problems "why can't you give me the Fast Pass card?" or the CM whould send the guest to Guest Relations on the promise that Guest Relations whould give the Fast Pass GAC.

Don't even mention Universal. As long as you're willing to shell out more money, you'll skip the lines. Those that get a GAC at Disney and whould need one there? You'll wait in line!

[JudithM]

Absimilliard, thank you for your reply & for all your info.

[Poohnatic]

Like Sue and Lisa said, it sounds like 'multi needs guests' will have to be persistent in getting all their needs addressed.

My experience has been that most cm's consider the fast pass to be the alternate entrance.

Our next trip isn't until May, and I'm sure it will be ironed out by then. Anything is better than our first two trips with no GAC at all (no diagnosis, either). If last weekend's trip to Hershey is any indication, his new meds will make this trip a lot better than the last!

Suzanne

[SueM in MN]

We've also had problems with Universal - that's why we have not been there in about 6 or 7 years. It just was too much hassle. There is more to accessibilty than just not having stairs.

It sounds like our families needs may or may not be well addressed with the new GAC. It's not easy or fast to get a totally dependent, multiply disabled teenager ready quickly in the morning. And some days, she's just pretty much non-functional all day (like a big rag doll with her head lolling and no energy. If we get to the parks at 11 or after (which is pretty much average for us), many of the popular rides don't have any fastpasses left or they are for the evening. That pretty much means we won't get to ride because we can't get there early enough to get a fastpass and if we do get one, it's so far in the future that we might have to leave before that. Or, if it's a ride we have to lift her into to tranfer to the ride seat, we may be too tired to be doing any more transfers. And if we have an unused fastpass, we won't be able to get another one for quite a while. We didn't usually use our GAC that often, but when we did, we really needed it.
The alternative entrance message in the past was mostly to let people without wheelchairs use the entrance that is wheelchair accessible (which is occasionally the exit or the fastpass entrance, but would usually just be the Mainstream line). If it stays that, we would already be using the alternative entrance because DD has a wheelchair, so all we could get is the stamp that allows us to wait out of the sun. We've had that stamp before and it didn't help a lot - we still had to prevent DD from hitting people in line (she's impulsive and likes her personal space) when they cut her off, let their kids run their fingers in the spokes of her wheels, and (my personal favorite) encouraged their toddlers to sit on her footrests, on top of her feet.
Anyway, we'll see. Some of the stuff (like the easy to interpret icons) should be very nice.