Guest Assistance Cards ending, to be replaced with Fastpasses?

[mjaclyn]

I want to start with the disclaimer that I haven't read the entire thread but I've read, heard and debated this topic a LOT over the few days.

I visit WDW regularly and I have two adopted children with disabilities. My elder daughter has both physical and developmental problems including severe autism and what is medically known as "moderate mental retardation" (that is her DX and I'm not advocating the language used). My younger daughter has attachment disorder and PTSD from abuse she suffered. Both of them struggle during our visits to WDW in different ways but our belief has always been that we will manage their struggles and support them through it rather than get a GAC. The reason we feel that way is that the outside world will not change and allow my children to skip the line and we do not want them to expect that to be the case. This is our belief but I respect parents right to manage their situations in the way they see fit.

The situation as I see it is that people without genuine disabilities have abused the GAC system for a very long time (and I mean genuine, not invisible disabilities because no one would know that my kids have the level of problems they do by looking at them). Another contributory factor to this is that genuinely disabled people have set the cause back years by hiring themselves out as "guides" to other people who just want to abuse the GAC system. This has made the system unsustainable.

In addition, the GAC was NEVER a promise of "skipping the lines" it was very clear that it offered an alternate wait area etc. The fact that this usually turned into skipping of lines, that was not the intention and never a guarantee.

When I hear people complaining about the new system it makes me very angry. I have heard things like "my child can't wait more than 10 seconds" and "this is discrimination". My view is this, if your child can not wait for 10 seconds, then taking them to WDW is cruel because they may have to wait longer than that to use the bathroom. Discrimination is the act of treating someone unfavorably, which is not the case here.

The new system is fair. In fact, I would say it is more than fair. It makes allowances for those who can't wait in a line but also means that people who have paid the same amount of money to be there are not sidelined after waiting for 90 minutes to get on Toy Story Mania. It is a happy medium. It seems to me that too many people do not want a happy medium, they don't want allowances and accommodations to be made and nothing short of skipping the line is good enough and that is wrong.

My kids throw themselves on the floor if they can't get what they want when they want but my job as a parent is to pick them up, calm them down or remove them from the distressing situation. It is no different to having a toddler in a tantrum. You deal with it like parents do. There is no need to skip a line, a card to come back at a set time combined with FP or FP+ is sufficient allowances.

Our special children need support and help through difficult situations, not shielding from them. They need to learn how to function in a world that they find difficult. They need help to cope. If we are ever to get equality for people with disabilities, then it has to be equal across the board. We can't claim to seek equal treatment then expect preferential treatment. My children are disabled, they struggle with life and they struggle at WDW, but I refuse to make them dependent on preferential treatment because honestly, they won't get it in the outside world. They're not going to get to skip the line for the bathroom, or the grocery store check out.

My children are disabled but they can wait their turn, they just can't wait in a crowded line so we use FP/FP+. I don't like that people are bashing Disney for being fair and reasonable.

This is a great post. I do think that there genuinely are children who cannot wait for extended periods of time.. My cousin just took her daughter on a Make a Wish trip to Disney. She has a form of epilepsy among other issues. She looks 100% normal on the outside until she goes into a seizure. If she is in the sun and gets overheated or stands for too long, she'll have a seizure. This was their first trip to Disney and because it was a Wish trip I don't think they had to wait in many lines at all. That being said, I'm not sure how the new system would work for her daughter. I'm sure there are a lot of things she can still see without having to wait in long lines, but other experiences she most likely would not be able to do if she had to stand for an extended period of time.

 

[babydoll65]

How will this work for someone like my mother who needs a scooter to get around due to prior surgeries. The scooter takes care of the problem so she does not qualify for a gac. So how do we approach a ride like splash mountain where you go to the exit to enter the ride. If you have a gac, they will get a return time but what about the person who has a disability but no gac. Would you still go to the kiosk to get a return time.

 

[AndreaA]

How will this work for someone like my mother who needs a scooter to get around due to prior surgeries. The scooter takes care of the problem so she does not qualify for a gac. So how do we approach a ride like splash mountain where you go to the exit to enter the ride. If you have a gac, they will get a return time but what about the person who has a disability but no gac. Would you still go to the kiosk to get a return time.

I believe that those whose sole issue is mobility will continue to use the regular queues or the handicap accessible entrances like the exit at Splash Mountain. If a person had an issue in addition to mobility (like sun/heat sensitivity, etc.) then they would need a GAC as well so that they could get a return time, go wait in a cool/shady area, and go back at the return time through the FP line.

 

[babydoll65]

I believe that those whose sole issue is mobility will continue to use the regular queues or the handicap accessible entrances like the exit at Splash Mountain. If a person had an issue in addition to mobility (like sun/heat sensitivity, etc.) then they would need a GAC as well so that they could get a return time, go wait in a cool/shady area, and go back at the return time through the FP line.

When we were there in 2011 I ran my butt off getting fast passes for these rides not knowing how she was going to enter the ride. When we went to splash mountain with our fast pass, the had us go through the exit to get onto the ride. I remember being on the opposite side of the ride waiting our turn. We waited for quite a while and our fast pass had already expired when I asked when we would be able to get on. One cm told me that just because she had mobility issues doesnt mean she would ride any sooner than anyone else. Fair enough but I told her that we accutally had a fast pass for this ride and she said I didn't need one because of using the alternate entrance. This is what confuses me.

 

[Bonacker]

Crud.

My soon-to-be-four-year-old son wears a torso cast --- a plaster cast, from hip to shoulder -- and we are going on our first-ever DisneyWorld trip in January.

It sucks for him to stand around. He just is top-heavy, and gets tired and achy and it sucks.

A big part of the reason we planned to go to Disney (as opposed to some other family trip) was because we heard about how great the Guest Assistance Card was for kids like him, who wear casts due to spinal deformities. It made it do-able for us. Made it sound possible (as opposed to torturous).

Dragging this four-year-old to and from a kiosk, and killing time? Dang it.

PS: I am shocked at the aggression of some of the posts on this thread. "If I have to wait everyone else has to wait, too!" seems to be some peoples' basic attitude. So, I ask, does the same empathy, kindness, courtesy (not!), then, apply on public transportation: "Old people and pregnant women should stand like everyone else, dangit!!"? Let's all get a grip.

 

[buggy]

When we were there in 2011 I ran my butt off getting fast passes for these rides not knowing how she was going to enter the ride. When we went to splash mountain with our fast pass, the had us go through the exit to get onto the ride. I remember being on the opposite side of the ride waiting our turn. We waited for quite a while and our fast pass had already expired when I asked when we would be able to get on. One cm told me that just because she had mobility issues doesnt mean she would ride any sooner than anyone else. Fair enough but I told her that we accutally had a fast pass for this ride and she said I didn't need one because of using the alternate entrance. This is what confuses me.

Now that I look back on our last trip, we were directed to alternative entrances on a lot of rides due to my daughter's wheelchair and I guess that is why we didn't have to show the GAC most of the time. I would imagine the same will apply to post GAC so there might not be a need to get a DAS pass on those rides. Time to check out the disABILITIES forum.

 

[SueM in MN]

When we were there in 2011 I ran my butt off getting fast passes for these rides not knowing how she was going to enter the ride. When we went to splash mountain with our fast pass, the had us go through the exit to get onto the ride. I remember being on the opposite side of the ride waiting our turn. We waited for quite a while and our fast pass had already expired when I asked when we would be able to get on. One cm told me that just because she had mobility issues doesnt mean she would ride any sooner than anyone else. Fair enough but I told her that we accutally had a fast pass for this ride and she said I didn't need one because of using the alternate entrance. This is what confuses me.

One of the issues was some CMs who were not doing things the way they were supposed to.

For Splash Mountain at MK, the guidebook for guests with disabilities published by Disney says:
Mobility Access: Obtain a FASTPASS® OR enter through standard queue.

So, if a guest with a mobility device like an ECV came without a Fastpass, they are supposed to wait in the regular line to the point where the regular line reaches the set of stairs. At that point, there is a 'pull off' gate that leads to the exit path. There is a bench in a small roofed area where guests wait until a CM comes to that area to get them and lead them to the attraction.
In our experience, the wait there was similar to the wait we would have had if we had been able to go up the stairs.
Guests with mobility devices HAVE to board on the exit side because normal boarding is on one side of the track and unloading is on the opposite side.

With a Fastpass and mobility device, the guest would enter the Fastpass line and continue in the line until coming to the stairs. At that point they would continue as listed above.

Some CMs probably assumed that guests with wheelchairs and ECVs were supposed to enter at the exit. Some may have let guests who presented themselves there stay because they were already there or because the CM was afraid the guest would yell at them.

We and several other guests I know had a different problem at Splash. We got to the wheelchair gate with DD in her wheelchair and waited there for a CM.
When the CM got there, she refused to let us thru because she said "that would be cutting."
I asked where she expected us to go and she pointed toward the steps. I pointed out that a wheelchair could not go up the steps. She kept pointing toward the steps and repeated if she let us go thru the wheelchair gate "it would be cutting". She apparently expected us to park the wheelchair there and go up the stairs, even though DD was to big to carry and can't walk.
At that point, I asked for her supervisor, who told the CM to leu us thru.
The CM actually kept arguing with her.

 

[wen8jr]

I want to start with the disclaimer that I haven't read the entire thread but I've read, heard and debated this topic a LOT over the few days.

I visit WDW regularly and I have two adopted children with disabilities. My elder daughter has both physical and developmental problems including severe autism and what is medically known as "moderate mental retardation" (that is her DX and I'm not advocating the language used). My younger daughter has attachment disorder and PTSD from abuse she suffered. Both of them struggle during our visits to WDW in different ways but our belief has always been that we will manage their struggles and support them through it rather than get a GAC. The reason we feel that way is that the outside world will not change and allow my children to skip the line and we do not want them to expect that to be the case. This is our belief but I respect parents right to manage their situations in the way they see fit.

The situation as I see it is that people without genuine disabilities have abused the GAC system for a very long time (and I mean genuine, not invisible disabilities because no one would know that my kids have the level of problems they do by looking at them). Another contributory factor to this is that genuinely disabled people have set the cause back years by hiring themselves out as "guides" to other people who just want to abuse the GAC system. This has made the system unsustainable.

In addition, the GAC was NEVER a promise of "skipping the lines" it was very clear that it offered an alternate wait area etc. The fact that this usually turned into skipping of lines, that was not the intention and never a guarantee.

When I hear people complaining about the new system it makes me very angry. I have heard things like "my child can't wait more than 10 seconds" and "this is discrimination". My view is this, if your child can not wait for 10 seconds, then taking them to WDW is cruel because they may have to wait longer than that to use the bathroom. Discrimination is the act of treating someone unfavorably, which is not the case here.

The new system is fair. In fact, I would say it is more than fair. It makes allowances for those who can't wait in a line but also means that people who have paid the same amount of money to be there are not sidelined after waiting for 90 minutes to get on Toy Story Mania. It is a happy medium. It seems to me that too many people do not want a happy medium, they don't want allowances and accommodations to be made and nothing short of skipping the line is good enough and that is wrong.

My kids throw themselves on the floor if they can't get what they want when they want but my job as a parent is to pick them up, calm them down or remove them from the distressing situation. It is no different to having a toddler in a tantrum. You deal with it like parents do. There is no need to skip a line, a card to come back at a set time combined with FP or FP+ is sufficient allowances.

Our special children need support and help through difficult situations, not shielding from them. They need to learn how to function in a world that they find difficult. They need help to cope. If we are ever to get equality for people with disabilities, then it has to be equal across the board. We can't claim to seek equal treatment then expect preferential treatment. My children are disabled, they struggle with life and they struggle at WDW, but I refuse to make them dependent on preferential treatment because honestly, they won't get it in the outside world. They're not going to get to skip the line for the bathroom, or the grocery store check out.

My children are disabled but they can wait their turn, they just can't wait in a crowded line so we use FP/FP+. I don't like that people are bashing Disney for being fair and reasonable.

Awesome post. I have been reading a lot of the threads about this but haven't commented until now as I have conflicting feelings on the subject and I don't really feel like I am qualified to say a lot although my brother has cerebral palsy and I have a niece who has seizures and as a family we have always been sensitive to them and other people's disabilities. I've worked hands on with special needs children and adults in the past as well.

I fully support this change for "equal" wait or return times that Disney is implementing. My disabled brother would be the first to say that there is no way he should be allowed to skip lines.

In some of these situations I'm hearing about...I'm just not certain going to Disney would be a choice we would choose to make as a family. I'm not judging or saying that others shouldn't go or it is wrong... I'm just saying that every single day I make choices for myself and my family that ensures we are in a fairly comfortable environment and I try to not make choices that would be difficult to handle for us physically or mentally.

We don't live in a bubble or anything but even healthy people have limitations. I consider myself fairly healthy and I have things to face every day that limits me personally quite a lot (migraines, sciatic nerve issues, panic attacks, etc.). I make choices based on what I can or cannot handle that triggers my pain or panic.

Going on vacation, especially to Disney IMO, is a pretty big deal and there is a fair amount of stress even on the best days (heat, tired, etc.). Even traveling to get there can be stressful. For anyone with a severe disability, it has to be so much harder for them to deal even if they are unaware that it takes more to push through it. I can't even imagine what they are going through.

That all being said, for any of you that are in a situation with a disabled child, parent, sibling or you yourself are disable...I think it is absolutely amazing that you have the courage to get out and do these things and I hope you have a great time when you go.

 

[AndreaA]

I visit WDW regularly and I have two adopted children with disabilities. My elder daughter has both physical and developmental problems including severe autism and what is medically known as "moderate mental retardation" (that is her DX and I'm not advocating the language used). My younger daughter has attachment disorder and PTSD from abuse she suffered. Both of them struggle during our visits to WDW in different ways but our belief has always been that we will manage their struggles and support them through it rather than get a GAC. The reason we feel that way is that the outside world will not change and allow my children to skip the line and we do not want them to expect that to be the case. This is our belief but I respect parents right to manage their situations in the way they see fit.

<snip>

My kids throw themselves on the floor if they can't get what they want when they want but my job as a parent is to pick them up, calm them down or remove them from the distressing situation. It is no different to having a toddler in a tantrum. You deal with it like parents do. There is no need to skip a line, a card to come back at a set time combined with FP or FP+ is sufficient allowances.

Our special children need support and help through difficult situations, not shielding from them. They need to learn how to function in a world that they find difficult. They need help to cope. If we are ever to get equality for people with disabilities, then it has to be equal across the board. We can't claim to seek equal treatment then expect preferential treatment. My children are disabled, they struggle with life and they struggle at WDW, but I refuse to make them dependent on preferential treatment because honestly, they won't get it in the outside world. They're not going to get to skip the line for the bathroom, or the grocery store check out.

My children are disabled but they can wait their turn, they just can't wait in a crowded line so we use FP/FP+. I don't like that people are bashing Disney for being fair and reasonable.

I think that your stance is an admirable one for your family. However, not all of the people who have been able to benefit from the current GAC are dealing with children like yours. Some people are dealing with children with physical medical issues which involve tube feeding, various physical therapies (as with children with cystic fibrosis), heart issues, neurological issues, etc., which all limit their ability to even be IN the park for more than a few hours.

Beyond that, I am sure that some people with children more like yours are using Disney as an escape. They don't want it to be a teaching moment when their child wants to ride Winnie the Pooh more than once. They use their every day lives for lessons like that.

 

[kanadar]

I want to start with the disclaimer that I haven't read the entire thread but I've read, heard and debated this topic a LOT over the few days.

I visit WDW regularly and I have two adopted children with disabilities. My elder daughter has both physical and developmental problems including severe autism and what is medically known as "moderate mental retardation" (that is her DX and I'm not advocating the language used). My younger daughter has attachment disorder and PTSD from abuse she suffered. Both of them struggle during our visits to WDW in different ways but our belief has always been that we will manage their struggles and support them through it rather than get a GAC. The reason we feel that way is that the outside world will not change and allow my children to skip the line and we do not want them to expect that to be the case. This is our belief but I respect parents right to manage their situations in the way they see fit.

The situation as I see it is that people without genuine disabilities have abused the GAC system for a very long time (and I mean genuine, not invisible disabilities because no one would know that my kids have the level of problems they do by looking at them). Another contributory factor to this is that genuinely disabled people have set the cause back years by hiring themselves out as "guides" to other people who just want to abuse the GAC system. This has made the system unsustainable.

In addition, the GAC was NEVER a promise of "skipping the lines" it was very clear that it offered an alternate wait area etc. The fact that this usually turned into skipping of lines, that was not the intention and never a guarantee.

When I hear people complaining about the new system it makes me very angry. I have heard things like "my child can't wait more than 10 seconds" and "this is discrimination". My view is this, if your child can not wait for 10 seconds, then taking them to WDW is cruel because they may have to wait longer than that to use the bathroom. Discrimination is the act of treating someone unfavorably, which is not the case here.

The new system is fair. In fact, I would say it is more than fair. It makes allowances for those who can't wait in a line but also means that people who have paid the same amount of money to be there are not sidelined after waiting for 90 minutes to get on Toy Story Mania. It is a happy medium. It seems to me that too many people do not want a happy medium, they don't want allowances and accommodations to be made and nothing short of skipping the line is good enough and that is wrong.

My kids throw themselves on the floor if they can't get what they want when they want but my job as a parent is to pick them up, calm them down or remove them from the distressing situation. It is no different to having a toddler in a tantrum. You deal with it like parents do. There is no need to skip a line, a card to come back at a set time combined with FP or FP+ is sufficient allowances.

Our special children need support and help through difficult situations, not shielding from them. They need to learn how to function in a world that they find difficult. They need help to cope. If we are ever to get equality for people with disabilities, then it has to be equal across the board. We can't claim to seek equal treatment then expect preferential treatment. My children are disabled, they struggle with life and they struggle at WDW, but I refuse to make them dependent on preferential treatment because honestly, they won't get it in the outside world. They're not going to get to skip the line for the bathroom, or the grocery store check out.

My children are disabled but they can wait their turn, they just can't wait in a crowded line so we use FP/FP+. I don't like that people are bashing Disney for being fair and reasonable.

This was very well said! I agree with everything you have said. I do not have any children of my own. But I do work in schools and have a cousin with twin boys who have physical and mental disabilities. As far as I know, when they were in DL they did not use a GAC. The twins are highly functional but they were conjoined at birth, and were separated at 8 months old. They had to undergo a number of surgeries and had a lot of drugs pumped into their little bodies. They do have times where if something doesn't work their way, they lose it. But as you said, it is up to the parent to console their child, and remove them from the situation. This system removing the long wait in line for the person who can't wait in line, but they still have to wait. There are so many other things kids can do within Disney to entertain them for a little while, before their time to get on the ride comes up. Every parent has to deal with tantrums and every parent has to teach their child.

I agree this is offering equal access. I understand parents wanting to use Disney as an escape but in reality most situations it is not an escape. Real life problem happen, tantrums happen, meltdowns, arguments. All of these are "teaching moments" that every family has to go through. Children are extremely observant. Someone said something about not wanting to have a teaching moment when a child wants to ride Winnie the Pooh over and over. That is a teaching moment for the parent who's child sees that this child is getting on the ride for the 5th time just going through the fastpass line while he/she is in the standby line. Well they want to go on it 5 times too, that parent has to teach that child that they can't do that. Again, I don't have a child with a disability but if I did I wouldn't want the explaination to the questioning child to be "That child has a disability so they are allowed to." because I feel that would then be teaching the child that they need to treat someone with a disability differently, which I am sure is not what any parent with a child with a disability wants. I think this system will work if you give it a try. Correct me if I am wrong, but most children I know with Autism are very rule oriented, so this would just be a rule they had to follow. Again I do know this is not all children with Autism but I am pretty sure that is one form at least

 

[kanadar]

I also did want to say that I honestly don't think Disney only did this in response to the news story about the rich families buying tour guides with disabilities. I believe that pushed it along but there was abuse before that. And it wasn't just by those people. People who actually needed the GAC abused it as well, and more than you might think. They would either go through the line with family and NOT ride the ride or flat out give the card to a family member and NOT ride the ride. That was not what they were supposed to do. As many on here have said, they didn't abuse the system. But that doesn't mean there weren't a large number of people who did. Disney knew about that before. I highly doubt they would have come up with these changes in about a year (I believe that's about when the news story broke). They would take a lot more thought into it.

 

[nikkialice1]

PLEASE NOTE IVE NOT READ THE WHOLE THREAD but I wanted to make my situation noticed.

we have been many times to Disney, we are going again this Christmas.
we have used GACs everytime.

my father is in a wheelchair and I have a visual imparment that means walking quick or lighting affects me and could cause fits.
I cant be left for long periods because of this, and I cant go on the bigger rides.
with the old system my family and carers could get on and off a ride I could not go on in the fastest time possible and get back to me asap so I was not left in an area where there was flashing lights etc. if it was a ride I was able to access easily we would always use normal que on our first trip, but after several situations where people barged past me causing me to stumble or was very umplesant because I slowed the que down, we always used GACs after this.

with the new system from what I understand you have to walk over to a booth elsewhere to get a ticket and wait around. well what is the lighting going to be like around these new booths? for example future land is very bad for me due to the lighting colours, we try to get in there and out of there as quick as possible. with this new system it means I will have to stay in there a lot longer and could cause fits, will they supply ideal lighting in the new pass collection areas or will the lighting be in theme with that area? because if you are having to wait for say 30 mins till your time in that area it will not be accessible for me as I cannot wait in certain areas of the park for long as all. also from what I have read several of the areas where you get your tickets from will not be near the actual rides, well in these cases I will not be able to access the rides either, as it can take me a long time to get around and especially at Christmas when its soo busy, to keep going from a kiosk to the rides are ridiculous in all honesty.

I think if this system is good in a way as some people was abusing it, but there was other ways of resolving the system, eg bring your blue disabled badge in, they do that in UK at some places and works fine, then they could get that person to have there picture taken and put on a lanyard like when you go to discovery cove and same for other people in the party, etc etc they could have done many other ideas rather than this new one to stop people abusing the system, even a stamping system would have worked on a card where you can only use your pass on each ride once a day etc as most disabled people will only be able to go on each ride once a if there wanting to get as much done as possible.

We are considering our options at the minute and trying to assess the risks as we are meant to be there for very merry Christmas party Christmas and new year, but we are trying to decide how much more at risk it will make me to having fits, and we may have to cancel our whole holiday if we feel it may cause me to have more of these. which we feel very sad about. but im sure many other people will be in the same situation. if people decide not to go Disney are going to loose a lot of money because of it. and if people decide to go with conditions similar to mine because they have already booked I can see Disney having to employ a lot more medical staff to cope with issues like fits etc where they are now making people wait around in a area for longer that may not be suitable for them.

sorry for poor spelling using voice recognition software as I cant fully see to read what it written all the time and this new software has a mind of its own sometimes, so I apologise if theres any poor spelling

 

[MrRomance]

I think that your stance is an admirable one for your family. However, not all of the people who have been able to benefit from the current GAC are dealing with children like yours. Some people are dealing with children with physical medical issues which involve tube feeding, various physical therapies (as with children with cystic fibrosis), heart issues, neurological issues, etc., which all limit their ability to even be IN the park for more than a few hours.

Beyond that, I am sure that some people with children more like yours are using Disney as an escape. They don't want it to be a teaching moment when their child wants to ride Winnie the Pooh more than once. They use their every day lives for lessons like that.

My elder daughter has physical medical issues that mean she can not be in the park for too long too, so I am very aware of the physical needs some children have that mean they have limited time in the parks. I somewhat take offence to the notion that I am using my trip as a lesson rather than an experience and escape. Nothing could be further from the truth. However, every day of my children's lives is about learning to cope in the world. My children are autistic (on different ends of the spectrum) and autistic children see the world very literally and very much in black and white. They are unable to understand and distinguish between different life experiences, so life lessons are all day every day, there is no "week off" because you're at Disney as any parent with an ASD child will know.

There are some cases, such as children who are there with Make A Wish or similar organisations that should absolutely bypass the lines. However, this does not apply in the vast majority of cases. If you can only spend 3 hours in the park, it will be possible to schedule the attractions with FP+ that matter most and then use the new system to pick up the others between times which is what will do this time.

Let us put this in perspective...

If I take my children to the Magic Kingdom, I know I have probably 4 hours at best.

I would have 3 attractions scheduled with FP+ and perhaps 2 more using the new system. Factor in time to walk from attraction to attraction, to get something to eat, toilet breaks, some time in the shops to get some shaded time, that is more than enough to cram into my 4 hours.

In all honesty, if you have a child with some of the conditions you have mentioned, they would not be riding many of the rides that tend to have the lengthy lines because there are medical advisories. For example, a child with a severe heart condition would not ride many of the headliner rides because they clearly state that someone with a heart condition should not ride. Similarly, a person with severe epilepsy would not ride space mountain with flashing lights etc. Therefore, the majority of rides with excessive wait times are not an issue.

We go in quieter periods to reduce lines and reduce crowds, we plan and we support our children through the challenges. That takes nothing away from our experience, our enjoyment and yes, our escape. It's just good parenting when you have a child with challenges.

 

[Granny square]

Lol, you can't exactly send a "hug" to a posted called mrromance but a huge high five to you and your family and wishes of wonderful memories to be made!

 

[babydoll65]

One of the issues was some CMs who were not doing things the way they were supposed to.

For Splash Mountain at MK, the guidebook for guests with disabilities published by Disney says:
Mobility Access: Obtain a FASTPASS® OR enter through standard queue.

So, if a guest with a mobility device like an ECV came without a Fastpass, they are supposed to wait in the regular line to the pouhint where the regular line reaches the set of stairs. At that point, there is a 'pull off' gate that leads to the exit path. There is a bench in a small roofed area where guests wait until a CM comes to that area to get them and lead them to the attraction.
In our experience, the wait there was similar to the wait we would have had if we had been able to go up the stairs.
Guests with mobility devices HAVE to board on the exit side because normal boarding is on one side of the track and unloading is on the opposite side.

With a Fastpass and mobility device, the guest would enter the Fastpass line and continue in the line until coming to the stairs. At that point they would continue as listed above.

Some CMs probably assumed that guests with wheelchairs and ECVs were supposed to enter at the exit. Some may have let guests who presented themselves there stay because they were already there or because the CM was afraid the guest would yell at them.

We and several other guests I know had a different problem at Splash. We got to the wheelchair gate with DD in her wheelchair and waited there for a CM.
When the CM got there, she refused to let us thru because she said "that would be cutting."
I asked where she expected us to go and she pointed toward the steps. I pointed out that a wheelchair could not go up the steps. She kept pointing toward the steps and repeated if she let us go thru the wheelchair gate "it would be cutting". She apparently expected us to park the wheelchair there and go up the stairs, even though DD was to big to carry and can't walk.
At that point, I asked for her supervisor, who told the CM to leu us thru.
The CM actually kept arguing with her.

Thanks sue, does that guide book explain how to approach each ride. Thunder mountain I know you use the exit area. And pirates of the Caribbean I need to switch her to a wheelchair but not sure of the others. I was hesitant about using magic bands but now i think this will be helpful.

 

[mrzrich]

I would have 3 attractions scheduled with FP+ and perhaps 2 more using the new system. Factor in time to walk from attraction to attraction, to get something to eat, toilet breaks, some time in the shops to get some shaded time, that is more than enough to cram into my 4 hours.
.

Would love to plan my day this way, but, again....no FP+. Sigh.

 

[DSNYDREAMER]

It is with hesitance that I chime in as I am sure my opinion will not be the popular one. Frank, I thought your posts were well said. It is an honest and respectful voice from the "other" side of the argument. "MrRomance" I thought what you said was also bang on.

My son who is now 17, has been going to WDW since he was 3. Many of our trips from 3-9 years I was solo with him. He has Autism, Bi Polar, Sensory issues, and a few other things thrown in for good measure! We continued to go to Disney year after year, often more than once a year, because as he put it in later years "Disney makes me feel normal". Part of this was the GAC, but it was also the cast members as well. We have had more than our fair share of freak outs and melt downs. One time I had to sit in the middle of main street holding his head while he screamed and cried so he would stop banging it off the ground...as the fireworks ended. He was 5, he couldn't deal with the crowds. A CM saw us, 4 of them created a protective cocoon around us. They stood with their backs to us out of respect, while everyone else stared in judgement. These weren't security or supervisors, one was crowd control, she then called 2 grounds keepers and someone from the popcorn stand to assist. You see it is not policy, or the GAC or corporate rules that made our experience so wonderful. It was the many, many cast members we would meet trip after trip that went above and beyond what was required.

Disney is where he learned to make eye contact and strike up an appropriate conversation with others--he did this through Pin Trading. It is where he learned to order his own meal in a restaurant. It is where he started to learn about money and budgeting with his $10 a day for souvenir's!

The thing is I believe any accommodation my son gets should be to level the playing field, to give him the same access as everyone else. Nothing less, nothing more. We used the GAC for years when we needed it and eventually weaned him off of it. Not always, but often the GAC gave us an advantage over other guests. We could walk on through the fast pass line, or through an exit. We didn't ask for this, but it was readily provided. Other times it allowed us a quiet place to wait for an attraction or character meet. Sometimes we waited longer than we would have otherwise, but we needed that separate place to wait.

Disney's GAC system took on a life of its own. It went far and beyond what was required and what was being done by anyone else. I also believe it evolved beyond its original purpose. There is a reason many of us take our special needs children and family members to Disney, there is no other place we can go that does what they do. I have travelled with my son to many different places as he has gotten older, most make no accommodations for us at all. Even with the proposed changes, Disney will be head and shoulders above what others are doing.

Eventually, we started taking the GAC away for one attraction at a time until we started not getting it at all. Like any accommodation he has had since he was 3 years old until now at 17...we use it while we need it or until he starts to treat the accommodation as a crutch. I refuse to allow him to get the sense of "entitlement" I have seen in other families we know. His conditions are not an excuse for anything, sometimes an explanation but never an excuse!

Typically we need an accommodation until we find a way for him to develop the necessary skill. He can learn most anything, it sometimes takes us longer to get there, or we have to figure out a different way to do it. He may never learn the skill to the same level as his peers or be able to practice the skill without reminders and modelling....but that's okay. My job is to prepare him for the real world as not everywhere in the real world is prepared for him!

 

[cynditech]

I've thought about this whole GAC/DAS issue for some time - before commenting. We used the GAC last year for DS7, who has autism. We also used the stroller as a wheelchair. Thought the GAC program was great - and wrote a letter to Disney explaining how much we enjoyed our trip, and what a great help the GAC was to us. We ended up using the card, I believe, two times - the stroller as a wheelchair was more help for us.

We are going on our next trip in just over a few weeks now, and will be looking at the new DAS program and will report back. We are optimistic - because we just are by nature. Disney does not have to do all that they do. This is the real world - and it's difficult, especially for families that have special needs individuals in their household - I get that.

When I shop at Target or the grocery store, I receive no special assistance - actually, I can't think of anywhere that I go, that we receive much "help" - and I'm used to it now. DS used to be horrible to take out - where I would normally leave the store in tears, feeling embarrassed, stressed out, feeling sorry for DS, sorry for myself - he would throw himself on the floor, scream, hit himself. But, I still need groceries, and I still want to go out - so things needed to change.

I love to go shopping - so I just kept taking DS - years later, he is my little shopping buddy. I wanted him to go to church and catechism - now I teach a catechism class and we go to mass every week. I was dying to hear his first word - I tried many therapies - including therapeutic horseback riding - he said his first word after turning 5. I love to volunteer - I took him every time - and now we do it together. I wanted him to play sports - I run the soccer field with him every week - I don't want to, I'm exhausted, but I do it. And I do this on my own, DH is normally gone for work (firefighter). And we wanted to take him to Disney, and we did, and it was amazing. Not because of the GAC, we made things work for us. We went on none of the big, long wait rides - just simply because DS did not want to - he doesn't like them.

I did mean to keep this short, I swear I just wanted to say, instead of all of this speculating, lets wait and see what the changes really are. Instead of complaining, come up with a better solution. Let's hear back from people that have actually experienced these new changes. Have an open mind.

Hugs to all that have special needs in their families - I know so many people have it harder than us, and many have it easier. I have to wonder, if I didn't have a special needs child, how I would feel about the changes? There was so much abuse going on with the program - it made me so sad - what made me angry was that someone in my close group of friends actually got the "pass" , so they "wouldn't have to wait in line" - and there is nothing wrong with anyone in their family. Worse - I still have never said anything about that to them, even though it hurt me so much - thinking all we have been through, and what others go through - and people abuse it.

 

[mjaclyn]

Unfortunately Disney had to do something. I think that the most recent media attention that 'renting out' disabled guests has gotten just sped up the process. I hope whatever this turns out to be, it deters the idiots from abusing it and still provides help to those who really need it.

 

[buggy]

Disney is where he learned to make eye contact and strike up an appropriate conversation with others--he did this through Pin Trading. It is where he learned to order his own meal in a restaurant. It is where he started to learn about money and budgeting with his $10 a day for souvenir's!

Excellent post and a very good point. The experts agree with you about not sheltering a child with sensory issues too much from the stimulus that a trip to Disney provides:

http://afterthemouse.com/node/2439

Disneyland has had a long and proud tradition assisting it’s disabled Guests to get the most out of it’s attractions whether it is through wheel chair hire, wide access queue lines or with its Special Access Passes*. But research from the UK suggests these accommodations may be doing more harm than good for one group of Guests.

Allowing children with attention-deficit disorders to "line jump" at theme parks could be doing them more harm than good, one expert suggests.

Professor Rubia who has researched ADHD said her work showed such children did have serious problems with understanding time and an inability to delay a reward when talking to the BBC recently.

"This is clearly a medical condition, but it isn't right to bring them up in a system where they never have to wait. You're not making it any better for them - this is something they can be helped to learn.

"I can see why parents might like it, but in the long term you are not doing the child any favors. This is a condition which we can improve, and learning to wait should be part of that process."

Disney's GAC system took on a life of its own. It went far and beyond what was required and what was being done by anyone else. I also believe it evolved beyond its original purpose.

Thank your for saying this because as a parent of a physically disabled child, I have been chastised for arguing this very point.

http://afterthemouse.com/node/2439

"In the past, certainly when I first started at City Hall in the late 1990’s the passes were reserved for the permanently physically disabled, those for example who were wheelchair bound, the Blind or the acutely deaf. As time went by and Disney’s understanding of disability issues broadened those Guests with certain other afflictions such as Autism were brought into the scheme."