I'm SHOCKED!

[PrincessRora]

I agree with the PP. That's how my parents raised me. We'd hold doors open, and provide what little assistance we could when we saw a family or an individual with special needs. If we ever were in line with some one, mom would always start up a conversation with them about the simplest things while others would completely ignore the family. As soon as I was old enough, I would be the one starting those conversations. It would be an honor to meet you and your David.

 

[moxiecola]

I am so glad you posted your "long winded" response! I have a special needs cousin who at the age of 29 is also at the level of an 18 month old. And although I am not his mother I can imagine what life is like because I see my aunt and uncle dealing with it...every day is a struggle for them. I have always tried to educate my children about the special needs of my cousin and others. My oldest son is particularly sympathetic (I wonder if he will become a doctor one day...) and will always tell me when someone at school is picking on one of the kids (because we are integrated) and he will always speak/stand up for them. My aunt also works at the school in the special ed dept. Anyway, I don't want to make this about my kids...your story is exactly why I find these people dispicable that would recommend that we do such a thing. There is a special place in heaven for you because you are such a great Mom to your son, i.e. angel's wings are waiting!
BTW my cousin is also a DAVID.
Oh, we could start a whole other thread about kids with bad manners and parents who let them get away with it! I could talk for HOURS about that one...

 

[AuroraBeauty]

My husband had been talking with some other parents at soccer this morning. They told him we should write our own doctors note and take it to town hall. The dr's note will say one of us is unable to walk and therefore they will supply us with free fastpasses for the day. I am really shocked that people would do this. Is this common practice? I have never heard of anyone doing this before. Maybe I'm just a priss or something but I really don't agree with this.

And for our next scam, let's go to the motor vehicle division and all get HC tags so we don't have to walk too far to go shopping.

I realize that not every SN is a visible one, especially when it comes to children. But to suggest something so despicable shows their true character. Many parents of SN kids as well as man SN adults would never think to 'cut to the front' because they feel others need assistance more than they do.

Yet, here are people who are fully able (other than what appears to be some type of judgment challenge) who can't take a few extra minutes of their precious time. What a great example they would set for their children! And we wonder why we have some of the social problems in this world -- because people can't just accept that sometimes they are not the center of the earth.

D,L and K's mom: no need to apologize for the long windedness. Too bad the people who need to hear what you say won't ever understand. It brought me to tears because I can only imagine the lengths you go through to bring joy not only to David but his siblings as well. Thank you for sharing your perspective. There are plenty of us who were 'raised right' and are compassionate and empathetic. We are out there, I promise!

Moxiecola: don't even get me started on kids with bad manners and parents who let them get away with it. There have been some 'bully' threads as well as other general 'bad behavior' thread but the flames get started right away. Simply the fact that a woman is on trial for criminal assault of another woman while at the tea cup ride at WDW demonstrates that bad behavior is far too commonplace. While he is often mocked for saying this, Rodney King had it right when he said 'can't we all just get along?'


::gets off soap box::

Keep the Magic Alive!

 

[~Kristina~]

My husband had been talking with some other parents at soccer this morning. They told him we should write our own doctors note and take it to town hall. The dr's note will say one of us is unable to walk and therefore they will supply us with free fastpasses for the day. I am really shocked that people would do this. Is this common practice? I have never heard of anyone doing this before. Maybe I'm just a priss or something but I really don't agree with this.

That is a shame!

 

[D L and K's Mom]

I have to say the people who are kind and caring out number the others by quite a few!!!! Most people understand and are kind. I have to share a great story although it is not Disney related. We took David to the dentist a while ago. He was making happy noises and bouncing in his chair. There was a little boy watching him, just quietly watching him. His Mom politely and quietly pulled him away and engaged him in a Highlights magazine or something. He asked her, "What is wrong with him?". Poor Mom she was embrassed and quietly shhhed him. He continued to ask her. This never bothers me, I see it as a great learning op. I very quitely said that David was born a little different then we were and that he didn't talk or laugh like we did etc.... The little angel's response was something like, "Ya, but what is WRONG with him?" I again started to explain that David's brain was different than ours etc. Poor Mom was mortified and wanted to die. Again little angel says, "I know that but what is WRONG with him...doesnt he know he is at the Dentist office!" I started to crack up. Here I am thinking this little one needed to know why David was different and all he wanted to know was why in the heck would anyone be happy at the dentist. Thank goodness children like this are part of our future!!

 

[xxDisney_Doll]

When we went to Disney last year my dad got a really bad blister on his right foot. It was so bad that he couldn't even walk. We got him a motorized scooter he could ride on. We got to cut about two lines the whole day and in some lines we had to wait longer but most of the time it didn't make a difference, whoever said this made a big mistake and they will be greatly disappointed when they find out it makes no different.

 

[coneeny4]

Coming home from Disney on the plane Wednesday the woman in front of us was telling the lady next to her that her on her first day in the parks her feet started to hurt so she rented a wheelchair. Since her and her family never had to wait in line more than 10 minutes because she got to cut to the front of the line..she rented one all week.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

Wow, "never had to wait in line". I think perhaps she was not telling the truth.

 

[MarieS]

Both of my sons use wheelchairs and we need to use an alternate entrance if the queue isn't mainstreamed. So as others have said, we are not cutting in line, but just waiting elsewhere. We often wait longer than other families because we have to wait for the wheelchair accessible ride vehicle to cycle back around. Also, since they can't transfer out of their chairs we cannot go on the majority of the rides.

I'll never understand why someone would want to fake a disability.

 

[DevilDuckie]

For what it's worth, I would be more than happy to have my kids anywhere near you and David when we go. If he has a seizure, we'll be happy to get off the line and offer you any assistance we can. If it frightens my kids, I'll deal with it and life will go on.

.

My husband (375 and 6'3") had a seizure in the middle of a children's movie. One woman took it upon herself to distract people who started staring. Another man (who turned out to be a doctor) came and sat on the other side of him to help me prevent him from hurting himself.

As someone who got accidentally exposed to seizures (woke up at age 8 when the friend I was sharing a bed with had one) I know it is scary but it is something kids will probably learn about eventually. I agree that the best reaction is to see if one can be of assistance, console the kids and move on.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

My "little guy" has pretty violent grand mal seizures. Let me tell you, even though I see them....they still get to me. The feeling of being helpless is horrible. I am a first grade teacher and one of the third grade boys had a seizure while walking in the hallway. I was able to take care of him (cutbacks, no nurse until the afternoon ) only because I know what to do because of my DS. The children who happened to see the seizure were very upset and shaken. We did explain it to them, but to see the shaking, the loss of bodily function etc., was just really something that was horrific for them to see. They were clearly upset and parents had to be called. Even after lots of explanations you can't erase the image from thier minds. I would never, ever want to supject anyone to that if I could help it. I know that people would be willing to help, I know that it may happen someday in front of children but it is a horrible thing to have to see. DD has had a few in WDW gratefully they have been in the hotel room and not out in public. WDW was great when he had a 28 minute one. The ambulance was there in minutes and we were at Celebration ER in a flash. The people in the ER were great. One of the young male nurses sang the Barney song to David (I know...Universal not Disney) to keep him calm. The other Drs and Nurses were teasing him a little bit because he knew the words. Later he confided to us that he had been the "Purple Guy" for awhile at Universal!!! When we got back to our room the front desk called to see if everything was ok, they offered to give us passes for the day we had lost in the park. They had called and spoken to DMIL to see if we needed transportation home from the hospital etc. They were wonderful!!!

 

[Aliceacc]

I teach HS.

Last year one of our kid had a seizure in the cafeteria-- with 600 other kids in the room.

One of the girls called me over with a FRANTIC look in her face and I knew it was trouble. I saw what was happening and got the kids to clear a space, sent a kid FLYING for the nurse (he got free cookies from me the next day!) and started to help the boy on the floor. Then another teacher got there from across the room-- he's an EMT and took over.

The kids were absolutely WONDERFUL!!! One or two didn't get much lunch, since their lunch was on the table and we cleared everyone away to give the boy room. And some of them were thrown off I'm sure; I know I was a bit shaky.

I know our kids are older than the typical kid on a Disney line. I know that my own kids would probably have lost a bit of sleep had they seen this seizure or another child having one.

But this is part of life. I'll spend the night comforting my kids if I have to-- that's part of the mommy job description.

Those of you with kids with disabilities: if you need help, just holler and tell us what to do. We'll be happy to help and we'll deal with our kids and their reaction after your crisis has passed.

 

[JaimeinWonderland]

MY goodness I can't imagine having the guts to do something that selfish. They are going to Disney World! Isn't that good enough? Shame on them!

 

[of2dbeach]

My husband had been talking with some other parents at soccer this morning. They told him we should write our own doctors note and take it to town hall. The dr's note will say one of us is unable to walk and therefore they will supply us with free fastpasses for the day. I am really shocked that people would do this. Is this common practice? I have never heard of anyone doing this before. Maybe I'm just a priss or something but I really don't agree with this.

do you know they have talked for some time about removing the GAS because of abuse. We have a 15 yr old w/Adhd/Autism we have used it several times for him . we have 5 kids and depending if we have Mike or not with us depends if we use it or wait in the lines. of course it is great to not have to wait but as others have said i have endured countless stares, pointing, backlash etc in the parks. Once they told us we couldnt ride winnie the pooh anymore because we rode it 5 times in a row.. well that wasent the smartest thing to say to someone who just rode pooh 5 times in a stinking row let alone tell a kid with Autism NO when he is clearly enjoying himself.he threw himself down on the ground it had been a florida monsoon earlier he thrashed around screaming and having a HUGE fit. we finaly got him up.. closed soaked sticks and leaves in his hair and got him to walk away for an ice cream. i later wrote Disney a huge long letter about how upset and disapointed that i was. We got free 1 day passes but it didnt make up for it. People who abuse a system have no idea what it is like to try to have a vacation with an Autistic or otherwise handicapped child let alone deal with it day in and day out. I hope people realize the more they abuse it, the greater chance they will discountinue it. and it isnt easy to get by just having a doc write a note. they have actualy tried talking to mike or watching me interact with him before giving me the pass. thats fine with me because he dosent look like anythings wrong. As soon as i can get him to talk they understand how severe he is. He usualy points/gesters and when he does talk he is hard to understand. not something that can be easily faked. anyways sorry this is a long post but it has been on my mind and glad someone brought it up.. Have a magical day !

 

[cheerforchelsea]

It is possible that their "need"? for a GAC may come true one day.....(be careful what you ask for - you just might get it).

 

[Ariel8676]

I have a story..this is a bit OT from what we were talking about, but sill has to do with rude and unthoughtful people...
My girls and i were online to see Leo and Annie at DHS in February..we were there for a while and we were finally getting towards the front of the line..then they stopped the line and brought two families up to the front...one family had Make a Wish pins and the other had Give kids the world pins...Well the lady behind me starts making a big deal screaming "this is ridiculous, what are they celebrities or something"? "Oh come on hurry up i have been waiting for a long time, this isn't fair to my kids"..Now my kids know about the special treatment that these families get AND DESERVE..and NEVER complain about having to wait a few minutes more...SO i finally turn to her and say listen did you see the pins on these families? SHe says "yeah so what"..i told her that she should be HAPPY that her children can stand in line and they can always come back, these families may not have the chance to come back with their children, please keep quiet and let them have their time...I wasn't quiet about it and i guess she was embarrassed and left the line. After the CM Thanked me, because obviously they can not do anything like that..

 

[momof3girls6712]

Our youngest is on the autism spectrum and several several issues at Disney. We have not used the GAC on our pass trips. Mianly, for lack of understanding what it was until I found the boards. We do plan to use it in May, but we just need a quiet place to go through the lines without being packed in so tight for her. Since she can be helped through a line I have reservations about using a GAC, but we are hoping for a less stressful trip.

That being said, in Jan we were waiting in line for Goofy at AK. The line was short about 4-5 families so I hopped in with my youngest. She was doing great until another family came up with a GAC and bumbed in front of us (we had finally got to the front of the line). They had the child and then all 7 of the family members (4 adults) get autographs and photos. I do not mind a child with needs jumping in front of us at all, but as they walked away I had one of the adult women say I told you it would work - we can jump ahead anywhere now. Which made me think the child probally didn't need the GAC. Odd part is they were not trying to talk softly and semmed proud of their actions. The handler looked at me and sighed, but did not say anything to them. I guess cause a CM can not question a guest about medical issues.

 

[PrincessRora]

Our youngest is on the autism spectrum and several several issues at Disney. We have not used the GAC on our pass trips. Mianly, for lack of understanding what it was until I found the boards. We do plan to use it in May, but we just need a quiet place to go through the lines without being packed in so tight for her. Since she can be helped through a line I have reservations about using a GAC, but we are hoping for a less stressful trip.

That being said, in Jan we were waiting in line for Goofy at AK. The line was short about 4-5 families so I hopped in with my youngest. She was doing great until another family came up with a GAC and bumbed in front of us (we had finally got to the front of the line). They had the child and then all 7 of the family members (4 adults) get autographs and photos. I do not mind a child with needs jumping in front of us at all, but as they walked away I had one of the adult women say I told you it would work - we can jump ahead anywhere now. Which made me think the child probally didn't need the GAC. Odd part is they were not trying to talk softly and semmed proud of their actions. The handler looked at me and sighed, but did not say anything to them. I guess cause a CM can not question a guest about medical issues.

There are definitely people out there who take advantage of things created to help people who really need them. I do my best not to associate with those individuals.
You shouldn't have any reservations about using the GAC as your daughter could probably use one. It will more than likely make the trip more enjoyable for her and the rest of your family. You would be in no way abusing the GAC as some people do.
I hope you have a wonderful vacation. We'll be following you the next month.

 

[DevilDuckie]

Once they told us we couldnt ride winnie the pooh anymore because we rode it 5 times in a row.. well that wasent the smartest thing to say to someone who just rode pooh 5 times in a stinking row let alone tell a kid with Autism NO when he is clearly enjoying himself.

Wait- did they tell you you'd have to go stand in line again or did they tell you that you were now banned from Pooh Bear for the remainder of the day?

 

[barnaby1]

Don't you get the fastpass option automatically if you are staying on grounds?

That is Universal!