Welcome to disABILITIES.
I'll start you out with some information and I'm sure you will get other replies.
First, even though she can park in the handicapped (they call it "Medical Parking"), she may be better off parking in the regular parking. The "Medical Parking" at most of the parks is not that close to the turnstyles. It works well for someone who has a wheelchair or
ecv and needs a larger parking spot so they can get it out of their car. But, the regular parking area has trams that pick up at the end of the rows and deliver you right to the turnstiles. For someone who does not have a wheelchair, it's often better to request the CM let you park close to the tram stop in the regular lot; you can request this as you are driving in and when they are actually directing you to a parking spot. They save spots at the ends of rows for just this reason.
Given that she is not in a wheelchair, is she still entitled to some sort of provision for her disability? If so, does she need to bring her plaquard?
The answers to these questions are "yes, but..." and "no".
What you are asking about is called a Guest Assistance Card (which we abbrviate here as GAC). It's meant to be a quick way to let the CMs know what sort of assistance someone with an invisible disability needs. You don't need any proof, just the ability to explain what your needs are to the CM in Guest Services. Here's a
link to a website that has good information about the GAC; how to request one, how to use it and what it is.
The problem with a GAC for your mom's problem is that what she really needs is a place to sit and most of the lines don't have any places to sit. Some of the shows have benches in the waiting areas, but not that many and if people are already sitting there when you arrive, you are out of luck. Some people have dealt with this by:
- bringing a cane or walking stick that has a fold down seat attached. People have posted they have found these in sporting goods stores.
- using fastpass. When you return to use your fastpass, you will usually have a less than 15 minute wait.
- the status boards at each park. The CMs here can help you out a lot. Some rides/attractions have long waits at some times of the day, but if you know when to go, your wait will be short. The CMs here have that information.
- renting a wheelchair or ecv. I know you said she doesn't need one, but a lot of people with back problems rent one anyway. Many find that having a place to sit during waits and preshows (a lot of attractions have preshows) is helpful. Plus, many of the theaters have bench seating which some people with back problems find hard to sit on. in addition, there is a lot of walking at WDW, so even if she thinks it won't be a problem, she may find all that walking affects her back. If she uses a wheelchair or ecv, she won't need a GAC since having a wheelchair/ecv allows use of the wheelchair entrances.
Another thing to think about is that most of the rides are continually loading which means that the line is continually (but sometimes slowly) moving. The places where she will need to stand in line and wait are the shows and rides like Ellen's Energy Adventure, the Safari, The BackStage Tour where a car or theater are loaded in batches.
