GAC Pass?

karpy111

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Messages
639
My mother is coming with us to Disney this year. I am worried because she had a hip replacement about a year ago. She said she will be fine walking but standing for a bit causes her hip to get stiff. A neighbor mentioned getting her a GAC pass. I have done some research but am still confused on what exactly it is. Is this a fastpass for all the rides? Would she be eligible to get one?

Any help is appreciated.
 
My mother is coming with us to Disney this year. I am worried because she had a hip replacement about a year ago. She said she will be fine walking but standing for a bit causes her hip to get stiff. A neighbor mentioned getting her a GAC pass. I have done some research but am still confused on what exactly it is. Is this a fastpass for all the rides? Would she be eligible to get one?

Any help is appreciated.

This is not a fastpass. Have her go to Guest Services at the park and explain what kind of accommodations she needs. No note from doctor is needed. Many guests find the use of a good touring plan along with fastpasses a great way to get around without needing a GAC.

SUe M. over on has a great thread about it. I'll see if I can find it.

ETA: found it. here you go:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713
 
No, it is not a fast pass. You still have to wait and sometimes the wait is even longer than the regular line-ask me how I know this :). With your mom's hip, the Guest relations CM will recommend a wheelchair. I would let them know that she can get out of her chair to board the ride because most of the ride vehicles are not handicapped accessible and waiting for one that can handle a wheelchair can be quite a long wait, especially if there are a few people with wheel chairs in line ahead of you.
 
This is not a fastpass. Have her go to Guest Services at the park and explain what kind of accommodations she needs. No note from doctor is needed. Many guests find the use of a good touring plan along with fastpasses a great way to get around without needing a GAC.

SUe M. over on has a great thread about it. I'll see if I can find it.

ETA: found it. here you go:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713

I thought that the docs note was not asked for in the US as its against some sort of disability rights or something similar, which leaves the system open for abuse in my eyes. In the Paris disneyland park and in other EU parks proof is always required and I like it that way as its stops any sort of hangers on ar people with small issues blowing them up to get GACs and/or equivs.
 

I thought that the docs note was not asked for in the US as its against some sort of disability rights or something similar, which leaves the system open for abuse in my eyes. In the Paris disneyland park and in other EU parks proof is always required and I like it that way as its stops any sort of hangers on ar people with small issues blowing them up to get GACs and/or equivs.

She has card that she carries that says she had a hip replacement. This is really more for security reasons as she sets the metal detectors off at the airport and some department stores.
 
She has card that she carries that says she had a hip replacement. This is really more for security reasons as she sets the metal detectors off at the airport and some department stores.

Im sure she dosn't need anything in the states to get a gac. You just have to state what help you need. But as others have said a GAC wont really help her any way. The main thing would be to make sure and either use a chair or a scooter if he walking gets too much and to sit down at every opp (there are many benches scattered about and to go at her speed. If you are there for a while its cheeper to hire a chair or scooter form one of the external companies. Info on these is in the sticky somewhere.
 
I thought that the docs note was not asked for in the US as its against some sort of disability rights or something similar, which leaves the system open for abuse in my eyes. In the Paris disneyland park and in other EU parks proof is always required and I like it that way as its stops any sort of hangers on ar people with small issues blowing them up to get GACs and/or equivs.

We bring the info anyway because I was asked one time by a CM even though they are not supposed to ask. When this happened, I asked for a manager and the CM I was talking to was the manager. :rolleyes: She made it very difficult but eventually I was able to get the wheelchair GAC. It helped for the Haunted Mansion because at the time, the line was not wheelchair accessible. Now though most of the lines can handle the chairs.
They have gotten stricter to avoid abuse.
 
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The average WDW guest walks eight miles a day. Your mother may be OK walking short distances in her everyday life, but those miles can sure add up in the parks. She may want to think about using a wheelchair.

When I ended up needing one on my last trip, I got one from Walker Mobility. They delivered it to my resort and replaced it twice when I had problems.

What you could do is see how she does on the first day and then call to have a chair delivered if it turns out to be too much for her.

http://www.walkermobility.com/
 
She has card that she carries that says she had a hip replacement. This is really more for security reasons as she sets the metal detectors off at the airport and some department stores.

FYI the card is not really good for anything. TSA will not usually even look at it as it could be easily faked.

Disney does not need to know what disability you have but how they can accomidate the disability. For your mothers issues Disney answer will probably be to suggest renting a scooter or wheel chair.

If your mother has not had a follow up with her orthopedic she may want to. My sister has had two hips and a knee done. Usually the only time she has a problem is when it is extremely cold out. My SIL the same thing.

Denise in MI
 
The normal and official Guest Relations response to a nobility and/or stamina problem is the suggestion that the Guest rent a wheelchair or ECV.

A letter from a doctor is basically useless. Not only is Disney legally prohibited from asking for one, but there is no way to prove that the note is legitimate in any way.

First of all, pick a place about a mile from where your mother lives and ask her how difficult it would be to walk there. After a short pause, add "and back". Then after she answers, say "four times in a row".

Then she will give you a look as only a mother can do to a child which implies "Are you out of your mind". Explain to her that most people tend to walk 8-12 miles per day at WDW. Once around the Epcot World Showcase Lagoon Promenade, is about 1½ miles. And that is without actually entering any of the pavilion areas.

Please ask her the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are traveling with, such as your family, know you are disabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probably No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!
 
The normal and official Guest Relations response to a nobility and/or stamina problem is the suggestion that the Guest rent a wheelchair or ECV.

A letter from a doctor is basically useless. Not only is Disney legally prohibited from asking for one, but there is no way to prove that the note is legitimate in any way.

First of all, pick a place about a mile from where your mother lives and ask her how difficult it would be to walk there. After a short pause, add "and back". Then after she answers, say "four times in a row".

Then she will give you a look as only a mother can do to a child which implies "Are you out of your mind". Explain to her that most people tend to walk 8-12 miles per day at WDW. Once around the Epcot World Showcase Lagoon Promenade, is about 1½ miles. And that is without actually entering any of the pavilion areas.

Please ask her the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are traveling with, such as your family, know you are disabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probab ly No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!

I totaly agree if all of the above. I have MS (spinal MS which is actually recurring transverse meylitus- I am giving in to the above - my families enjoyment comes first so I am ordering an ECV as the last park trip (paris) nearly killed my DH having to push me arround.


However I dont agree about the doc letter - as in the EU we do need them - you need to have medical eveidence to be allowed to use the chair lines in the parks. I know this is very much kept to as I went to paris shortly after getting out of hospital after diagnosis - I was totaly paralysed from waist down at that piont and in my own chair. I was not allowed to use the wheelchair access or special boarding as I had no doc letter with me- I had to go to guest services to get a speical card. As I had not brought any evidence to the park they had me call my doctor and his practice faxed through a letter.


A bit of a hassle yes (but this was just because I was only a week out of hospital and hadn't got all social and med docs through, now blue badge for parking would be with me and most other disabled guests would also have this to show) . And as a result there are very much fewer wheelchair and evc users in the parks, so the special boarding carts/stations don't have long lines. EVC users don't get a bad rep as they seem to in disney US (I myself had a very bad run in with one evc user in non diney park in florida, so bad that security had to be called and she and her rude mates where removed from the park). There is nothing to stop someone getting a wheelchair in EU (infact in france you can hire for next to nothing at most pharmacys) but without the medical or social work evidence of need you will not be able to gain (or more often happens as disney US be percieved by others to gain) any advantage by having it. As a result I feel that when I'm using it the other guests are more tolerant as they know that it is a must and not because you want to skip lines or are too lazy to walk about. Unfortunatly it will not be the feeling I get when I am using an EVC in the US this summer , as I can with assitance get in and out of it the rides, I feel other may think I am a just lazy. But being able to walk a few steps is smothing I should feel proud to be able to do as its taken 2 years of very hard work going in and out of a rehabilitation unit to get to this stage of recovery, but instead because the system is different- as is required by the law, I feel more uneasy than I would do in the EU.
 
However I dont agree about the doc letter - as in the EU we do need them - you need to have medical eveidence to be allowed to use the chair lines in the parks. I know this is very much kept to as I went to paris shortly after getting out of hospital after diagnosis - I was totaly paralysed from waist down at that piont and in my own chair. I was not allowed to use the wheelchair access or special boarding as I had no doc letter with me- I had to go to guest services to get a speical card. As I had not brought any evidence to the park they had me call my doctor and his practice faxed through a letter.


While it may differ in other countries, this is not true in the US. Due to HIPAA medical laws, Disney employees are not allowed to require medical documentation on members. The only way for this to be okay would be if Disney employeed medical staff or staff that is fully trained in the HIPAA laws.

We were recently in WDW in Jan 2012 with my husband, 2 daughters, MIL, and FIL. Both my daughter and MIL both needed GAC's for different reasons. Not once were we required to show medical documentation, even when we left a GAC at the resort!

If you have any questions about the specifics about the GAC, PM me as we have been using it for quite some time now.

:)
 
While it may differ in other countries, this is not true in the US. Due to HIPAA medical laws, Disney employees are not allowed to require medical documentation on members. The only way for this to be okay would be if Disney employeed medical staff or staff that is fully trained in the HIPAA laws.

We were recently in WDW in Jan 2012 with my husband, 2 daughters, MIL, and FIL. Both my daughter and MIL both needed GAC's for different reasons. Not once were we required to show medical documentation, even when we left a GAC at the resort!

If you have any questions about the specifics about the GAC, PM me as we have been using it for quite some time now.

:)
Even though people assume that HIPAA is the reason WDW employees can't look at a doctor's letter, that is not the reason.
The actual reason is that the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) says that people with disabilities can't be forced to provide proof of their disability in order to get assistance.

HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act. It does have provisions for privacy of people's medical information, but it only applies to medical facilities, insurance and people who have access to medical information as part of their job in a medical facility.
For example, I work in a hospital. By law, I am only allowed to access records and information in those records that I need to look at in order to do my job. Someone who works in billing would have need to look at insurance and contact information, but would not need to look at things like the doctors' notes and would be in violation of this law if they looked there.
Anyone can choose to share their own medical information if they want to, so if someone chooses to bring a doctor note to WDW, they can. The CMs are not likely to look at it though, because it is not necessary - the ADA says the person needs to be able to explain what they need if it is not readily apparent ( for example, it's apparent that someone using a wheelchair needs an accessible path).

If the OP has not looked in the disABILITIES FAQs thread, I would recommend looking in post 6 of that thread. It is all about Guest Assistance Cards and should answer all your questions (plus some you had not thought of yet).
 


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