Not an unfair advantage

[gap2368]

a long time ago like 10 or 15 years ago you could get close to the front of the line if you were in a wheel chair ( there maybe a hour + wait and if you were in a wheel chair it was like a 15 to 20 minute wait) I know someone that would bring a wheel chair have someone use it and this is who he did disney. so a while a go this is how it worked

 

[stitchlovestink]

a long time ago like 10 or 15 years ago you could get close to the front of the line if you were in a wheel chair ( there maybe a hour + wait and if you were in a wheel chair it was like a 15 to 20 minute wait) I know someone that would bring a wheel chair have someone use it and this is who he did disney. so a while a go this is how it worked

Not at WDW....they had the GAC since before 1998. And a WC did not automatically get you to the front of the line. You still had to have a GAC. There were Several stamps, some with more immediate access then others.

 

[gap2368]

Not at WDW....they had the GAC since before 1998. And a WC did not automatically get you to the front of the line. You still had to have a GAC. There were Several stamps, some with more immediate access then others.

This was the late 90s so it might have been before the GAC

 

[BabyFu18]

Perpetuating this myth are the people who return from their Disney vacation and proceed to tell everyone how "it was great traveling with my MIL. She's in a wheelchair so we got to go to the front of ALL the lines." I read these comments on websites all the time. It's no wonder people believe it's true.

Yeah, I've seen comments like that too. I've traveled to Disney many times, some of those times all of our family members have been healthy and sometimes we've had someone with us in a wheelchair, from my experiences the trips were everyone was able bodied were our easiest! We easily did the parks from morning to night, waited in whatever lines we wanted to and rode what we wanted without having to even think about it and generally made our way through the parks quicker and pretty easily. When we've had wheelchairs, we've had to sit out things that the wheelchair user wasn't comfortable doing, or wait longer for certain ride vehicles, etc. with a wheelchair I never felt like we got in and out of rides any faster than we did when we were all walking. If anything I think traveling through the parks in a wheelchair is more challenging than anything else, so for us when someone mentions how easy it is to skip lines and whatnot with a wheelchair I remind them that it's not really like that for most people.

Also I'd give anything to have all of our family healthy enough to do disney world the way we used to, I'm happy we are still able to do Disney even with disabilities but it's certainly modified from what we once did. This year will be my first year doing Disney in a wheelchair (for myself) and I'm more concerned than I have ever been because I know the struggles of being in a wheelchair in my daily life and I know at Disney those same struggles plus more may become evident. I'd tell anyone who thinks any mental or physical disability is easy or gives some type of advantage on any level in daily life or elsewhere, you don't realize the struggle it can be until your in a position to experience it.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Not at WDW....they had the GAC since before 1998. And a WC did not automatically get you to the front of the line. You still had to have a GAC. There were Several stamps, some with more immediate access then others.

This was the late 90s so it might have been before the GAC

Last time I checked 1998 was the late 1990's.

 

[gap2368]

like I said on my first post I was talking to someone in the early 2000 ( I think it was 2001 since you have to have every thing perfect) he said that he used to go to disney and that he would bring a wheel chair to cut the lines ( he told me that his part would only have to wait between 10 and 15 minute for most things) I do not know when this was it could have been 5 years before or 10 years before ( it sounded like it was between 5 and 10 years) but really what dose it matter I was just saying that some people used to be able to use a wheel chair to cut the line and this may have some resion why some people think that people with a disability get to do more then other people witch in today is not the case even for people with a DAS card. I am not sure when the GAC started or what was before it ( at the time my disability was not as bad as it now ( even thought I could have used it) and we had no Idea that there was any thing and most of the time we went to disney it was not for the whole day since I have family that lived so close like I said before I have no idea what I did to you to be so mean to me but you really are and I am getting tired of it.

 

[North of Mouse]

gap2368, I so agree with you! It 'did' happen as you said and the exact month/year does not matter. Co-workers with my dh told him that if you want to tour Disney the 'easy' way, just put G'ma (or whoever) in a wheel chair and you'll get front of the line access. They had just done this! (Granted, this person's mom 'did' need the wheel chair, but really wasn't the point)

 

[gap2368]

gap2368, I so agree with you! It 'did' happen as you said and the exact month/year does not matter. Co-workers with my dh told him that if you want to tour Disney the 'easy' way, just put G'ma (or whoever) in a wheel chair and you'll get front of the line access. They had just done this! (Granted, this person's mom 'did' need the wheel chair, but really wasn't the point)

the person that told me this did not need a wheel chair and he was the one that would use it. I did not know how to react to him telling me this but I am very happy disney dose not allow people front of the line ( or close to it) access as it should not happen ( but for make a wish kids) yes there have been those pix dust times where I have been given a just go right now, but I do fell bad about it and some times I am not ready to go on the ride ( like some times I need some quiet time before I can ride or do much of any thing) so I just tell the CM I am not ready to go other times I will go as I know they do this for people in the stand by lines some times ( I have seen it while waiting for my DAS return time)

 

[stitchlovestink]

gap2368, I so agree with you! It 'did' happen as you said and the exact month/year does not matter. Co-workers with my dh told him that if you want to tour Disney the 'easy' way, just put G'ma (or whoever) in a wheel chair and you'll get front of the line access. They had just done this! (Granted, this person's mom 'did' need the wheel chair, but really wasn't the point)

That was with a GAC with the appropriate stamp and you could get that stamp without a WC as well. It wasn't the WC that got you to the FOTL, it was the stamp on the GAC.
There were also times and places where WC waited longer. Ask Sue. She seems to tend to chime in and state how WC did not get FOL access.

 

[gap2368]

the person I am talking about never had a GAC ( I do know someone that had one for her daughter and she never waited in line but that is a whole different story) I am not sure if the other person had just a wheel chair or not but just because something happens to someone else that is different then what happens to you dose not mean that it did not happen how they say it did.

yes some times to day wheel chair wait longer yes some times ( right before the DAS and please do not be nitpick on exact dates ) you did wait longer for rides why there should be a number of resion why, lines got longer and people that could stand for 30 could not stand for 60 people found out that if they had a wheel chair they could get on faster ( or so they were told) my last trip I was at TSMM when some one walked up and asked where the wheel chair line was the CM said you can take the wheel chair through the regular line they wheeled away and said I payed for a wheel chair to get on the rides faster and.. ( I could not hear what he said after this) but while a go ( and I guess still today) it was know by some that if you had a disability then you got on faster.

to the OP I had someone today tell me I was lucky that I had a DAS card and did not have to wait. I explained how it worked and how much I miss in my ever day life because of my disability after talking with him for about 15 minute he was like oh I guess you really do not have an advantage. I was like someone gets it. he then told me how amazing I did today ( I was doing something that with my disability is very hard today like I was in a crowded loud envierment most of the day) so that was cool that he told me that I did a god job today

 

[lanejudy]

There is no particular value in arguing what USED to be allowed... 5 years ago, 20 years ago, 35 years ago... with or without GAC or any other program.

To the OP's point... it is unfortunate, but some people can't see further than the nose in front of their face. They will not understand the day-to-day life challenges faced by people with disabilities. They may not engage the brain before engaging the mouth and end up saying something inaccurate and rude and hurtful. While I know it doesn't necessarily help, for our own well-being those of us who live these situations must grow a tough skin and learn to ignore such comments.

 

[mistysue]

I wouldn't take it personally when people think it's an unfair advantage. I think that view happens because all people, disabled or not, have a wide range of abilities. So you see child A who gets a DAS because there is a recognized disability and parents look for it- vs. child B whose abilities may be about the same and the parents don't look for help because there is no recognized issues- they just figure life is hard and cope without assistance. They are told, in large part from discussions like this, that if you don't have a named disability you are wrong to ask for help.
I live with a child who is an excellent example of this. Bladder control problems, cognitive delays, dexterity trouble, muscle weakness- there is no specific disability that causes it; that is just the way she is. Her whole life she has been grouped with kids who have recognized disabilities and many of those with milder versions are much better off than she is. If I ask for help for my "normal" child it's taken as offensive to those with "real" disabilities even when she is in greater need. Those children with a named disability who function better than her, everybody hears a disability name and of course their lives are so much harder so they should get help. Yes we're lived with countless appointments, therapies, medical bills, outside tutors etc. all paid out of pocket but she's my normal child so I should be grateful she doesn't have a named disability according to most.

The same way others judge you thinking you have an unfair advantage, you should be careful to judge why they say that. It can be an unfair advantage it just depends who you are talking to. Human abilities are not all either "perfectly normal" or "same level of disability" - it's all a range and they overlap.