eligible for a GAC?

[khannen]

This is my first post on these boards. My apolgies in advance if it doesn't work out right... *chuckle*

I'm heading on a last minute trip with my father and 2.5 yr old DD on Friday. We just planned it last week. We're trying to work the trip in before he has surgery later in September.

Here's our situation...
My dad is legally blind (can see shapes and shadows only within about five ft.) and uses a white cane to walk around. He is a diabetic and has several complications with it. Our main concern is the poor circulation in his legs. He has very little from below the knees. As long as he is walking, he is okay. Standing is the problem. If we have a wait of more than 15-20 minutes, he's going to be very uncomfortable. It's a confirmed medical condition by his doctor.

I don't know how the assistance cards work. Is this something we might be able to work out? He's fine in the heat and sun and doesn't use a wheelchair. Those are the things I usually hear people using the passes for. If this is something you think I could get help with, how do I approach it when I go to guest services?

Thank you for any suggestions...
Kaycee

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES. Your post worked just fine.
Just in case anyone doesn't know what GAC stands for, it's Guest Assistance Card. You request it from Guest Services in any of the parks. The person with a disability needs to be present and they (or someone in their party) explains their needs to the CM. The Card will be issued for up to 6 people (5 plus the person with a disability), is good at all the parks and is usually issued for your entire length of stay. You don't need any type of medical documentation, just your ability to explain the needs/disability.
Given that your father is legally blind, he would benefit from being able to board at the handicapped/wheelchair entrances. That would avoid any stairs and allow boarding at the exit for the rides that have moving walkways. Here's a link to a thread that explains about this very well.
In most cases, you still need to wait in the regular line, the bypass to the accessible entrance is usually very close to the regular boarding area. There are different "messages" on GACs, depending on what the needs of the person are; some of them do limit the wait in line (often by having you wait somewhere else). If the GAC they give you doesn't fit your needs, you can always take it back and explain that you need more of different assistance.

Some people with difficulty standing choose to get a wheelchair so they will always have a seat with them. One of the things some other people have used is a combination cane/folding seat so they can pull the seat down to sit while waiting in line. That's probably not an option for your dad since he already is using a cane. Another thing to keep in mind is that in most of the lines you are constantly moving. The only ones where you actually stand still for long periods are the theater type shows where you might wait in line for one show to end so you can enter. So, he might not have as much difficulty as you think.

The best way to avoid long waits in line are to get to the parks early. Even when it's busy, you can pretty much walk right into many of the rides in MK with a 10 to 15 minute wait. Also fastpass will pretty much always limit your wait in line to 10-15 minutes.

 

[Camping Disney]

We used GAC on our trip to WDW last week. If I can answer any questions for you, please ask away!!

Michele