Question for parents of special needs children

[DebD4T]

I work for a non-profit foundation for autism. I am only the bookkeeper, I actually didn't know much about autism until I started working there in September.

Today a woman called and asked if we could help her with regards to her trip to WDW in May. She has a son with autism and she wanted to find out how she could skip the lines. She said she heard if you had autism you didn't have to wait in lines. "You know, like the people in wheelchairs. They go right to the front of the line with all the people they are with." (her words, not mine).

I told her that I never heard about that and that people in wheelchairs do not get to go to the front of the line, sometimes they have a different line if the qeue(sp) cannot handle the size of a wheelchair.

I explained that she could fast pass certain rides, but that was it. I also advised her to do her research on WDW, because it can be a stressful vacation and having a special needs child could make it even more stressful. She told me she had been there before. So I asked her when. She said 10 years ago. I told her to at least go to the WDW website and do some research.

After I hung up, I told my co-worker about the call and she said," Oh yes, all she has to do is get a doctors note and they can bypass all the lines!"

So my question is, who is right? Me or my co-worker? I would hate to think that I gave the woman wrong information. Unfortunatly I didn't get her name so I can't even call her back if I was wrong!!

 

[katedrew94]

Friends of mine got a guest assistance pass/card at City Hall in the MK and were able to take their son straight into Fastpass lines without a Fastpass. They had to show the note though.

 

[SueM in MN]

Tell her to come visit the disABILITIES Board.
There is a card called a Guest Assistance Card that we have information about on that board. It says right on the card that it is not meant to shorten or eliminate the wait in line, just to provide accomidations that are needed because of disability.

And, it is a common belief that people with wheelchairs don't wait in line, but it's not true. Most of the regular lines are wheelchair accessible.

The only people who go to the front of lines are kids on WISH trips and some people who are dependent on battery operated equipment (like ventilators breathing for them) who have a limited amount of time they can be on battery power without recharging.

There is also a new Passporter Book with information about special needs that includes information about autism.

 

[tw1nsmom]

The GAC for autism may enable a family to enter an attraction through fastpass lines, or they may be provided with a seperate area to wait away from crowds. Except in the case of fastpass, they are ussually made to wait at least as long as they would if they went into the regular line. Also, while a parent might feel more comfortable having a letter from their doctor, the castmembers can't ask for any letter or other proof. It's a violation of the ADA.

Also, if you go to the disabilities board, you'll see that many people with children who are autistic find that they make major behavioral and communications gains while at WDW. This is, of course, dependent on the parents taking their cues from their child and keeping the schedule based on their needs. The theory behind the possible reason for the gains is that for hyposensitive children, the stimulation at WDW is actually beneficial on a limited basis.