GAC/Albinism/Disneyland?

[KelsieMouse]

Hey everyone, I will be taking two friends to Disneyland June 24-30 for a graduation trip (woohoo!). One of my friends is an Albino-- so she suffers from horrible vision (she's legally blind), suffers from photophobia, and is very sensitive to the sun. She also has depth perception issues and gets anxiety in crowded and dark places where it's hard for her to see.
I'm worried that she won't be able to enjoy the shows because of her bad vision and will have a hard time getting on and off the attractions (especially the dark ones). I was wondering if she could get a GAC from City Hall and if that would be the best option. It's her first trip so I want to make it a magical one.
Has anybody dealt with the same problem who can speak from experience? Would DL even allow her a GAC? I've never used the system before so I'm a little new. Any previous experiences or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help!

 

[skiingfast]

I was wondering if she could get a GAC from City Hall and if that would be the best option.

Yes she may and should.

 

[Malcon10t]

Yes and Yes. That said, be aware that some of the waiting areas for the GACs are in darker areas. They can become crowded. They would be great for her sun issues, but not for her anxiety.

Her GAC will probably have a vision stamp on it. It will help get her seating closer to the stage.

 

[Rhonna]

I would call disney.

Are you staying at one of the hotels? They have assistance by phone ahead of your trip - if not, someone on these boards should be able to give you a number for the correct department.

Anyhow, get the right department and ask if they have had this particular situation and what they would recommend to make things easier for your friend.

Here is the disABILITIES forum link on these boards. Some there might be able to give you more info. Just be clear you are going to Disneyland in CA, not WDW in Florida since a lot more who travel to WDW post on that board.

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20

 

[Mama Who]

Hey everyone, I will be taking two friends to Disneyland June 24-30 for a graduation trip (woohoo!). One of my friends is an Albino-- so she suffers from horrible vision (she's legally blind), suffers from photophobia, and is very sensitive to the sun. She also has depth perception issues and gets anxiety in crowded and dark places where it's hard for her to see.
I'm worried that she won't be able to enjoy the shows because of her bad vision and will have a hard time getting on and off the attractions (especially the dark ones). I was wondering if she could get a GAC from City Hall and if that would be the best option. It's her first trip so I want to make it a magical one.
Has anybody dealt with the same problem who can speak from experience? Would DL even allow her a GAC? I've never used the system before so I'm a little new. Any previous experiences or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help!

My advice when thinking about a GAC is to think first about what she needs and then (and this is tricky) about what Disney can reasonably do.

Not all needs can be accommodated. My son needs not to be in a stationary crowd. Fantasmic is not GACable. Disney cannot make a space for him in which he does not feel crowded and confined- it's just not logistically possible. If we want Fantasmic we will have to shell out for the dessert seating because it's the only way to have enough elbow room. On the other hand, my friend's need to avoid stairs is totally accommodatable. A GAC for her is perfect. She can bypass the tricky bits of lines and still enjoy the parks.

Disney probably cannot do anything about her photophobia. It's sunny. It's California. It's just not possible to keep her out of bright light. (It sounds like she has problems with the dark too- that's got to make life challenging!) On the other hand, they can easily handle giving her seating at shows where she can see and may even be able to give her assistance/extra time getting on and off rides.

Go to City Hall and explain her needs. Be prepared for them to say, "We can't help that one" to some of them. They will do what they can and they are genuinely interested in helping her enjoy the parks to her fullest ability. Even if they can only help with some of her challenges it will be worthwhile to get the GAC for those.

 

[furb & dez]

Disney probably cannot do anything about her photophobia. It's sunny. It's California. It's just not possible to keep her out of bright light. (It sounds like she has problems with the dark too- that's got to make life challenging!)

To add to this: Have you thought about how the UV lights are going to affect her? The insides of many (if not most) rides or attractions are literally filled with UV lights/effects.

To a person with normal pigmentation, UV lights are okay to be exposed to for short periods but shouldn't be looked into due to the chance of vision damage. How would it affect a person with albinism?

 

[Rhonna]

Does your friend have special sunglass type protective eyewear like transition lenses or even something more specialized that they can bring with them that would help both outdoors with the sun AND inside the attractions with bright lights? Maybe she could ask her doctor to point her to the right specialist for that?

I have friends who have some unusual color spectrum/vision issues and have to wear specially tinted glasses. They go to another state (CA) to see the specialist for these glasses.

There must be something for her condition. I would think they would have protection on the sides also, not just the front of the glasses.

I googled and found this forum for albino people to discuss issues:

http://community.albinism.org/

I would check into the glasses issue not just for the trip but for her comfort in the future too.

 

[KelsieMouse]

Disney probably cannot do anything about her photophobia. It's sunny. It's California. It's just not possible to keep her out of bright light. (It sounds like she has problems with the dark too- that's got to make life challenging!) On the other hand, they can easily handle giving her seating at shows where she can see and may even be able to give her assistance/extra time getting on and off rides.

Go to City Hall and explain her needs. Be prepared for them to say, "We can't help that one" to some of them. They will do what they can and they are genuinely interested in helping her enjoy the parks to her fullest ability. Even if they can only help with some of her challenges it will be worthwhile to get the GAC for those.

Thanks for your response.
I absolutely understand there is going to be a lot that Disney can't do. I was just wondering what options we had to make her experience the best one.
The one I was worried about most was being able to see the shows. As long as they could manage to get the pass that would make it easier on her being able to see the shows.
I guess the best approach would just be to warn her about all of what Disney magic entails and see what she thinks is best.
Does anybody know if you have to go get a GAC every day? We're going to be staying for six days.
Thanks everyone for your responses!

 

[skiingfast]

Does anybody know if you have to go get a GAC every day? We're going to be staying for six days.

You can use the same card for your whole visit.