GAC.. wasn't going to, but....?

[LuvMy3Monkeys]

I'm new here in the dis ABILITIES part of the DIS. I didn't realize this existed, now I'm glad I found it. Hopefully nobody takes offense to me associating my daughters ASD "disability" with another persons life-threatening disability, I just don't know where else I might find good information. I realize what we deal with is not that serious, and I'm just looking for a little advice if nobody minds me asking it here We don't have any friends or anyone that we know with children with the same issues, so I thought maybe I could find good advice here...


We were in the World in Feb for ten days. My DD3, with Aspergers, did amazingly well and loved the trip. We had a few issues that some may say were meltdowns, but considering I've seen much worse... they were nothing in my book. Anyway, we received alot of rude stares and comments and one woman in line to TSM (after about ten minutes of DD's figeting and fussing she panicked and tried to bolt and ran right into this womans leg) and the woman said to her husband very loudly "You know, if people would just woop their kids a**es then maybe they wouldnt be running around like little devils". At that point I wanted to cry and punch her all at the same time (and was secretly hoping DD would hit her again... woops... did I say that? )

So here's my question... my daughter has no issues speaking/understanding/talking and is very very smart for her age and typically communicates as well, if not better, than my almost 6 year old typically developing DD. So since she isnt nonverbal, and is certainly mobile, is it appropriate to ask for a GAC for our trip? Her issues are mostly crowds, and people being in her "space" and/or touching/brushing by her or people staring at her aspecially if she makes eye contact with them and they don't break it right away and continue to look at her, she will have a fit. Ofter times she doesn't understand dangerous situation and will "bolt" off with no warning into crowds, dangerous situations, you name it... It seems she has meltdowns when she is already on her toes about the situation (if shes feeling overwhelmed or uncomfortable or doesn't have her tag on her blanket to suck on... she is more likely to have a tantrum and try to run). We definitely dont have the option of putting one of those leash things on her. Been there, done that. She would literally fall to the floor flailing trying to get it off of her and would gladly let me drag her along the ground if it meant she didn't have to get up and walk with it on.

Her issues are mostly sensory (and I swear she has OCD, like I do) and she is very funny about other peoples things. If given the opportunity to stand in a que with 100 other people, naturally your eye fixates on the other people. She will notice their socks being uneven, or their water bottle cap not being on the bottle or just really random things, and I think in an effort to calm her nerves, she will walk right over and attempt to fix it. We were in like at chick fil-a once at the mall when she fixed this womans socks and about scared the crap out of her. Riley was fidgeting with her hands and looking at them and looking around then looking back at the socks. It was like she was unsettled until it was fixed. I know it sounds dumb, but I cant imagine how overwhelmed her little mind is when shes disturbed by things like that. Just trying to control your impulses and not being able to and then having others stare or laugh or freak out when youre trying to "help"... it must be awful.

So my question is, can I get a GAC card for her? If I can, what will it entail? Will we be allowed to wait separately from other people? I dont mind waiting the amount of time it says , I just dont think we can do it in the crowded line again. I wasn't going to do this, as we were asked by a CM observing the situation at small world if we would be interested in doing it and explained what it was. At that point, I thought that would be "milking" the system or trying to take something from other guests over something minor that was a true disability that would affect her ability to walk or talk or something... But now I'm rethinking it and after tlaking with my husband, he thought we should check into it.

Am I being unreasonable? Should we do it or will it not help her at all?

Sorry this became extremely long

 

[nursymel]

I swear you are describing my son.He just turned 5 and was diagnosed in December with HF autism/asperger's.He hit all his milestones and communicates very well.The only thing with his speech is sometimes it seems almost odd or flat.He has a fantastic vocabulary and is also ridiculously smart.Unfortunately ,he certainly has a bit of OCD that frustrates him a lot.
We go to WDW about once a year.This year actually twice.When we were there in February I actually got the GAC (had just heard about it at that time).I figured I'd get it JUST IN CASE! In most instances we were escorted to a different area to wait(away from crowds).It really worked out beautifully.It was one of our best trips to date.Very few melt downs.The only ride we had a problem with was Toy Story Mania in Hollywood Studios.When you get to each ride you ask the Cast Members where to go and show them your pass.So,at TSM the line was still very crowded,but moved along smoothly.I sometimes feel like as soon as we get on a line I hold my breath waiting...Oh God what will he do now?? I have to say if you feel you MAY need it ,just get it.Use it as reinforcement.I really don't see it as taking advantage.Shouldn't our kids be able to fully enjoy the Magic? We have in the past had to avoid rides or get off certain lines due to crowds,waits,melt downs.... Hopefully this can take a little of the pressure off.Read through the disabilities and you will read some wonderful stories from families with autistic children,aspergers...Hope you all have a wonderful trip!!

 

[clanmcculloch]

Your daughter sounds much like mine. She also appears to be a very well spoken intelligent young lady (well, she is so that's why LOL). We ALWAYS get the GAC. Some places we're escorted to an alternate quiet area to wait which is wonderful. Some places we're sent somewhere else. We have a lot more difficulty when we're sent through a line and if the line is more than 5ish minutes then we'll just skip the ride. In normal life, she can wait much longer times, but when it's wait after wait after wait and we're already in such a stimulating environment and we're already totally off a normal schedule (we do try to maintain a schedule even at WDW but obviously she's not waking up in her own bed and not walking to our kitchen to get her breakfast and so on) so under these circumstances she just has a lot of trouble. Add to that the fact that despite being a sensory seeker she absolutely freaks out over being touched by strangers if she's even somewhat remotely headed towards a meltdown and that makes lines extremely difficult for us. Luckily she doesn't seem to have obsessive compulsive tendencies that involve other people. I can't even imagine what it would be like for her to walk up to strangers and physically try to fix them. Her only OCD like behaviours involving strangers is correcting them if she notices mistakes or witnesses them doing something wrong (she HAS to tell them). Thank goodness as she gets older she's able to hold herself back from actually doing it, but that doesn't stop her from very loudly explaining to me what she would like to have done. LMAO!! Yup, lots of looks which of course then lead to meltdowns as she doesn't like being looked at. Sigh

In addition to the GAC, you really do need to take advantage of all the slowest times and maximize touring plans. Also bring a few of her favourite hand held activities to distract her while in lines.

Will she sit in a stroller? If she will then it might offer her a safe place to kind of separate herself from everything going on around her. If she does well in a stroller then it might even be a great tool for while in lines. She can shield herself from view of everybody else and shield her view OF everybody else while sitting in it. If this is something that would work for you then have the stroller as wheelchair stamp added to your GAC so you can bring her stroller in lines with you.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information. Post #6 discusses the GAC extensively.

Or, if you want an easier route to the FAQ, click on the link in my signature.

As you are probably aware, the GAC is not intended to allow Front Of The Line access. However, explain the needs to the CM in Guest Relations and more than likely they will issue the GAC with the necessary stamps to cover the needs.

 

[LMC]

Since your DD is still small you can get a stroller as wheelchair GAC and they will allow you to keep her in her stroller as you go thru the ques. You can also make a buffer zone around her--when we go DH is at one end of our group and I am at the other end and the 3 kids are in the middle, we (DH and I) make sure we are spread out somewhat so that my SID, AS child has some space in the que. This keeps people away from him. My only other issue is my ADHD DS8 who can't stand still and bumps into everyone and everything. I doesn't matter how much I woop his butt he will still be wiggly so that woman's theory is not true.
And of course, you can always read the FAQ's.

 

[LuvMy3Monkeys]

Thanks everyone! Very good advice, and it's much appreciated

 

[SueM in MN]

As was already pointed out, there is information about Guest Assistance Cards in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. There is information in that post about using a stroller as a wheelchair. Many people find that very helpful - for a safe haven and also a deterent from running.

If you look in post #3 of the FAQs thread, you will find some links to past threads and other information that might be helpful.

As other posters mentioned, knowing when to go and where to be to avoid the crowds will be very important to you. Many people use services like Tour Guide Mike or other touring plans that help you be in the least busy place at the least busy time. That can be even more helpful than a GAC because the GAC will only help while you are in lines and it will still be busy and crowded elsewhere. With a touring plan, you can avoid much of the stimulation of the areas outside the attraction.

 

[Leonsmom]

You are definitely NOT being unreasonable and yes I firmly believe it will help not only her but you too!
My son is ADHD combined and ODD and has alot of sensory issue. He is overly impulsive and takes off at a moments notice. He also has major major "melt downs" if he gets overly stimulated with no release. He is hypersenitive and has no control over his emotions or reactions to them.
About 2 months before our first trip with DS to WDW we decided to do a practice run with him at Hershey Park in NJ - boy was that a full on disaster!! After spendin over $200 on tickets plus the cost of gas and tolls, we managed to go on two rides the whole day. We waited on plenty of lines but never made it onto the rides. His melt-downs just got progressivly worse and worse with each new ride we attempted to try. He was too hot, there were too many people, he couldn't stand anymore, people were talking too loud, he had to climb the railings and undo every chain, he butted into other peoples conversations when he wasn't bumping into them or running them over as if they were not even there, he would have a full on breakdown - crying, yelling, screaming, and throwing himself on the floor before we even got half way through the line which are no where near as long as the ones a WDW. By the end of the evening I was a complete wreck, I had planned and planned and now we weren't going to be able to get on any rides. I cried that night wondering how we would servive WDW.
It was his doctor who told me about the GAC. I just went to guest relations with a note from the doctor, which the CM didn't even look at, and explained DS's situation with sensory issues and difficulty standing on line, I also asked if we would be allowed to take his stroller on the line as keeping him contained in it with whatever he chooses to hyper focus on goes a very long way to keeping him calm and happy. I was given a GAC and the second stamp was use stroller as wchr and we got a tag to put on the stroller as well that said the same. I can't even begin to tell you what a difference it made!!!
At first he was hesitant to use a stroller because he was turning 6 and 1st graders don't use strollers. But I told him that it would be his very own royal carriage because at Disney every little kid is royalty. It didnt hurt to tell him we were counting on him to navigate the way and that he would get glowsticks at night to light the way for us. At AK where he fell in love with Stitch (who DS INSISTS also has ADHD) it became the Stitch-mobile.

Over the last 2 years I have learned alot about having a special needs child. I make accomidations for him at home and the school makes accomidations for him in the classroom. Why shouldn't he have accomidations at the most wonderful place on earth?? No reason, none at all.

So go for it!

 

[Leonsmom]

As was already pointed out, there is information about Guest Assistance Cards in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. There is information in that post about using a stroller as a wheelchair. Many people find that very helpful - for a safe haven and also a deterent from running.

If you look in post #3 of the FAQs thread, you will find some links to past threads and other information that might be helpful.

As other posters mentioned, knowing when to go and where to be to avoid the crowds will be very important to you. Many people use services like Tour Guide Mike or other touring plans that help you be in the least busy place at the least busy time. That can be even more helpful than a GAC because the GAC will only help while you are in lines and it will still be busy and crowded elsewhere. With a touring plan, you can avoid much of the stimulation of the areas outside the attraction.

I just wanted to add that I totally agree - i used TourGuideMike as well!!!

 

[buffettgirl]

I agree with the TGM route as well. I was very worried about my son in the heat of lines (he has diabetes and the heat just kills the insulin) but I was always on the fence about actually using a GAC because I really didn't think we needed it, for us, even though many with our group got them for their kids. Anyway, long story short, we did get a GAC which said we could wait in the shade, where necessary, but we only used it once and we sat in the shade for 5 min until the line got into a building. Instead, we used the appropriate touring days from TGM, got to the parks very close to opening, and made good use of stacking up fast passes as they became available. So, I had the GAC as a backup plan but found that TGM helped us a lot more. We never waited more than 15 min for anything (this was 2 weeks ago)

Now, my son's needs were different but don't feel guilty about requesting assistance and have the GAC and use it when you need it.

 

[gummie22]

We're taking our ex-preemie 9 yr. old DS with SID, ADHD, OCD and a tic disorder for his 3rd trip to WDW in 2 years. We are all very excited!!! We use a strict touring plan and include him in on the planning. We watch YouTube videos of shows and rides he might be a little anxious about. We definitely get a GAC, but our touring plans are so good, we never wait too long on lines - we use FastPass a lot and it works! I also bring ear plugs and a small flashlight with me to all the parks.

We have used the GAC: on dark rides so he can use a small flashlight if he gets afraid; to ask to be seated near an exit or in the back of a theater, in case we need to make a quick exit to prevent a meltdown (like in Festival of the Lion King); and to ask for a "quieter" table in restaurants. If I ever had to wait for a long time in the heat, I would ask to wait in a quiet, cool area.

Also, having a GAC is great when pin trading and talking to cast members, who go out of their way to make eye contact and interact with our son. We've had many magical moments that have brought me to tears!

So IMHO, having the GAC just in case you need it is a wonderful support. Heading off a meltdown before it happens makes your vacation more enjoyable for everybody! And when you see the warning signs, just take a break somewhere.

 

[SueM in MN]

We have used the GAC: on dark rides so he can use a small flashlight if he gets afraid; to ask to be seated near an exit or in the back of a theater, in case we need to make a quick exit to prevent a meltdown (like in Festival of the Lion King); and to ask for a "quieter" table in restaurants. If I ever had to wait for a long time in the heat, I would ask to wait in a quiet, cool area.

Also, having a GAC is great when pin trading and talking to cast members, who go out of their way to make eye contact and interact with our son. We've had many magical moments that have brought me to tears!

Just FYI to readers.
A GAC can be a supportive tool for people and some people will feel more comfortable asking for assistance with one, but you don't need a GAC for any of the things the I put in bold type listed above. You can get them without a GAC.
I'm not saying that someone should not request a GAC if they feel it would be helpful, just that you should not feel you have to have one to do any of the bolded things.

Many children bring a small flashlight onto the darker rides/attractions. As long as it is not being aimed at anyone or interfering with other guest's ability to enjoy an attraction, you will not have any problems. Many people have posted that they train their child to aim the flashlight down at the floor of the ride car/boat.

For all the theater type shows, you will enter the theater through doors on one side and the exit doors will be on the other side of the theater. So, if you want to sit close to the exit, when you enter, continue all the way across the row to the opposite side. Even if the lights are down during the show, the exit lights will be on so that you can find your way to the door.
In most cases, the very back row is for guests traveling with wheelchairs/ECVs, so there will only be a few seats to sit in. If you sit in the third row from the back (or the second row that has a full row of seats), you will not have that situation.
As pointed out, Festival of the Lion King is a different situation; since it is stadium seating where you enter on the lowest level, for the easiest exit, you need to sit on the lowest level. Since that is the only place people with mobility challenges/special needs are able to sit, you do need a GAC to sit in the lowest row. You could sit on an aisle without a GAC, but because many people want to sit on an aisle to increase the chance that their child will be chosen to participate, it would be best to have a GAC.

For table service restaurants, just ask for what you need when you are checking in. If you add that you are willing to wait a little extra to get a table that meets your needs, you will usually have no problem. (GACs are not actually used for anything other than attractions). Restaurants normally say that your whole party must be present before you can check in and they give you a beeper that will go off when your table is ready. If you have 2 cell phones for your party, after getting the beeper, some members could stay with whoever has the beeper while the rest of your party goes somewhere close by that is quieter to wait with the person with special needs.

For things like pin trading and character greetings, the GAC is not needed and will not get you faster 'service', but may be a quick way to let CMs know that they should take care in approaching the person.

They really do try to make accommodations if possible.