autistic kids and guest service passes

[Minuet888]

Hi,
My son is autistic and I was talking with the mother of one of his classmates that just got back from DL and asked how her son did with everything. She said that the guest service pass helped a lot that all she had to do was go to guest services and tell them he was autistic and can't do lines or crowds and I asked if she needed anything from the doctor and she said no.
I wished I had known about this on our previous trips, I thought you needed something from the doctor?

 

[LisainCalifornia]

Yes, this is the Guest Assistance Card (GAC). I will PM you with more information.

Take care,
Lisa

 

[kailuagirl]

That is an awesome service!!!

 

[BELLEDOZER]

Thanks for letting everyone know about this service. We have a friend of ours that has 2 Autistic boys (one moderate, one really severe), and they are thinking about heading to DL next year. Will pass this info on to them so that it will make their trip easier all around.

 

[CADisneyMom]

It's wonderful that Disneyland is a place that EVERYONE can go to, no matter what disabilities a person may have.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

We have used the GAC for son who has autism. It equals the playing field so all guests in need can experience the park the same as a NT can. That is why it is assistance.

Now for a story: We went up the CM's for submarine nemo ride and discreetly showed them our GAC, they told us to go to the exit. I then once again introduced DS by name to the CM and showed the GAC with discretion. She was very kind and told us to enter and go to the right.

There was a family with a mom who was in the queue held by the chain. She said just loud enough for me to hear how we have some special pass and it isn't fair....blah....blah...blah. Well I was in tears because she was there with her perfectly normal three kids, who were all able to wait, stand still, they all appeared to be NT, as we all know, things are not always as they appear. DS looks ok, but wow he was on the spectrum and off the charts the entire week.

I would gladly hand over the GAC if she could make our DS not have autism. I truly wish that I had the strength to teach rather than cry but I just was exhausted and couldn't do it.

I did bring a note from the doctor and the person who issued the GAC said she could not even read it and slid it back. I also bring my old GAC for them to see.

The GAC is not a front of the line pass, it is an assistance pass to make it those in need can enjoy the park at the same level as others.

Rant over, off my soap box.

 

[50sjayne]

One of the reasons we have always gone so commando at Disneyland is because my son is autistic. We always went off season and followed the unofficial guide's tips very successfully. He is high functioning though and the last 2 trips had some trouble becuase he is overweight, but not much more than your average person who is obese. We've never had special passes-- didn't think about them when they were little and after I knew about them on the boards, tried desperately to get him to take the bullet and ask for one-- for us his nice family lol. But with fast passes we just never have any trouble with lines. Also with all the tips learned on the message boards, it is just not a problem. He reprimands me sort of gently and says we should let people who actually need them have the passes.

 

[nonzerosum]

It's great that Disney offers this.

 

[alaskanabbott]

We have used the GAC for son who has autism. It equals the playing field so all guests in need can experience the park the same as a NT can. That is why it is assistance.

Now for a story: We went up the CM's for submarine nemo ride and discreetly showed them our GAC, they told us to go to the exit. I then once again introduced DS by name to the CM and showed the GAC with discretion. She was very kind and told us to enter and go to the right.

There was a family with a mom who was in the queue held by the chain. She said just loud enough for me to hear how we have some special pass and it isn't fair....blah....blah...blah. Well I was in tears because she was there with her perfectly normal three kids, who were all able to wait, stand still, they all appeared to be NT, as we all know, things are not always as they appear. DS looks ok, but wow he was on the spectrum and off the charts the entire week.

I would gladly hand over the GAC if she could make our DS not have autism. I truly wish that I had the strength to teach rather than cry but I just was exhausted and couldn't do it.

I did bring a note from the doctor and the person who issued the GAC said she could not even read it and slid it back. I also bring my old GAC for them to see.

The GAC is not a front of the line pass, it is an assistance pass to make it those in need can enjoy the park at the same level as others.

Rant over, off my soap box.

Here's our story...our DS was granted his wish to go to WDW in March of this year. He is in a wheelchair, has a feeding tube and just doesn't look well. B?C it was a make a wish trip, we were given a "special" GAC, that allowed to go to the front of every line, including photo ops with Characters. Every day DS wore a Make-A-Wish shirt and button...and we would get the worst comments from people. On the last day we were waiting to board Space Mountain and in front of us a group of teen-age girls had rented wheelchairs, and were taking advantage of the perks of having a wheelchair. When we showed the CM our pass, he put us in front of the girls. They got very vocal and asked loudly why our DS was being allowed to cut in line...to which my husband walked over and quietly explained that this was probably his first, and last trip ever. The girls felt so bad they apologized to our whole family!

 

[CADisneyMom]

It's amazing how some people just don't think before they say things. I work at an airport and when people ask for a disability pass to board early we have to ask them if they need any assistance. People do have problems that are not visible for anyone to see, or like kids with autism they have good days and they have bad days. Personally it's none of their business. I just don't like people, like those girls with the wheelchairs, that do things to get special treatment. Those girls thought it was fun to have one to get around but would they think it was so much fun if they had to be in one on a daily basis, probably not, and then they would be upset if someone was doing what they were doing. I am glad that they did apologize for their actions though.

 

[DizMe]

This is such a nice bonus. Our 10-year-old dd has Asperger's/high functioning autism (they're not sure which yet), and though we've never needed the GAC, I know many others for whom it's a huge help.

What we have difficulty with is fireworks, F!, and self-flushing toilets! Not too much we can do about those things except avoid them, which isn't always easy (esp. the toilets!).

It's kind of funny that a kid with sensory overload issues is ok on most rides. Not sure why that would be, as they are usually loud and have lots of flashing lights etc. Our dd is fine with almost every ride but covers her ears during the cannon and gun firing scenes in Pirates. I guess the fun of the rides overshadows the sensory things, but it does build up a lot of anxiety and triggers the stimming behaviors, like chewing, toe-walking, counting, hand flapping.

We like to bring something for her to chew on, as it really helps. We got this rubbery thing and attached it to her jacket zipper for cool weather but we're going to be there next week and I haven't come up with an idea yet for hot weather.

I am appalled at the stories above regarding children being treated poorly because they have a GAC. But maybe people are so used to seeing the special needs things abused by those who don't need them that they have begun to resent everyone who uses them, whether needed or not. Sad that there are always those few who can mar things for everyone.

 

[LavenderPeach]

This is such a nice bonus. Our 10-year-old dd has Asperger's/high functioning autism (they're not sure which yet), and though we've never needed the GAC, I know many others for whom it's a huge help.

What we have difficulty with is fireworks, F!, and self-flushing toilets! Not too much we can do about those things except avoid them, which isn't always easy (esp. the toilets!).

It's kind of funny that a kid with sensory overload issues is ok on most rides. Not sure why that would be, as they are usually loud and have lots of flashing lights etc. Our dd is fine with almost every ride but covers her ears during the cannon and gun firing scenes in Pirates. I guess the fun of the rides overshadows the sensory things, but it does build up a lot of anxiety and triggers the stimming behaviors, like chewing, toe-walking, counting, hand flapping.

We like to bring something for her to chew on, as it really helps. We got this rubbery thing and attached it to her jacket zipper for cool weather but we're going to be there next week and I haven't come up with an idea yet for hot weather.

I am appalled at the stories above regarding children being treated poorly because they have a GAC. But maybe people are so used to seeing the special needs things abused by those who don't need them that they have begun to resent everyone who uses them, whether needed or not. Sad that there are always those few who can mar things for everyone.

Dizme, I've heard that some people bring post-it notes and sticking one over the sensor on the self-flushing toilets so it doesn't flush unexpectedly. I don't have personal experience using this techique (uggg....still no luck trying to potty train DS who is almost 5 and also with high functioning autism) but i thought it sounded like a good trick.

I'm also sorry to hear about the stories of the comments some people are getting for using a GAC. I think some people just don't realize the reason behind someone having a special pass and they think everthing has to be "fair". Fortunately we've never had to get one since DS does okay standing in line, or at least not any worse than any typical 4 yo but I'm glad we could get one if we needed to, especially since i can tell he's getting more fidgity and it's getting harder.

 

[DizMe]

Dizme, I've heard that some people bring post-it notes and sticking one over the sensor on the self-flushing toilets so it doesn't flush unexpectedly. I don't have personal experience using this techique (uggg....still no luck trying to potty train DS who is almost 5 and also with high functioning autism) but i thought it sounded like a good trick.

I'm also sorry to hear about the stories of the comments some people are getting for using a GAC. I think some people just don't realize the reason behind someone having a special pass and they think everthing has to be "fair". Fortunately we've never had to get one since DS does okay standing in line, or at least not any worse than any typical 4 yo but I'm glad we could get one if we needed to, especially since i can tell he's getting more fidgity and it's getting harder.

Thanks, Lav! I will try the sticky notes and see if it works. I usually hold my hand over the sensor, but it isn't always successful as she still doesn't trust the thing not to flush anyway. She might trust the sticky note more than my hand, though! This time we're doing a day trip with no hotel to go back to for a potty break, so I need to figure out where a non-automatic flushing toilet might be found nearby, just in case. We can *usually* get away with using the self-flushers now, but not always.

Good luck with the potty training! That took us a long time, too.