Do We Need the GAC?

[Mike Bartenhagen]

We have a SN son that is 8 years old and functions at about 12 months. Broc walks but uses a wheelchair when we are out and about as he has no safety awarness and doesn't walk with much purpose and walks at a very slow pace. On our last trip to WDW he had a Convaid Cruiser which can easily be mistaken for an umbrella stroller so we got a GAC just to be sure there were no questions. He now has a Safari Tilt which is obviously a wheelchair. Do we still need a GAC or is the wheelchair enough evidence that we need to use alternative entrance when available?

Mike

 

[SueM in MN]

Most of the lines are Mainstreamed, which means that the 'regular' line is wide enough to be accessible to wheelchairs/ECVs, etc.
There are very few attractions that have separate handicapped entrances; the only ones that do are those which have not been able to be made accessible.

For your question about your special needs stroller, I would suggest still going to Guest Relations to get a "Stroller as Wheelchair" sticker and to discuss your child's other needs. Even though your Safari Tilt doesn't look like a stroller to you, it still might to some CMs at first glance. If the CMs at Guest Relations don't think you need one, I would go without one, but they may still suggest a GAC to meet your child's other needs.

I would also suggest using a touring plan, like TourGuide Mike (a Theme Parks Board sponsor). Many people have found a good touring plan to be more helpful even than a GAC because TGM helps you to be in the least busy part of the least busy park. GACs only help with attractions that have accommodations that can help you , but knowing where to be to avoid crowds and waits will help with everything.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

You'd probably also find a GAC handy if you need extra time to board a ride, particularly on moving platforms (Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth)

 

[SueM in MN]

You'd probably also find a GAC handy if you need extra time to board a ride, particularly on moving platforms (Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth)

If they are bringing the Safari Tilt with them into the boarding area, they wouldn't need a GAC.
The GAC doesn't have anything on it that tells the CM the guest needs extra time; it's up to the guest to let the CMs know what they need for moving walkway attractions (i.e. slow the walkway down, bring the mobility device onto the moving walkway, a full stop).
We just tell the CM what DD needs. With a wheelchair, we are treated the same on those attractions as far as the moving walkway whether we have used a GAC or not.

Someone who is NOT using a mobility device would need a GAC to have access to the handicapped boarding area where the moving walkway can be stopped or slowed.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Maybe that's where I'm getting confused... I could swear they had something on our GAC about slowing down the walkways when we were boarding with the SD...

 

[SueM in MN]

Maybe that's where I'm getting confused... I could swear they had something on our GAC about slowing down the walkways when we were boarding with the SD...

I've never heard of them having any stamp like that.
They may have written it on your GAC if you said you needed that. I could understand them doing that for someone who would have difficulty communicating (such as someone using a hearing assist Service Dog or with a condition that affects their ability to communicate).
But, in general, the GAC is usually shown to the first CM you come to and is usually not shown at all to the CM at the boarding area.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

That's what is was. I knew I remembered there being something handwritten on the card I just couldn't remember exactly what it was. We always seemed to be the exception to the rule for a lot of things, particularly before I really started on these boards and learned everything. We shouldn't have needed a GAC and we were asked for it constantly. We were asked for proof our dog was a service dog, once at the security checkpoint and once before boarding the monorail. We had a few CMs that couldn't understand that the person I was with was blind and no I could not wait outside with the dog while he went through the line on his own because he couldn't see. This is why I've always been of the group of people that say "Just get a GAC anyway"