Another GAC question... :)

[stitchlovestink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stitchlovestink

Now if that stamp didn't exist apparently there wouldn't be such an issue with people 'cheating the system' now would there?
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The only reason there's an "issue" is because able-bodied people get their noses out of joint whenever they imagine that an accommodation for the disabled is somehow an "advantage." In other words, there ISN'T really an "issue" except in public perception.

Yes, there will sometimes be shorter waits at the alternate entrance. But it all depends on external conditions like time of day, number of people waiting, traffic congestion, etc. You don't get a shorter wait because *you need a shorter wait,* you get a shorter wait *when it works out that way.*

Very True! I guess it just works out that more often than not those conditions are in my favor so to speak.
But also with that being said, I bet the average 'able bodied' person still does considerably more than me on an average park day. Without that accommodation, I would get to do next to nothing in a day at WDW. I've seen my own limitations decrease how much I can tolerate over the last few years drop dramatically! So in the end...who's really ahead in the ballgame??


Posted from Disney Forums Reader for Android

 

[ccgirl]

I was reading a trip report last week and the poster said they were given a "super fast pass". When someone asked what that was, she stated it was called a Guest Assistance Card! I think she stated that a friend or uncle worked at disney and was able to get it for them.

Is it possible that employees are able to give out GAC's to friends/relatives with a stamp that does give front of the line access?

A GAC is used by those that need alternate accommodations. You state the needs you need met and not your disability. No, CM's aren't abe to give out GAC's to friends/relatives with a stamp that does give FOLT access.

My SiL gets one every trip even though she doesn't need it. In her experience, it has shortned her wait time significantly. She tried to get me to go with her the last time and I said I wanted no part of it and I waited in the regular lines for the rides.

YMMV.

 

[lanejudy]

My mom recently became interested in a GAC so I wanted to post here and get some advice from people with experience. I've read the stickie as well.

I have two friends, lets call them Sally and Jane.

Jane also has mobility issues (horrendous arthritis at a young age and needs a knee replacement but feels she is too young for that). She has a handicap placard that she uses to help with parking. She explained all this to the CM and was told get a wheelchair. She said "Thanks" and went on her way. She didn't want to argue with the CM about it but knows she will never rent a wheelchair, and most certainly won't rent one once a week to come to the parks. She just stays for a shorter amount of time instead.

Sally has a mobility issue (nothing close to Jane's issues) and went in to explain her need for a GAC. At first they told her to rent a wheelchair. She explained that she could not afford one and the majority of her time in the park was spent alone. They advised her to wheel herself around. She explained she did not have the upper body strength to get very far doing that. After giving her a hard time a little more they issued her GAC. (not sure of the accommodations on it)

My mom also has severe arthritis in her knees and thinks she is too young for a replacement. She's had surgery on both knees already. She also has a handicap placard to help with parking. When she spoke to Sally she was interested in asking about a GAC but was discouraged when she talked to Jane because their mobility issues are very similar. She will not use a wheelchair and it is solely due to pride. In fact, DH is a CM so when they come with us (which is the majority of the time) we can get a free wheelchair, so it isn't a cost issue. She thinks she is too young for one.

So is this something she should ask about? Her main problem is standing in lines for a long time. The other day we got in line for Splash and the sign said 35 minutes. The wait was over an hour and by the time we reached the ride she was in horrible pain. It would be nice for her to be able to sit somewhere with one person in our party while the rest of us wait in line. Is that an option? (I know, a wheelchair would be GREAT for this, and we've been encouraging her to rent one for YEARS, but she just refuses.)

She said she'd get a letter from her doctor explaining her needs, but I told her I didn't think they can ask for that. She also doesn't want to be made to feel like she is lying or pulling one over on someone so she is hesitant to ask.

Any advice?


ETA: I wanted to come back to add the reason why I am asking is because she doesn't want to walk in and have the CMs make her feel like she is trying to cheat the system. She is very proud and RARELY asks for help or allows anyone to help her. If she does it has to be understated help and I think that is what she is hoping for, that they'll listen and then give her her options and not make try to make her feel bad.

To answer OP's question without the debate of whether or not a GAC can shorten wait times... if your mother wishes to request a GAC she will have to explain her NEEDS as related to WDW and see what can be offered as accommodation(s). She should also keep in mind that "Jane's" experience is the standard WDW response to mobility/stamina concerns - as CheshireFigment stated - rent a w/c or ECV as there is much more time/distance/energy spent walking between attractions and around the park in general than the distance and time spent in lines. I honestly don't know what kind of accommodations "Sally" was granted. If a person can afford to visit WDW regularly, then he/she should be able to afford a w/c which is not terribly expensive for 1 day. I agree with other posters that she (and the friends) is being her own worst enemy by refusing to use a device that could help her have a more pleasant experience.

 

[KPeveler]

This is DL, not WDW, but three times in the past month when I have been in Guest Relations/City Hall, I have been three separate people get denied a GAC because they said they cannot stand long enough to wait in a line. They refused to get a wheelchair or ECV, even when a voucher was issued to them (so cost was not an issue).

I do not know if it was just chance, or if Disney is becoming more strict in the issuing of GACs, but I have had more questions asked when I have been renewing mine recently too. I have never had a problem getting my GAC, but the CMs are asking more explicitly what I believe my problem with touring their parks will be.

To the OP and others, disability (major, minor, temporary, permanent) does not come with age. I have been using a wheelchair in daily life for years now, and I am 27. The decision to use the chair was my own (as in, I was not a child who grew up with it).

I cannot understand the concept of not using a tool when it is available because of "pride." I have been wearing glasses since I was 5. They are no different a tool than my wheels are.

Use the tools you need to enjoy a vacation - who is going to be there that cares whether you happen to have a seat on wheels that goes everywhere with you...

 

[dawnball]

I just got back from WDW. I'm rehabbing a back/neck and leg injury from martial arts. Walking is relatively easy for me, but standing causes pain. And walking in circles in the line isn't a good answer because the physical dynamics of it just aren't the same. Shuffling slowly is as bad as standing, and there are times you need to stand. My DD has a GAC, the very one that's debated as a "FOTL pass."

Let me tell you - even when it shortens waits? It doesn't shorten them enough that you're not standing. And you'll stand enough that it hurts. There are a million places you'll stand. Waiting for a mickey bar. Waiting to order lunch. Regrouping your party. Waiting to ask a question. Waiting in the FP return. Waiting for the bus, or the monorail. That GAC won't help you when the ride breaks down and there's no good way to get out of line. Or when you accidentally get caught in the post-parade crush. All of that standing slowly adds up until you wake up already in pain.

I'm 35. I'm active in my daily life. I got a wheelchair. I'd push it from one attraction to another like a walker, then sit in the chair through the line. I could propel myself at line-moving speeds with my feet, or with my hands on the wheels. When my back was bad, or we were doing a lot of short walks with waits in between (Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, I'm thinking of you), someone would push me. The little kids rode in the wheelchair sometimes while I pushed. I pushed my 64 year old mother when her knee hurt, and my father would sit sometimes while I was walking. I'd take a courtesy wheelchair out to the busses at the end of the day, and sit in it until the bus came.

We were -that- family. The one where someone different is in the wheelchair all the time. None of us needed a wheelchair all the time - but having one made our days ever so much better (and let us experience more attractions) than the GAC did. Did we get funny looks? Yup. Did we care? Not really. The wheelchair didn't get us "ahead" of anyone else. It just ensured that someone always had a comfortable place to sit down. It took us until the 4th day of our vacation to rent a wheelchair, and two days later, my mother said "Why didn't we ever think of this before? I'm taking far fewer pain pills than I usually do on a Disney trip."

So, the answer to "why does city hall tell people to get a wheelchair?" Because a wheelchair helps in ways that no GAC can.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

PP brings up great points. There does seem to be some people that think they can flash the GAC anywhere and make it work for them but it doesn't. And it's not intended to. Plus just needing the wheelchair or ECV doesn't require using a GAC. You only need a GAC if you have needs beyond what the wheelchair is helping with.