I will probably get flamed for this but here goes...

[OneLittleSpark]

The wheelchair issue is a dodgy area. In the past I've needed a chair in order to get around the parks (I would have spent half my holiday in the hotel room otherwise) but didn't need one to get around under 'normal' circumstances. I now need a chair to go any real distance (i.e. outside the house) so am getting my own, but before I had a need only in the parks, so rented from my resort. That's basically my long and garbled way of saying that not everyone that has a need in the parks, has a need in the 'real world'. Just my piece for the day. Oh and fairy dust and happy thoughts to everyone!

 

[ducklite]

I suppose the same could be said for people who "rent" the wheelchairs and ECV's... if they really needed one, they'd own one.

That's a bizarre thing to say. My brother fell three stories off a roof almost a year ago. He broke his back in two places and elbow, and shattered both heels. One was in over 30 pieces! He walks with a heavy limp using a cane, and uses an ECV borrowed from teh store when he does his grocery shopping. There is NO WAY he could manage the walking at WDW. He COULD walk from a parking lot to a tram, although I'm not sure how easily he'd be able to board, or could be dropped off near the front and then wait while we parked. But he CAN NOT physically walk the miles that is required at WDW. Trust me, he'd give his eye teeth to be the healthy, active carpenter he was before his accident. Almost a year later, and he still isn't back to work--he still has daily PT trying to recover from a devastating injury.

It's a miracle that he's recovered as much as he has. He does that grocery shopping with the ECV in the middle of the night so he doesn't get nasty looks from people like you who think that just because he "looks" OK, he must just be lazy.

If you think that he doesn't really need a wheelchair because he doesn't own one of his own, frankly get over yourself. I'm sure he'd be happy to show your the scars from his multiple surgeries. Or maybe you'd like to try trading palces with him for a day?



Anne

 

[meandtheguys2]

I suppose the same could be said for people who "rent" the wheelchairs and ECV's... if they really needed one, they'd own one. I wouldn't be against the documentation idea- I could bring a filing cabinet full of medical evals, reports and diagnoses... but the CM's need to know how they can help- not why they should.

Huh? My mom needs one for Disney. Not for real life. We don't usually walk mile after mile in real life. She is 75, and a cancer survivor. Has had hip replacement, and has 2 new knees.

I needed an ECV the year I broke my ankle 4 weeks before visiting. It was not cast, but was still swollen and weak.

Last year, we rented a WC for my son one day, also. He had twisted his back somehow swimming at the Boardwalk. Wasn't going to miss a day in the parks, though!

Lots of reasons to need assistance in a place like WDW!

 

[KPeveler]

I am facing declining health and chronic health problems. I do not own a wheelchair, though for longer distances I may need one. I try to walk as much as I can, but i would never be able to do disney! lots of people do not own wheelchairs (i don't know if you've done any reading about the subject, but they cost several hundreds or thousands of dollars) but need them for special occassions.

thats like saying people who really need a car dont need to rent one, they own one. sadly, the type of car you need for a certain event (like moving) may not be the one you own, or you may have to travel...

no matter what you think about documentation (which i am not in favor of) it is illegal for Disney to ask someone to prove they need a chair...

 

[Poohgirl]

My youngest DS8 has high functioning autism. He looks, and for the most part seems to strangers as a normal child. I feel extremely guilty for using a GAC (why shouldn't we have to wait in line with everyone else), annoyed - that people stare and Im sure say that he looks completely normal and we are cheats, and very grateful that they allow him the option of a GAC.

If it were not for the card, we would not be able to wait in one 25 minute line without him having a meltdown because of the amount of people, heat, waiting, etc or a million other sensory overload issues. Once the meltdown happens, thats it, he is done for hours.

With the card we can get about 4 hours of good park time in before overload hits and we need to leave. Disney is his favorite place, and the GAC allows him to enjoy it.

 

[Charleyann]

I went to guest relations to get a GAC. They ask me my child's condition which was cystic fibrosis and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. They then took my DS and did his height and then gave me a guest assistance card listing all attractions he would be able to use with the assistant card. They then told me he would be in the computer for future reference and when and if we returned, then all I had to do was give his name and a card would be handed out without question. I think this is a good idea!

Charleyann

 

[emerymt]

I suppose the same could be said for people who "rent" the wheelchairs and ECV's... if they really needed one, they'd own one. I wouldn't be against the documentation idea- I could bring a filing cabinet full of medical evals, reports and diagnoses... but the CM's need to know how they can help- not why they should.

Interesting. I personally have rheumatoid arthritis and have thus far managed my illness with a bucketful of medications ($1500 per month), retiring from my medical practice at the age of 41, hiring someone to cook & clean (thank God for private disability insurance so I can afford all of this), putting my kids on the bus, and cutting back everything else so all I have to do is some limited driving. There's no need for me to get an ECV at home- but I don't even go to the mall (not that I would anyway, I hate them ). I'll probably be able to get by like this for a few more years until I break down and get an ECV, but I don't want one yet. There's no place I have to or want to go on a regular basis. Not only do I shop online, I even got a master's in health admin. online, last year.

WDW is quite literally, a whole different World. Since I can't walk a mile, or stand for an hour, how would I deal with WDW? Believe me, I tried last year at Legoland, it was a disaster. My sister talked me into an ECV the next day at Disneyland and it made all the difference. So I'm renting one for my trip to WDW this summer. WDW is a major stress for people with borderline physical or emotional capacity- the heat, the crowds, the sheer distances in walking, the time standing. When I think back to my medical practice, there were literally dozens of patients who wouldn't be able to handle WDW, and most of them didn't even have a handicapped parking tag.

 

[Charleyann]

Interesting. I personally have rheumatoid arthritis and have thus far managed my illness with a bucketful of medications ($1500 per month), retiring from my medical practice at the age of 41, hiring someone to cook & clean (thank God for private disability insurance so I can afford all of this), putting my kids on the bus, and cutting back everything else so all I have to do is some limited driving. There's no need for me to get an ECV at home- but I don't even go to the mall (not that I would anyway, I hate them ). I'll probably be able to get by like this for a few more years until I break down and get an ECV, but I don't want one yet. There's no place I have to or want to go on a regular basis. Not only do I shop online, I even got a master's in health admin. online, last year.

WDW is quite literally, a whole different World. Since I can't walk a mile, or stand for an hour, how would I deal with WDW? Believe me, I tried last year at Legoland, it was a disaster. My sister talked me into an ECV the next day at Disneyland and it made all the difference. So I'm renting one for my trip to WDW this summer. WDW is a major stress for people with borderline physical or emotional capacity- the heat, the crowds, the sheer distances in walking, the time standing. When I think back to my medical practice, there were literally dozens of patients who wouldn't be able to handle WDW, and most of them didn't even have a handicapped parking tag.

Same for my DS age 10. He couldn't walk Disney nor could even stand in line long. His arthritis in his ankle and knees bother him constantly! We live in a small city with smaller malls. He can't even walk the length of our mall! Add cystic fibrosis to that, and he is done in WDW without a wheelchair! He does have his own .

Charleyann

 

[krismom]

Wow- you guys totally missed the point of my post, this is why sarcasm isn't good for message boards.I meant even though some people have an invisible disability (as does my son) they should be treated similarly to people in ECV's and wheelchairs if necessary. The ECV / wheelchair comment wasn't meant to be rude- I'm sorry if it came out wrong. I get annoyed when I hear that people are obviously taking advantage of the GAC because they only have asthma or autism.
Again, sorry.

 

[emerymt]

I have a tendency to be pretty sarcastic at times, too. That's when I use this: or /sarc.

I was thinking about this whole situation and what it comes down to, in medical parlance, is the difference between compensation and decompensation. A person with a medical condition who can maintain pretty well in a certain environment is able to compensate.

When they encounter a stressful situation, they decompensate. For people with poor lung function, that could be as simple as catching a cold virus. For some people, it's going to WDW.

It's worth pointing out that healthy people can decompensate, too. They just need more stress for it to occur. For example, a lot of people will decompensate at WDW on a hot day if they don't get enough fluids. They'll get heat stroke. And everyone decompensates on Mt. Everest (the real one, not the ride, although maybe there, too.... )

So, I guess, the idea is to plan one's trip to WDW in a way that prevents decompensation. It's just easier for some people than it is for others.

 

[sassyMNmom]

Ahhhh yes AUTISM....

I posted for advice a few months ago about if it was appropriate for me to get a GAC pass for my 4 year old autistic son. He has been doing so well lately, but this was our first DW trip and who knows what could happen (the lines, the people, the lights, the sounds...oh my!). Overwhelmingly, the posters here said I should get one 'just in case'.

Well, I've returned now and I DIDN'T get a GAC for him. And I'm happy to say he did beautifully ( I KNEW he could do it! I'm SO proud). If I needed one, I wouldn't have hesitated though.

It's so much more joyous to not ever need one, than the perks of having one!

Anyway, my point is (there is one!) that I will NEVER EVER question anyone's use of a GAC pass. Ever.

 

[cupcake]

I don't know, maybe I am gullible, but I have invisible issues (extra bones in my feet that limit my ability to walk for more than certain amts of time depending on the particular day & meds that make me photosensitive and thus make standing in line in the sun an incredibly bad idea). You would never know this from looking at me. And there are so many different needs and situations out there.

So without a crystal ball (perhaps a portable Madame Leota?!) how can anyone possibly be so sure that someone else is doing something they are not entitled to. Since virtually everything is mainstreamed, it just doesn't seem like it would provide an advantage, and we all know that there are negatives like cost, inconvenience, etc. (well worth it, of course, but not a bed of roses either).

Here's an expression of hope that the interest in this topic will shift to other things.

Cupcake

 

[SueM in MN]

Wow- you guys totally missed the point of my post, this is why sarcasm isn't good for message boards.I meant even though some people have an invisible disability (as does my son) they should be treated similarly to people in ECV's and wheelchairs if necessary. The ECV / wheelchair comment wasn't meant to be rude- I'm sorry if it came out wrong. I get annoyed when I hear that people are obviously taking advantage of the GAC because they only have asthma or autism.
Again, sorry.

I did get your point and I think one point you made was a very good one:
but the CM's need to know how they can help- not why they should.
(with the 'why' being proof. The 'proof' is not as important as the 'how'.

It made me think of one time when we were at WDW waiting in Guest Services. A woman right ahead of me had brought her elderly mom (in a wheelchair) with her to get a GAC. The older woman's doctor had written up 'a little something' (the woman's words) to bring with her to WDW to get the GAC. It was 3 or 4 pages long and had more detail than we sometimes get on patients being transferred to the hospital I work at!!
The woman was trying to read it to the CM and the poor CM kept trying to ask, "But what does she need?"
It detailed things like what her condition was ("Status post CVA"), how she transferred (it actually said things like "transfers with a pivot stand with minimum to moderate assist of one") and the type of diet she was on. In the course of waiting, I heard most of the report - there was a lot of detail about why the elderly woman might need accomidation, but very, very little about what her needs were or how to help.

I felt sorry for the elderly woman (getting her private medical information discussed in public), the daughter (who thought she had brought everything she needed to get help for her mom and didn't understand why the CM didn't understand) and the poor CM (who obviously didn't understand most of what was being read to her and could not make the woman understand what she needed from her).
I think if they did require 'proof', the CMs would have to deal with a lot more situations like that.

 

[Poohnatic]

I'll help you beat off the flames because I agree with you. some of the reasons are really stretching it. I feel for the people who really need the GAC because the way it is going it is going to get a lot stricter. When we were there last on IASW the line was literally 3 minutes if that and as we were getting off, down the ramp came a family with their GAC out , no physical disability or wheelchair in the group. They just wanted to bypass the incredibly small line because they could, now that is abuse.

To look at my autistic son, he looks like your typical 10 year old. Should I carry his medical diagnosis to show doubting Thomases? Get out his Medicaid card? Photocopy his SSI check? What protocols do you suggest for those who have invisible issues to show the rest of the park population that they're legitimately deserving of the GAC? (Though to be honest, when the lines are short, the GAC stays in the pocket for us).

I don't get where what someone LOOKS like is going to tell you whether they have a disability. Can you SEE cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, a pacemaker, or asthma?
NO one can be 100% sure what degree of issue that the person presenting the GAC has-nor is it our place to judge whether someone should or should not have it. There is no perfect way for Disney to determine who is eligible for the GAC. If there were, I'd bet that for each person who is abusing the GAC, there are two more who really need it and don't know it exists.

Suzanne

 

[Poohnatic]

Dreamsofdisney, I just have to say WOW. You are so eloquent is summing up what an autistic child's needs are at WDW.

To be honest, our first trip was sheer magic. The second trip was as horrible as the first trip was wonderful. In retrospect, part of it was that we weren't following the exact routines from the first trip and part of it was that we were simply driving the child's sensory issues haywire. We vowed to never bring 'the ungrateful brat' back to WDW.

It's amazing what a diagnosis, understanding and a GAC can do to restore magic to a family's vacation. When someone in the household has a disability, ANY disability, vacations are so important for injecting some pleasure into mix. Hope your trip was all that you wanted and dreamed about!

Suzanne

 

[kpuls11149]

I only have one leg. When I put on my "new" leg as my grandkids say i can only walk for a block or so. I do have my own ECV. What i want to know do i get something from my Dr. or use the letter that tells what I have and go from there. No I can not walk up or down stairs or go up or down hills that is why I have the evc. Witch would be better to have if i need a GAC. Kathy

 

[Juliah]

I see alot of people here who have GACs saying that they use it only as a last resort and that they usually just use normal fastpasses. Of course I also see others who use the GAC as a fastpass but I can't say that it's an abuse since I'm not them and don't know what prevents them from getting a normal fastpass.

Bill, I don't think you were actually asking for reasons, but I thought it might be helpful to others to explain why we go ahead and use the GAC as a Fastpass.

Our two DDs are quadriplegic and use power chairs. The first time we tried to get a GAC, we were refused, so we tried getting Fastpasses at each ride instead. After a couple of rides, the girls were totally exhausted criss-crossing the parks to get the passes, and it was especially hard on my DD who is extremely heat sensitive due to a metabolic disorder.

So we tried sending my husband off to get the Fastpasses, but that left me alone to take care of two people who each need one-on-one help much of the time, including one who needs to be closely watched for signs of overheating or metabolic crisis. In an environment like a Disney park, it's hard for me to even walk with them into a building to cool down by myself, as they both have dystonic posturing in their arms, making it hard to get through doorways or narrow aisles without help (plus I couldn't move too far from where he left us because we didn't have cell phones at the time, and he couldn't have found us).

Once he came back with the Fastpasses, then we had to coordinate being at the ride at the right time with criss-crossing the parks to find the companion rest rooms, doubling back to first aid for them to rest out of their chairs, staying on top of frequent feeding times for DDs metabolic disorder, etc.

So, the next time we went to WDW, I pushed a little harder to get a GAC. We don't use the GAC at a lot of rides because there really aren't a lot of the rides with FP that DDs can even ride.

Someone mentioned getting up early so they could ride before the parks got crowded. This really doesn't work for us because it takes quite a long time to get both the girls washed and dressed, medications mixed and given, meds, approriate snacks, cornstarch and other needs packed in backpacks for the day, and lots more I won't go into. Plus, we can't go ride a few rides, then have breakfast. We absolutely have to feed DD in our room right after she gets up. Oh, and all this is after getting up 4-10 times during the night to shift their positions in bed.

And because we can't get to the parks early, the Fastpasses will either be for times that are late enough that we can't use them (the girls can't last very long at the parks) or will be out for the day.

What I'm trying to say is that DDs situation is a lot more complicated that just using wheelchairs, and having the GAC makes a difference in their having the opportunity to ride rides and enjoy their time at WDW.

 

[Andy B]

It is very easy to critisise the OP and a couple of people who have made supportive comments, but it is a position which has some validity.

Firstly although I have not seen the comments as I am not long to these boards it seems that some people will try to get an undeserved GAC. If these were removed from the system there would be less pressure on the system which should benefit all for whom the GAC is genuine requirement.

There is also the matter of perception, this is hard to ovecome as the number of situations when an issue is not apparant to others. I think their is no solution to this other than by instilling confidence in all that the system is fair.

I must admit to seeing family groups wheel one person up to a ride and another away from the ride. Although it is possible that they have two people who have partial need of a wc the thought that comes to mind is that the wc is not really needed.

 

[lawlesslovewdw]

I reposted because you said beautifully what I need to say and can't find the words. My daughter is 8 with aspergers syndrome (on the autism cusp) , sensory problems and adhd. She now talks well above her age limit. But that is thru extensive speech therapy... She didn't talk till well past 3 years of age. She is socially lacking, will touch anyone, hug anyone and immediately become their friend. She will hold hands and leave with just about anyone. She has to be watched every minute of every day as you never know what she will do. She will lick or eat anything. She will talk to anyone, or her imaginery brother.. and don't dare step on him or she will have a meltdown and tell you to move away. School is a social challenge for her, everyday is a challenge. Disney is her home away from home. The GAC makes the day bearable for us. Every minute is tense as you never know what to expect. When she gets to the front of the line, she might decide not to ride it as a fear kicks in and she will run away. She will ask the person next to us over and over and over and over... (I know it is annoying) if he/she has ever been on it.. is it scary.... Until the person looks at us and asks us to please quiet her down. These are just some of the reasons for the GAC.. It also makes the other persons vacation a little less annoying. AND yes my daughter looks typical and is adorable... till you spend 3 minutes on line with her.... yanking the chains back and forth, swinging her legs, climbing the polls...rocking on the floor asking is it time yet.. why do I have to wait....touching the person next to her......

I hope I helped at least one more person understand

I have a 4 year asd boy and thats why we get a gac - without disney would not be possible. We dont look like a family with disabilities, just a very naughty uncontrollable son. Please dont stare, comment and point like so many of you do, dont make us put a label on our child. My son lives in his own world where his happiness is priority to us and i will not upset him and force him to have to stand next to you with your glares. We have met some fantastic people at wdw and long may this continue.

We always take all our latest letters from the various consultants he sees regularly to give to the cm if they query our gac card.

Thanks to my great sister who is having a week with our 2 sons, without her my husband and i would never get a break

 

[OneLittleSpark]

I only have one leg. When I put on my "new" leg as my grandkids say i can only walk for a block or so. I do have my own ECV. What i want to know do i get something from my Dr. or use the letter that tells what I have and go from there. No I can not walk up or down stairs or go up or down hills that is why I have the evc. Witch would be better to have if i need a GAC. Kathy

Hi Kathy, and welcome. I don't know if you've found it yet, but in the FAQ near the top of the board ( http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713 ) post #6 has a lot of information on the GAC. It is really intended for people with invisible disabilities (anything from visual impairments to autism) that may need some extra assistance. The GAC provides allowances such as sitting close to the screen in theatres, waiting out of the sun for attractions with unshaded queues or using the Fastpass entrance where available. If you use an ECV it will be obvious that you have mobility problems, and you will be helped accordingly (allowed access to the w/c entrance). If , however, you have any other conditions / symptoms that might need extra allowances, a GAC might be worth considering. I hope this helps a bit, and if you've got any more questions, please do post, I'm sure everyone here will do their best to help you