Just back- GAC!-Autism related

[DisneyDreams4P&B]

Hello everyone,

We are just back from the most amazing trip ever and I promise to write a trip report about our special day in the MK (you seriously won't believe it).

Now having been before I was familiar with the GAC but noticed a few things I would pass along:

1. Be sure to tell the CM filling out your GAC exactly what you need. My sons have ASD and waiting times are excrusciating for them. I got one type of GAC, but mid week, after talking with a cast member, I was told that there was a different type of GAC that would be more helpful for our son's needs (especially the oldest). I know I am not using the correct terminology that she gave me but it was while we were waiting for the Great Movie Ride at MGM and there is no alternative entrance. My children were seriously melting down and we were exiting the line when the CM stopped us and asked if everything was okay. She was very helpful and said that telling them your diagnosis, doesn't always covey what you need.

2. CM's see GAC abuses all day every day. I have to admit that I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder when I went becuase I was ready for someone to give me a hard time about my boys ('they look fine..."- is what I hear all the time, till the boys start stimming or talking etc). We were waiting in line ( at the wheelchair entrance where the CM had told us to go instead of the Fastpass entrance) at ThunderMountain when a group of14ish looking girls were standing in line ahead of us. The CM came and told the girls it was for wheelchair access only and the girls began to give him an incredibly hard time. The CM asked what her disability was and why she needed to use that entrance rather than the FP and she said she "gets a rash if she is out in the sun to long". I about near fell over. He then said no, they would have to use the FP entrance. They left and he asked us, I explained that wait times were hard on my boys and triggered meltdowns, etc. I told him the other CM suggested we go to this entrance. The CM acutally apologized for the group that was ahead of us and said that he was sorry he asked me but that they deal with abuses of the GAC all day. Just as he was about to show my son's and their Dad through to the ride, when the group of girls were back, trying to use that entrance again. They were indignant that they couldn't use this entrance and asked the CM why we could..This next bit, I will never forget.

Chorus of girls.."Why do they get to use this way, they aren't in a wheelchair?'

CM.."They have autism and need to use this entrance"

1 of the chourus of girls..."Well my sister has autism"

CM.."is she here?"

Girls..."no but I should be allowed to go this way"
(Girls all nodding their head in agreement)

CM.."It's not going to happen"

The CM then apologized again and told me about how that scenario happens several times a day.

I was so wrong for going in to Disney expecting a fight, after witnessing all of the gross misuses of the GAC, I see now why the CM's are a little defensive and protective of letting people use alternative entrances.

All in all we had an incredible trip and were glad to meet so many helpful CM's. I just wish there was a way to stop the seemingly increasing GAC abuses.

 

[Hook's Girl]

mid week, after talking with a cast member, I was told that there is a different type of GAC that would be more helpful for our sons' needs (especially the oldest). I know I am not using the correct terminology that she gave me but it was while we were waiting for the Great Movie Ride at MGM and there is no alternative entrance. My children were seriously melting down and we were exiting the line when the CM stopped us and asked if everything was okay. She was very helpful and said that telling them your diagnosis, doesn't always covey what you need.

Unfortunately, stamp you mentioned is only available through the Make a Wish Foundation.

Glad you had a great time!

 

[tacomaranch]

I am sorry your trip was hard and you had to experience problems with other guests.

We have had a green stamp, a red stamp and this time a black stamp. I don't know what they all mean but we just use the FP line is there is one or ask as nice as possible if there is another place we could just wait until it is our turn.

I would never know if someone were abusing as our DS has autism also and it is not a physical disorder. We did talk to one family with a GAC and showed them our holder to keep it dry.

I thought the crowds were very heavy this trip May 28-June 6 and the storm really put DS heavy on the spectrum It seemed that people were a bit pushy and mean. We just tried to be nice to everyone and set the example.

Glad you were at Disney and hope it was magical.

April

 

[kaytieeldr]

We have had a green stamp, a red stamp and this time a black stamp. I don't know what they all mean but we just use the FP line is there is one or ask as nice as possible if there is another place we could just wait until it is our turn.

And that, right there, is the difference between use and abuse.

 

[DisneyDreams4P&B]

ask as nice as possible if there is another place we could just wait until it is our turn.
April

That would be so perfect! Part of what sets my oldest son off, is that people crowd and push, so my husband and I have to create a barrier of sorts with one of us on each end creating some space, it never fails that who ever is in the back, gets someone breathing down their neck to inch forward that little bit so they are closer to the line.

On Pirates they take you through the back door, but have you wait in the little area with benches on the side near the stroller parking..I told my husband.."wouldn't it be great if they had this type of waiting area for every ride and the kids could just hang out till it was their turn"

 

[Forevryoung]

I'm so happy to see this post. There are far too many out there these days that cause parents or individuals who may need a GAC themselves to stand on edge. This added worrry DOES have consequences at that GR desk including people thinking that they are going to have to put up a fight or encounter a confrontation.

You're 100% correct in thinking that if the assistance they give you originally isn't appropriate, go back and explain what is happening- they may have a reason or another solution.

I've found that people who abuse the GAC are the ones who are the most "rude" and pushy about it (for lack of better word). Their noses are so far up the "I deserve" tree it's not even funny. If you are kind, undemanding, and patient I am 99.99% positive that Disney will attempt to accommodate appropriately- if if it requires a second chance to correct the original ideas of accommodation. How were they supposed to know from a one minute encounter exactly what would happen once your day got started- it's based on needs, maybe you need more maybe you need less but why should they give everyone the highest levels of accommodations when they don't NEED it.

Different parks, days, crowd levels, meals, times of the day... accommodation x can't always be perfect or appropriate right at that point in time and they definitely know that.

 

[winniethepoohsmom]

All this stuff I've been hearing about abuse of the GAC and people who need the GAC having to wait on the stand-by lines makes me nervous. We have always enjoyed our trips to disney, the cm's have always treated our DS 15 (tommorrow he'll be 16) with ASD so well. He does'nt stand still always pacing and swaying and walking about, he gets quite anxious with crowds around him and long waits, the thought of not using the fast pass lane would make it a lot less than magical.

 

[SueM in MN]

All this stuff I've been hearing about abuse of the GAC and people who need the GAC having to wait on the stand-by lines makes me nervous. We have always enjoyed our trips to disney, the cm's have always treated our DS 15 (tommorrow he'll be 16) with ASD so well. He does'nt stand still always pacing and swaying and walking about, he gets quite anxious with crowds around him and long waits, the thought of not using the fast pass lane would make it a lot less than magical.

If you have an old GAC, bring it with you when you request a new one and be ready to explain what his issues are.
They will take care of his needs.
There have always been GACs with different messages, based on the needs of the people the GAC was issued to. People with more needs get a different message on their GAC; some people can wait in the standby lines and have a GAC that reflects that.
Sometimes, the park is not that busy. For example, when we were at AK late in the afternoon in April, there was no need for a GAC on Kali River Rapids or the Safari (normally pretty busy rides the week after Easter when we were there). Both attractions had waits of 5-10 minutes in the Standby lines (basically, you got on as fast as you could walk). It took us a bit longer because we had to get a wheelchair accessible ride vehicle. That kind of situation is possibly some of what you are reading about people with GACs using the standby line.

 

[winniethepoohsmom]

Thank you Sue M., I will do that. We will be in disney from the Thursday before labor day till the Tuesday after. We have always gone during lower crowd level times, but with some very expensive work needing to be done on our house free dining was the only way we could afford a trip this year and DS 13 going into high school in Sept. so over the holiday weekend is the only time we could go. We plan on going into the parks early to avoid the crowds and heat and we've always waited on stand-by if it was'nt too long. I still have DS's GAC from our last two trips in 2005 so I will bring them along with a Doctor's note and hope for the best. Thanks for easing my anxiety

 

[dclfun]

I just wanted to say that the stamp that the OP mentioned as being able to receive the second time around was most likely not the one given only to MAW children. There are different levels of accomodation within the stamps that are given to other guests and as has been mentioned, if one type of GAC is not effective, then return to GS to explain the difficulty. CM's are trained to look out for guests who need assistance and it sounds as though the CM at GMR could clearly see the issues involved and stepped up to help. ---Kathy

 

[Nik's Mom]

I am sorry your trip was hard and you had to experience problems with other guests.

We have had a green stamp, a red stamp and this time a black stamp. I don't know what they all mean but we just use the FP line is there is one or ask as nice as possible if there is another place we could just wait until it is our turn.

I would never know if someone were abusing as our DS has autism also and it is not a physical disorder. We did talk to one family with a GAC and showed them our holder to keep it dry.

I thought the crowds were very heavy this trip May 28-June 6 and the storm really put DS heavy on the spectrum It seemed that people were a bit pushy and mean. We just tried to be nice to everyone and set the example.

Glad you were at Disney and hope it was magical.

April

We were in WDW 5/31-6/3 and have to agree that there were some less than friendly people. The most friendly crowd (in my opinion) was the Gay Days group at MK.

I just wish there was a GAC on disney cruises. We were on the Wonder 5/27-5/31 and our sons had big issues on the ship with all of the waiting involved. The worst was boarding the ship. They would not allow us to pre-board because they said that was abused by too many people. The result for us were 2 autistic children in total melt-down mode.

 

[jrb967]

We were just there 6/2-7 and have to say we had a very good experience using GAC for my son who is 15and autistic. This was our first visit in 5 years so I wasn't sure what to expect since the pass had changed and he is older with different needs now. We got our GAC at EP and the CM was very nice. I explained my DS situation and what his needs were and he issued us a GAC that stated we could use alternate entrances where available. For FP rides, this meant we were able to us the FP entrance, if we needed to. For other rides and shows we showed it to the CM and they directed us accordingly, most often this was the wheelchair accessible entrance, if there was one. Sometime we didn't use it based on the length wait in the standby line. We are trying to help him understand that sometime you must wait your turn and he is usually able to manage 10 minutes or so wait without getting anxious. All the CMs we encountered were very nice.

I also have to say there were many friendly people who noticed my son was ASD and wanted to make sure we knew about the GAC. I could tell they were hesitant to ask if my son was ASD but were very polite about it and once I responded asked me if I had a GAC. At LMM show at MGM, a mom next to us mentioned that her stepson was ASD and wanted to make sure we knew we could get a GAC to assist me son w/ his needs. Another time we were in the standby line for Buzz at MK(it was AM EMH and the line was 5-10 minutes so we just jumped in the standby) and a dad there with his DS on the spectrum also mentioned it to us. Both said they had encountered others in the parks before who were having a horrible experience due to needs of a special child and not knowing about the GAC.

We had a great time!

 

[binamc]

Hi,
Our DS is on the spectrum and we are going to DW in July. What is the process for getting a GAC and what does GAC stand for? I'm not familiar with all the acronyms. Thanks so much for all this wonderful information.
wiggle worm & can't stop talking

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi,
Our DS is on the spectrum and we are going to DW in July. What is the process for getting a GAC and what does GAC stand for? I'm not familiar with all the acronyms. Thanks so much for all this wonderful information.

Hi and to disABILTIES!

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. The top item is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information, including lots of information about Guest Assistance Cards (GAC).

Also, if you go here you will find a list of common Disney abbreviations. To get there anytime, go to where it says "DIS Home" at the top of the page, the go down a little ways on the left to where it says "Discussion Forums", and then (again on the left) under "First Time Visitors" you will see a link to "Abbreviations".

 

[itsreally4mommy]

I'm new to this area. I posted a bit on DISBoards in preparation for our TGiving 05 trip. It was at that time that my DD began her assessment for Autism Spectrum. We had a wonderful trip, although she had her whiney/negative times and really annoyed at the crying babies, LOL. She kept repeating, "Everytime something fun is happening, there's a baby crying somewhere " Obviously we are working on knowing when to keep thoughts to yourself, LOL.

DD is technically clasified as PDD-NOS, w/ the belief that she could show more prominent Asperger's results in a few years. Oddly enough one test will show her to be High Func Autism, another Aspergers, etc. The main thing keeping her from classification of Asperger's is while she will become fixated on topics, they change. And while she will be fixated on something she will not show the typical characteristic of knowing any and everything about that topic. She also is atypical in that she detests schedules.

We are becoming more aware of sensory issues that are a problem for her. Although again, she is atypical in that her triggers are inconsistent. One thing she has a hard time w/are loud noises in hectic environments. For example, the cafeteria at school is very overwhelming for her. She is in a regular classroom but has a support system for sensory breaks and outlet for when she is overloaded.

I am reluctant to join groups for ASD, etc because sometimes I don't feel we qualify. And yet, there are times I feel others don't understand why I'm worn down. I would have never thought to obtain clearance from school to go off peak times to aid in her needs. A part of me would worry espec. being in 5th grade this year, that taking her out of school might create a whole other set of issues in the makeup work/missed instruction and the reassimilating upon return. What is the lesser of the 2 evils?

I had considered a time such as late May when things are winding down. Our in home trainer explained to me that most spectrum kids have a very hard time at school during the last weeks because it is such a social/high energy time.

Sorry if I rambled a bit. LOL

 

[HarbinsMom]

I took the GAC I recieved at Disneyland last year on our trip this year and I'm so glad I did. The CM at EPCOT couldn't have been nicer and accomodating. We too, FP and wait in standby lines as much as we can. I feel so guilty sometimes using it, but honestly, I couldn't do the parks with out it. I was in bed all last week just recovering from our trip the week before. It just takes so much out of me, but I won't stop going. I have had 2 knee surgeries this year and I wasn't going to let anything stop me from my trip.

 

[Christine43]

Hi It'sreallyformommy, I love your name because I swear I go to DW as much for my own mental health as anything else. Anyway, I have two boys with AS and they are both completely different from each other and every other kid with AS has their own discrepancies too. Tristan, 10, would be considered "too friendly" if he had to fit every profile but he has the social issues typical to AS otherwise. Colin, 18, like your daughter HATES any kind of scheduling and just about didn't graduate because of it. Did you take your daughter to a neuro. or a psych? Has she been eval'd and is this where the PDD (which I detest, it's like they're shrugging) dx comes in? My twins are being re'eval'd (Tristan is a twin to an autistic brother) this summer and it will be interesting to see what they'll say next. Then I have to fight with the schools...it never ends. Perry (twin 2) is going to a camp to "unwind" which is awesome but I keep thinking...where's my camp? take care, Christine

 

[mindymouse1]

We were at wdw in January and were first time users of the GAC. My 4 yr old son has luekemia and was on ALOT of chemo at the time. They gave him 2 weeks off and we went to WDW . Our GAC was to use his stroller as a wheelchair. We expected to push the stroller through the lines but most times we were told to go through the wheelchair line. Almost all of the CM's were excellent. I won't mention the one old man CM at Indiana Jones that argued with me about my son's cancer or another one who questioned us using a stroller as a wheelchair even though the pass and the big red sticker on the stroller said so. I felt guilty using it because he CAN walk he just can't stand or walk for more than 20 ft at the time. You should have seen some of the looks we got as he got out of the stroller on his own and onto the rides. It was awkward to me but I knew in my heart that if those people knew what my son had and was currently enduring they would push him to the wheelchair line theirselves. At the end of the day I felt we did the right thing utilizing the GAC otherwise we never would have had such a great time (he wouldn't have lasted 2 hours). He still talks about it daily and is making his wish soon to go see Shamu and go to Disney. sorry I rambled.

 

[Christine43]

The GAC made our vacation. Perry is incapable of standing in line for a long time. It's just too overwhelming for him. Without the GAC we wouldn't have gone on much. We did get a couple of looks but I shrug it off, we're used to it at this point, it's nothing different from the looks we get when we're at Walmart. I didn't feel guilty about using it one bit. Our life on a general day to day basis is much more difficult than average families so if we get some extra help at DW to make our vacation a happy and easier one I think that's great. I would gladly wait in line for hours if I could trade autism away.
MindyMouse I hope your son is feeling better.

 

[mfenstermaker]

I love all of these responses about using GAC. My son has a cerebral palsy like condition in his legs (side effect from medicine) - he can walk but it's obvious it's very awkward. He also tires easily. Getting a GAC has been invaluable since the crowds are huge when we go to DW. It has allowed our family to enjoy the experience much more than we ever thought. We always save our old GAC and there is never a question from CMs when we go back.