GAC question

[irish_trip_mom]

We are leaving for our first trip to WDW in a few weeks. We will have our 5 year old triplets (including our two sons who both have autism.) Also in our party will be my brother's family.

Who will be covered under the GAC? Will it be just our immediate family or our group of 9?

Thanks!

Krista

 

[tacomaranch]

Hi Krista,

Good luck on your trip. I think at the top is a GAC questions section which has helped me out in the past. Sue is a wonder woman and knows almost everything.

This is what I know. The GAC will be issued for the person who has needs, not to the entire party. However the party will be able to go with the person with needs. I thought the maximum was 8 but it could be 9.

Have a nice trip. April

 

[Schmeck]

I thought the maximum was six? Of course, you could get a GAC for each of your sons (in case you plan to split up during the day?) and use them both?

 

[SueM in MN]

There is a portion about GACs (Guest Assistance Cards) in the disABILITIES FAQs thread, located near the top of this board.

Generally, they will give a GAC for the person with a disability plus 5 members of their party (although for some attractions, because of space constraints, you may have to still divide into smaller groups). Theymight give you a GAC for 9, but they usually limit it to a total of 6.

For your group, I would suggest a few things to think about:
1) Might you ever need to split up so that one of your children with autism is with part of the group and one is with the other? If so, it might be best to request a GAC for each of them.

2) Even though they both have autism, are their needs the same? If not, it might be best to have a GAC for each of them.

We have gone with groups of 8, 9, 10 and 14. I'd suggest that trying to stay with a group of 9 will be difficult, especially with 2 children with autism. We found it hard to keep everyone together -some wanted to ride one thing, some didn't like that attraction. People were hungry, tired or had to use the bathroom at different times. It worked out better to go separately and meet up at various times during the day - like at meals, for a snack at a certain time, for a show that we knew there was no wait for, etc.

 

[irish_trip_mom]

Thanks for the info...as soon as I posted, I noticed the sticky thread above.

Our pediatrician (a parent of an child with autism himself) already recommended we do two passes and is writing a letter for both boys. Yes, their needs are quite different. One is more sensitive to sounds and wait time. We don't expect to be a party of 9 at all times, but there are certain points we will be together, so I was wondering if we'd be split up anyway. Thanks for the info.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the info...as soon as I posted, I noticed the sticky thread above.

Our pediatrician (a parent of an child with autism himself) already recommended we do two passes and is writing a letter for both boys. Yes, their needs are quite different. One is more sensitive to sounds and wait time. We don't expect to be a party of 9 at all times, but there are certain points we will be together, so I was wondering if we'd be split up anyway. Thanks for the info.

I just wanted to point out that you don't need a letter, although some people feel better asking for a Guest Assistance Card with one. Since you don't need a letter, it's possible that the CM (Cast Members) won't want to see your letter.
If you do have letters, they should state what the needs are, rather than the diagnosis or just a statement to 'give my patient all possible consideration (or assistance)'. CMs have said in the past that having a diagnosis or a general statement doesn't tell them anything about how to meet your/your child's needs, since people with the very same diagnosis can have very different needs. It's important for the parent/person with a disability to understand and be able to explain what they need. The CMs don't know unless you tell them.
Note: What follows is not aimed at you, but is a general 'something' that I am putting out for readers (you just happen to be the one where this fits the question).
They are Guest Assistance Cards, not passes. That seems like a small and maybe overly picky distinction, but I think it is an important one.

What do people think of when hearing the word "card"?
Things like information card, ID card, business card - all things that give information.
What do people think of when hearing the word "pass?"
backstage pass, free pass, front of the line pass - thingd that give extra or immediate access.
Disney changed the name of their card from Guest Assistance Pass to Guest Assistance Card about 7 years ago, mostly for this reason. The GAC is a tool to give the CMs some basic information about the needs of the person with the GAC. It's basic information and the person may have to provide some extra information in order to get their needs met. But, it's basically to provide information.
When it was called a Guest Assistance Pass, a lot of people thought it did mean immediate access, which causes problems for the rest of us who need them since CMs look at the rest of us like we are expecting the card to work like that. People in the 'general public' assume that's why people have the cards and think lots of people 'cheat' with them.

 

[Poohnatic]

I'll go with the group and recommend you get two passes. Different issues definitely will mean one son may balk at a ride, while the other wants to go on it over and over.

My son (asperger's) had a HUGE issue with Star Tours and had a class A meltdown that I think they may have even heard IN the ride. He has sensory integration dysfunction, and it seems some motion is bad. He won't go back on Mission Space because he can tell it's spinning, for example.

However, my nephew, also an aspie, if given the chance, will go on both of those attractions over and over. I don't know how much of that is their age difference, and how much is the SID.

Suzanne