Great Service for my Autistic Son

[Emagine]

About a month ago I posted how the Drs and OT did a letter for me for Disney and many said I would not even need it. I decided to take them as a just incase because you just never know, right? I am glad we did. Our first stop was Epcot and we dealt with a guy named Reggie who was a doll. He was actually relieved we had such documentation. Granted he scanned each but then thanked us. While he was doing the GAC for my son he was telling us how many ppl walk in and just say what they need. He admitted a good bit of ppl who do the GAC have no knowledge about some of the handicaps there are out there and how they can effect ppl. He admitted he was still learning too and this is when he thanked us for the letters. He said they helped him to know we were not just looking for a free pass too as he said it is commonly abused.

We got our GAC needed and I am happy to admit we used it to its fullest. It helped us to get what we needed to help our son. We had CMs who saw it and would know what to do to help. We were even allowed to use it for the Rock and Roller Coaster even though ds could not ride it (too short). They let my DH and I take a turn each in the fast pass with it while the other sat with the boys. I did not know you could do this but the CM offered it when DS saw he was too short and we were about to walk away. They said they will do what they can to make the vacation all it can be for every member.

I was pleased to the hills and back with service. Several times we saw a line that continued to move and would try it knowing there was a minimal wait. We were always taken care of.

TY Disney for making this trip all it could be with few meltdowns! So those of you who are trying to figure out the GAC. This may not help you but taking a letter did infact help my son and that is all that counts.

 

[koolaidmoms]

We just went to Epcot and MK. We got a GAC for my DS (5) also. We ended up not using it as there were usually no lines or waiting for us. The one time we were going to for Pooh's HoneyPots (the lines were long and there is no space in between people for when he starts flailing) I decided not to use it. DS was okay at that moment and waited. About 20 minutes into the wait (that's the wait time posted) I wish I had. He started perceverating on the wait time and started to ramp up into a full blown tantrum. By the time we reached the end of the line a full 20 minutes later it wasn't the best experience for anyone.

Glad it worked out well for you.

 

[kaffinito]

Glad you had such a good experience with the GAC and Disney service! Showing a letter detailing your child's disabilities does help. I finally broke down and got the GAC on our last trip because I was worried about the lines for my youngest.

I didn't have a letter though, I just bring both of them to get a GAC. For my oldest it's more obvious, he walks with a rolling lurch and he keeps zipping from baby to baby. My youngest is also pretty obvious. He jumped on the desk, hauled himself up until he was on his elbows, and started playing with the pins on the gals vest. She just looked at me and said, "Autism?" Guess she's been there a while and was used to it!

The GAC does help quite a bit. I don't ride the rides that my kids like to, so I let my oldest take the youngest on the roller coasters and such. I found out after the trip that my oldest was using it to get my youngest through the crowds at the end of the rides though, not the beginning!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Great that it was of use to you and obviously meant you had a more enjoyable holiday.

We too get a GAC , in our situation we do try and encourage Joshua to queue for rides if the wait time is relatively short. Just find it improves his patience levels and also means we can do what everyone else does also.

It's nice you had some good experiences and it's always good to hear of compliments to the level of service.

 

[cdunn03]

We are leaving for WDW tomorrow...My son is 9 and has autism I am hoping fr a great experience!!! Thanks for sharing your story!

 

[bookwormde]

I am glad the GAC worked so well for you and that the letter was helpful for what sound like a relatively new CM to better understand.

Kaffinito

Love the story, I have always had my son wait with mom in sight but outside because of crowds but I think in the future if the crowds are not to bad I will bring him in, I sometimes forget that the Guest services CMs also need to see and understand the breadth of the Autism spectrum.

bookwormde

 

[mechurchlady]

DLR and WDW have what is called the Baby Swap where the party rides while one person watches the kids who are too small to ride. The party gets off the ride that the babysitter takes one and rarely two people with them to ride in an expedited manner. So they do do that on some of the rides that have height requirements.

I am so glad to hear that you had a happy trip. It is always so good to see that the advice from this board worked. I will take mental notes and hope they can be used in the future.

 

[plc001]

Floridian with many trips to Disney and I did not know about it!

Thanks!!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

Floridian with many trips to Disney and I did not know about it!

Thanks!!!!

Check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread. Post #6 of that thread has a section about Guest Assistance Cards.
The GAC is NOT meant to shorten or eliminate waits and often does't get you on any faster. That is printed right on the card

It also is meant for use of the person with a disability - not for other members of the party to go on without that person. CMs have some discretion to allow other members on, as the OP mentimed with one attraction. That is an exception rather than the rules and it's more likely to happen if the line is short and the attraction is not busy. CMs are able to do things then that they are not able to do when it's busy.

As far as a letter is concerned, CMs are not able to ask for or require one. Most of the letters are not particularly helpful. One website had a 'form letter format' that suggested the doctor write something like :

"this my delightful patient John Smith. He has xxxxxx. Please extend him every courtesy to minimize his wait in line. "

CMs have said that kind of letter is not helpful since it says nothing about the person's needs.

If you choose to bring a letter and show it to the CM IS YOUR CHOICE. For every person who brought a letter and the CM looked at it, several people post that the CM did not look at their letter at all. IF you choose to bring a letter, it should talk about your/your child's needs, not their diagnosis.

NOTE : NO DISCUSION ABOUT WHAT TO WRITE IN A LETTER OR IN PERSON. ANY POSTS ATATINF THOSE THINGS WILL BE DELETED.
IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT Why, I WOULD SUGGEST READING THE OPEN LETTER FROM SUEM NEAR THE TOP OF THIS BOARD.

 

[Schmeck]

Check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread. Post #6 of that thread has a section about Guest Assistance Cards.
The GAC is meant to shorten or eliminate waits and often does't get you on any faster. That is printed right on the card

Sue, I believe you meant "The GAC isn't meant to shorten" right?

 

[SueM in MN]

Sue, I believe you meant "The GAC isn't meant to shorten" right?

Thank you.
I was typing on my ipod and with the little screen, I missed the word.

It should have said "The GAC is NOT meant to shorten or eliminate lines....."