My Perspective on the GAC

[ryandkris]

I have been reading a lot of what people have written about the GAC. I think I read too many negative remarks. lol I don't understand why so many people feel guilty about using it. It is something Disney offers to make it possible to enjoy the parks.

We already don't get to live life like a normal person. In my case, the kids suffer when I am sick. They have to help more with chores, we may not get to do a planned event, and it is just flat out hard when Mom is chronically ill.

Without the "perks" of the GAC, there is NO WAY we could do Disney. I would not be able to handle it. I have the stamina of a two year old. EVEN IF I use a wheelchair or a scooter, I'm still DONE by noon. That really isn't fair to the rest of my family, especially my highly energetic and Disney-loving preteens. I feel that Disney recognizes that, hence the whole reason for the GAC.

Why should I (or anyone else) feel bad that the GAC can make the lines shorter? Why should I be apologetic that I can get through the entire park half a day? Believe me, I would give up my GAC in a heartbeat to feel normal. I would trade anyone the heart problems, the Celiac, the Lupus, the vascular migraines, and the Sjogren's Diseasefor the ability to stand in normal lines. (My aunt calls me a hypochondriac's worst nightmare - I don't just think I have everything. I really DO have it)

Since I don't have that option, I will use my GAC card to my family's advantage, and I won't feel bad about it. I will take the shortcuts they allow me to, because that's the only way my kids will get the full Disney experience. I'll do my best to ignore the dirty looks, and try to forget - just for a little while - that I live life at 50%.

 

[buffettgirl]

A GAC should be to accommodate a need of yours. Period. The fact that you believe your children deserve a "full disney experience" and that a GAC is a way for THEM to get it, is a problem.

 

[Wishes Count]

A GAC should be to accommodate a need of yours. Period. The fact that you believe your children deserve a "full disney experience" and that a GAC is a way for THEM to get it, is a problem.

I think you have missed the point. The OP is saying that if they could not use the GAC for themselves, their family would not be able to enjoy the trip or perhaps not be able to go at all. Sorry but when someone in your family has a disability or chronic illness it DOES effect everyone not just the individual.

 

[wdw4rfam]

A GAC should be to accommodate a need of yours. Period. The fact that you believe your children deserve a "full disney experience" and that a GAC is a way for THEM to get it, is a problem.

I completely see what she is saying. She is saying that without it, there would be lines/ things they wouldn't get to do, and by using the GAC, they would get to experience Disney like everyone else "the full Disney experience". Which is pretty much what the purpose of the GAC is, to make sure that even with a disability, you get the same experience as others. this is the way we look at it too. My son could never wait in those lines that everyone else kids can. We could get a few FP, but should he be limited to just a few rides? I think that you criticizing her is the only "problem"

 

[rharper1496]

The OP can correct me if I'm wrong but I think her point is that her kids can't have the full Disney experience (or possibly any Disney experience) without her and she can't have the experience without the GAC card. So yes, the card benefits her kids as well as her but it benefits them indirectly.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I totally get what you are saying, but I think you are

A) preaching to the choir on this board. most everyone here needs/uses GACS and understands where you are coming from
b) stirring the pot

No good is going to come from this thread other than to get people riled up and cause major arguments.

It's also going to scare new posters who come to this board looking for help. Instead of answering legit questions that someone may have, this thread is going to stay at the top as person after person responds with their opinion. A new poster is going to see the ugly posts that are sure to follow and become scared to ask a question or use a GAC. You can already see this happening when a poster says "I'm scared to use a GAC" or "I don't mean to cause a fight." This board should be a one of the most supportive, understanding, and welcoming.

 

[ryandkris]

A GAC should be to accommodate a need of yours. Period. The fact that you believe your children deserve a "full disney experience" and that a GAC is a way for THEM to get it, is a problem.

Do you take your family to Disney and then go on all the rides by yourself? Do you go to the shows, tell your family to find seats and then sit somewhere else? Why should my family have to split up? Going to Disney is about making FAMILY memories. I can't send my KIDS on a ride with my GAC. If my husband and kids wanted to go on a ride without me, they would have to wait in line like everyone else. If my dh and ds want to see the Indiana Jones show while dd and I see Beauty and the Beast, the boys are on their own for finding seats. But we don't generally like to split up, because we're there to experience Disney TOGETHER. The GAC is the only way to make that happen.

I think you have missed the point. The OP is saying that if they could not use the GAC for themselves, their family would not be able to enjoy the trip or perhaps not be able to go at all. Sorry but when someone in your family has a disability or chronic illness it DOES effect everyone not just the individual.

Exactly.

I completely see what she is saying. She is saying that without it, there would be lines/ things they wouldn't get to do, and by using the GAC, they would get to experience Disney like everyone else "the full Disney experience". Which is pretty much what the purpose of the GAC is, to make sure that even with a disability, you get the same experience as others. this is the way we look at it too. My son could never wait in those lines that everyone else kids can. We could get a few FP, but should he be limited to just a few rides? I think that you criticizing her is the only "problem"

Yes. This.

The OP can correct me if I'm wrong but I think her point is that her kids can't have the full Disney experience (or possibly any Disney experience) without her and she can't have the experience without the GAC card. So yes, the card benefits her kids as well as her but it benefits them indirectly.

Yep. Exactly.

 

[ryandkris]

I totally get what you are saying, but I think you are

A) preaching to the choir on this board. most everyone here needs/uses GACS and understands where you are coming from
b) stirring the pot

No good is going to come from this thread other than to get people riled up and cause major arguments.

It's also going to scare new posters who come to this board looking for help. Instead of answering legit questions that someone may have, this thread is going to stay at the top as person after person responds with their opinion. A new poster is going to see the ugly posts that are sure to follow and become scared to ask a question or use a GAC. You can already see this happening when a poster says "I'm scared to use a GAC" or "I don't mean to cause a fight." This board should be a one of the most supportive, understanding, and welcoming.

My intention was more to say DON'T be afraid to use it. I think every thread I've read (and I spent a good deal of time reading today, trying to figure out if things are changing) has had people say that they are uncomfortable using the GAC. Or they say they rarely use it. I don't get that. I don't understand not using a service provided, and since I didn't really see a whole lot of my perspective, I wanted to put it out there. Maybe it will give somebody an aha moment, and they'll have a better vacation. Or maybe not.

 

[buffettgirl]

The GAC exists to offer accommodations for a disability. If you get a GAC for your disability then own that. You are entitled to a GAC if it helps you navigate the lines and accommodates your needs.

But Disney is not giving you a GAC so that your kids can have a better trip. No one "deserves" a disney "experience". People deserve to have barriers removed that make them unable otherwise to tour the park. If a GAC is meeting your needs, great. But if your reason for getting it is so that your kids can have a perk (as you call it) then that's a problem .

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm going to say my piece and then close this thread because these threads generally get I into argument and don't end well.
I MAY re-open it later when I have more time to moderate it.

One of the issues with GACs is that people (some disabled people and many people without disabilities) look at GACs as a 'perk' by this definition:

a benefit or advantage that you get from a situation
At 15 I looked forward to the perks of adult life.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of perk

That causes some people with disabilities to NOT want to use them because they don't feel they 'deserve' the perk that they think a GAC is.
Some people with disabilities DO look at using a GAC as a welcome perk of having a disability.

That also causes many people without disabilities to look at people using GACs with envy or distain. Many (maybe most) people without disabilities look at GACs as 'perks of being disabled' and don't have a clue about what GACs are actually for.

Plain and simple, GACs are a way to accommodate needs related to someone's disability. Someone who needs that should not feel ashamed to use the assistance ("own their disability" to borrow a phrase).

People assume using a GAC always leads to shorter waits, and this is also one of the reasons people don't want to use a GAC, even though it might be helpful for their condition (MANY people post, "I don't want I use a GAC because I don't want to skip lines."

People need to realize
Sometimes the wait can be longer when using a GAC.
Sometimes the wait can be shorter.
More often the wait will be no different whether using a GAC or not, but the conditions for the wait will better fit the person's situation/needs.