About GAC and this new "yellow card"...

[Mickey's Gal]

I lurk here a bit, and have seen posts about this new "yellow card" for disabled guests. The last time we took my daughter (who has autism) to WDW, we had a GAC that had two stamps on it. One stamp was to utilize an alternate entrance for rides that had mainstream queues, and the other stamp allowed us to utilize the Fast Pass line on the attractions that had them) without having to get a Fast Pass. This worked very well for our family, and enabled us to have a relatively stress free vacation (which is in stark contrast to the way our life usually is :lol ). Have these new "yellow cards" affected the use of the GAC in this way? Does anyone know for sure? We aren't planning to go back to WDW until sometime next year, but I'm already starting to stress about this.

 

[teri]

The yellow card is not a replacement for the GAC. It is just a way to help queue people who need to use the alternate entrances at individual attractions and rides, sort of like a FastPass ticket but specifically for people with special access needs. Sometimes the FastPass tickets are sold out early. Also, having a line of wheelchairs and ECVs at the exit of a ride, where boarding takes place, can be a hazard.

I share your concern about the Yellow Card system for our kids... my understanding is that this was meant to limit wheelchair abuse by people who are cheating the system, trying to bypass lines when there is no legitimate need. But some of the stories I have heard so far about how some CMs are using the system have been *very* disappointing.

I hope that they have the system sorted out by the time you and I get there. I am not so sure that some CMs understand how much more time and energy it takes to get special needs families through a day at the park, and how much we miss out on attractions that others take for granted. It isn't just about the queues......

 

[SueM in MN]

We used a GAC 3 weeks ago that had the same stamps on it as your child's GAC. We did not have to get yellow cards. Not every CM knew what to do with us, but it wasn't bad.
My understanding of the yellow cards is that they would be used:
-only on rides where special needs people board at the exit
-by someone who uses a wheelchair or ecv, but doesn't need a GAC
-on fastpass rides after all the fastpasses have been given out
There may be other situations, but from what I have read, this pretty mcuh seems to cover it. What they had done for a while was let anyone who had a wheelchair or an ecv use the fastpass return line. That didn't help with the fakers, because it made an advantage for people who had a wheelchair. The yellow card also helps spread out the people who need to board at the exit so that there isn't a huge line waiting. Sometimes there are 5 or six wheelchairs parked at the exit of Haunted Mansion or even more at the exit of Small World.

 

[Talking Hands]

I think most of the fakers do not know about GAC and those with GAC should be treated as before. Use the yellow cards for those with rented Disney ECVs and wheelchairs. Those of us with personal scooters or wheelchairs have not gone through the hassles of getting these just to line jump at Disney. Hell I could make a weekend long trip to Disney for what I paid for my power chair and lift.
While I was able to go all weekend with it at a convention I can't say that I could do the same at the parks. At the convention I could sit and was sitting a lot even when others were standing. And I certianly paid for that 2 days of freedome when I got home on Sunday. Bed all day.

 

[magicmaker]

Hi Everyone.

I just wanted to toss in a little more information about the purpose of the Yellow Access cards. They do not replace the Guest Assistance Cards in any way. In fact, they were designed to offer additional assistance to many of our guests with disabilities and their families.

If you have a Guest Assistance Card with instructions to allow you and your party to utilize the FastPass entrance at an attraction, you do not need to worry about the Yellow Access cards. You may continue to enter through the FastPass queues as you have been.

The Yellow Access Cards are designed for guests not using a Guest Assistance Card or who are using a Guest Assistance Card with instructions to utilize an alternate entrance in the case of mainstream queues. In the past, when these guests wanted to experience one of our attractions that offers Disney's FastPass, but did not feel comfortable waiting in the regular standby queue, they were instructed to obtain a FastPass. The FastPass system acted as the alternate entrance at these attractions. However, if the FastPasses were all distributed for the day or were being given out for much later in the day, there wasn't any other option-- guests either needed to wait in the standby queue or not experience the attraction.

The new Yellow Access Cards allow these guests to have another option. Instead of getting a FastPass, they can request a Yellow Access Card which will allow them to return at a time equal to the standby time. (Example: if the current standby wait is 30 minutes, they can come back in 30 minutes and enter through the FastPass Return queue.) In this way, Walt Disney World hopes to extend the extra assistance that is needed, while providing an equitable situation for all of our guests.

Personally, I think the Yellow Access Cards are a usefull addition to the other services available to our guests with disabilities. They were designed with our guests in mind and are not designed to limit access or prevent fraud.

I hope my explanation wasn't too confusing. Let me know if you have any questions - I will do my best to answer them.

Have a magical day!

 

[teri]

Thanks again for the explanation of how it is supposed to help, magicmaker.

The issues that have been bothersome were when people in wheelchairs have been asked to wait when the standby lines were *not* long and there were no wheelchairs in the queue, and boats or vehicles with wheelchair platforms were going by empty, while a CM stands there an looks at their watch. I am pretty sure that this kind of gatekeeping was not the intention of the folks who designed the system.

The real issue is safety. In the event of an emergency, would people be able to evacuate the ride safely? Would there be enough capacity to evacuate people who need full physical assistance? If it takes a person more than 20 seconds to load and unload under normal circumstances, will the CMs be able to help them out of the attraction in case of an accident? Will the exits be clear enough for people to get through? I would hope that this is the real purpose of the Yellow Card system, to prevent wheelchairs and ECVS from stacking at the exit/boarding areas while people wait their turn to ride.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks, magicmaker. That confirms a lot of what I had heard.

 

[YangYang]

We just recently returned from a Spring Break Trip and will be going back at the end of May. My sister is both physically and mentally handicapped. When we are at WDW we use her personal wheelchair (which, by the way, I have to push - she doesn't help at all!). We have never gotten any kind of card but on our next trip, we will be without two of the adults who usually go with us. My mom also used a rented wheelchair on this last trip due to some problems she has been having. I'm not sure I can do this (2 wheelchairs, 4 kids) on my own...will I need one of these cards? How do I get one? We have a handicapped parking permit.

 

[YangYang]

We just recently returned from a Spring Break Trip and will be going back at the end of May. My sister is both physically and mentally handicapped. When we are at WDW we use her personal wheelchair (which, by the way, I have to push - she doesn't help at all!). We have never gotten any kind of card but on our next trip, we will be without two of the adults who usually go with us. My mom also used a rented wheelchair on this last trip due to some problems she has been having. I'm not sure I can do this (2 wheelchairs, 4 kids) on my own...will I need one of these cards? How do I get one? We have a handicapped parking permit.

 

[teri]

YangYang, perhaps your mom can rent an ECV instead of a wheelchair this time, to keep you from having to push. If you will need the GAC (sounds like you might), you get that at Guest Relations at any of the parks on your first visit, and it will be good for your whole trip. The Yellow Cards are given out if needed by the CMs at the attractions with FastPass access. Click on the disABILITIES FAQ link in my signature for more information.

 

[SueM in MN]

An ecv is a good idea so you only have one wheelchair to push.
here's some info about places that DIS posters have rented from:
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/

Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com

RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/

Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html

Some things to think about:
-how much help will your mom and sister need to get on board the rides?
-how old are the 4 kids? Are they small enough that they will need help getting on too?
-if your sister can't get out of her wheelchair, are the kids old enough to go by themselves on rides that your sister can't go on?
-if not, will your mom be able to stay with your sister?

A lot of the rides where someone can stay in the wheelchair for the ride can only hold one wheelchair at a time (Safari at AK, Small World). Many of the wheelchair cars hold one person along with the wheelchair (BuZZ Lightyear, Pooh). So think about who will ride where.

Good luck and hope you have fun.