Guest Assistance Card

[Willy]

Will Univerasal Studios and Islands of Adventure offer some sort of pass for someone with autism similar to the one's offered in WDW? We have been to DW but this will be our first visit to Universal and IOA.

 

[Roo'sMom]

Hi,

Yes! They have a similar card. We go to the parks every year and always get a Guest Assistance card for my son (8, autistic).

Just stop by Guest relations on your way into the park.

 

[Willy]

Thanks RM. My son just turned eight this month. I'll stop by guest relations and try to get the pass. Hopefully DS won't have any major meltdowns.

 

[Absimilliard]

The Universal Guest Services employees may start up on their usual spiel of "all of our rides except Back to the Future are ADA accessible and won't required any assistance". Keep insisting. Ask for somebody else, as mom was outright lied by one of IOA employees (we dont have any GAC type card... everybody use the line cause we are accessible. She has severe back problems and use a personal wheelchair and gets a GAC at WDW and DLP) in the morning. Seeing as I am a WDW CM, she told me her story and decided to shrug it off. Well... after mom in her wheelchair almost rolled down one of the very steep ramps in one of the line with us 4 holding her, we had enough. As we exited the park, I dealt with the same lady that morning... Upon questioning her, we learned that... oh yes, we have a special assistance card, but its only for autistic people and Give kids the world people! Too bad!

Here's my advice: insist, ask to speak to a manager. If they ask for medical proof, dont provide it. It is illegal for them to ask for medical proof.

 

[Willy]

Originally posted by Absimilliard
The Universal Guest Services employees may start up on their usual spiel of "all of our rides except Back to the Future are ADA accessible and won't required any assistance". Keep insisting. Ask for somebody else, as mom was outright lied by one of IOA employees (we dont have any GAC type card... everybody use the line cause we are accessible. She has severe back problems and use a personal wheelchair and gets a GAC at WDW and DLP) in the morning. Seeing as I am a WDW CM, she told me her story and decided to shrug it off. Well... after mom in her wheelchair almost rolled down one of the very steep ramps in one of the line with us 4 holding her, we had enough. As we exited the park, I dealt with the same lady that morning... Upon questioning her, we learned that... oh yes, we have a special assistance card, but its only for autistic people and Give kids the world people! Too bad!

Here's my advice: insist, ask to speak to a manager. If they ask for medical proof, dont provide it. It is illegal for them to ask for medical proof.

Sorry to hear that they weren't so accomadating to you. Getting a little help is not something we hoped for in life. We have to live with and help any way we can, the loved ones who have any disabilities. I hope I have an easier time than you did.

 

[SueM in MN]

The Universal Guest Services employees may start up on their usual spiel of "all of our rides except Back to the Future are ADA accessible and won't required any assistance".

That's the same thing we were told the last time we were at Universal, which is why we have not been there in many years - except that Back to the Future was considered to be an accessible line and we waited in the line for over an hour, I think in along ramp. For someone who has no needs other than the lines to be accessible for their wheelchair, it might be a fairly accessible park. But, for anyone who has needs in addition to using a wheelchair, we found them not to be very welcoming. At Guest Services, we were basically told that if we needed to wait out of the sun, we should avoid lines that were in the sun. Some individual CMs tried to be helpful, but their policy was that a line a wheelchair could roll in was all the ADA required and was all they needed to provide. That's why we haven't been back there in many years.
In defense of Universal, WDW Guest Services told us the same thing in 1998, when standard lines were just starting to be made into Mainstream (totally wheelchair accessible). But individual CMs were still helpful, tried to find us a suitable place to wait and several CMs told us about GACs and gave us their name and station and told us to have Guest Services contact them if they did not feel we needed a GAC, because they could see what problems we had in line. By late 1999, the Guest Services people were also on the same page: "Our lines have beeen made wheelchair accessible, but we realize for some people that is not enough."
I have read that people with autism have no problem getting the Universal/IOA equivilent of a GAC (but as Absimilliard noted, I have heard they sometimes ask for proof of a disability, which is not allowed by the ADA).

 

[dclfun]

I had no problem getting the Universal equivalent of a GAC at either Guest Relations office ( at IOA and at Universal). I just asked if they had one and it was issued immediately, no questions asked. I also saw a family speaking with the next hostess who was also getting a card for their ambulatory son, no questions asked. This was last summer, so I wonder if they had enough complaints that their policies have changed? That said, there was almost nothing I could do at either park since none of their rides are accessible to a power chair. I did see the shows. ---Kathy

 

[jessie35]

We just recently came back we stayed at the WDL and went to Universal for the day. I went directly to GS with my son and daughter in the stroller. My son is almost 4 and has PDD/Autism.

I talked to the rep..for 2 minutes and she asked for my name and printed one up. No problems at all.

 

[SueM in MN]

I have not heard of anyone who had a child or adult with autism having a problem at Universal IOA getting their GAC. So, if the situation that requires accomidation is autism, you should find the Universal/IOA CMs to be very helpful.
The people who have experienced problems have all had manual wheelchairs and other problems (similar to my DD). The problem is that the CMs at Universal/IOA just see the wheelchair and feel that by having wheelchair accessible lines, they have done all the all accomidation that is required (not realizing that someone with a wheelchair might have other needs that have nothing to do with mobility). I have heard of people recently having the same treatment if they have a wheelchair plus other needs, so they might be inconsistent in their treatment.