Special needs children's pass and other queries?

[turtlechick6]

Hi there! I am taking my 3 year old twins to Disney World for the first time next week!! I have a couple concerns though. One is that my one of my son's is special needs. He really is well behaved and I doubt we will have much trouble out of him. Sometimes he does seem to get overwhelmed sensory like but we can deal with it. The main thing is he is non verbal at 3 years old and going to speech therapy and early intervention through the school system. The school system seems to think he might be autistic but I really don't and neither do his speech therapists. His speech therapist suggested we get a special needs guest services pass for him at the parks. She said we might be able to use it if he is having a hard time waiting in the lines (which should not be that bad anyway next week) or in order to explain to cast members why he cannot talk and that he does not talk as far as character experiences go. We have booked several character meals.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of pass and what should I know about it? I called the customer service line and they told me I would need a doctor's note but his doctor is not the one who diagnosed him or handles it. It goes through the school system. I can bring some paperwork from them. She said that should be fine. She was not sure what they can do for us. Honestly we probably won't need a front of the line pass, but it might be nice to have just in case. Mostly I would like something for the character experiences. It gets tiring explaining 100 times a day that he does not talk when people ask.

The other concern is myself. I am a healthy looking young woman. But on the inside I am kinda messed up. I suffer from arthritis of the spine and have bad back problems and pain. I am not sure how I am going to handle all the walking and bending and sitting etc for several days while at Disney World. I am in pain everyday of my life and I get things done but I also try to spend a lot of my day off my feet. Not going to happen at DW obviously. I don't have official handicapped status. If I get to DW and find myself in a lot of pain and not being physically able to handle it, what do I do about renting a wheelchair? I again would not feel like I need to pass the lines, but I might need the chair to move around some or have a mobile place to sit when I can instead of standing. What info can you give me about how that works?

Thanks for the help. I have done DW several times and am pretty versed in it, but never before have I gone with my own kids to take care of and never before have I gone since my back problems started or with a special needs child.

 

[SueM in MN]

Hi there! I am taking my 3 year old twins to Disney World for the first time next week!! I have a couple concerns though. One is that my one of my son's is special needs. He really is well behaved and I doubt we will have much trouble out of him. Sometimes he does seem to get overwhelmed sensory like but we can deal with it. The main thing is he is non verbal at 3 years old and going to speech therapy and early intervention through the school system. The school system seems to think he might be autistic but I really don't and neither do his speech therapists. His speech therapist suggested we get a special needs guest services pass for him at the parks. She said we might be able to use it if he is having a hard time waiting in the lines (which should not be that bad anyway next week) or in order to explain to cast members why he cannot talk and that he does not talk as far as character experiences go. We have booked several character meals.

The thing you are asking about is a Guest Assistance Card and there is much more information about Guest Assistance Cards in post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. You can find that thread near the top of this board or follow the link in my signature to get there.

It really won't help with explaining to CMs why he can't talk - it's just a quick way to let CMs know what sorts of assistance someone needs related to their disability.

As for not talking, CMs and characters really won't be expecting your child to talk. Many 3 yr olds who are able to talk are shy around strangers or the characters, so your child is not going to 'stand out' by not talking.
My youngest DD is a young adult - she's been to WDW multiple times per year since she was 1 yr old. If there was a situation where someone seemed to expect her to talk or asked her a question, I just said "She understands, but can't talk," and that was the end of that. Sometimes, I suggest other things like "Ask her yes or no questions," but not talking is usually not an issue.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of pass and what should I know about it? I called the customer service line and they told me I would need a doctor's note but his doctor is not the one who diagnosed him or handles it. It goes through the school system. I can bring some paperwork from them. She said that should be fine.

As I mentioned, you will find much more information in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. The person you talked to in Customer Service is not at the parks, she is at a call center and she gave you incorrect information about needing a doctor's letter. WDW is not able to require anything like a doctor's letter. If you choose to bring one, you can - and some people do bring either a letter or something official from the school because it makes them feel more confident asking for assistance.
But, be prepared that the Cast Members in Guest Relations will probably not want to see it. What they need to know is what sorts of needs your child has that you may need assistance with.
Many people find that being able to use a stroller in lines is helpful for children with special needs, even if the child can walk. Having the stroller allows a little extra separation from the other guests and gives the child a sort of 'safe refuge' that they can retreat to. WDW handles that by putting a special sticker on the stroller (and sometimes a stamp on the Guest Assistance Card) that says you are using the stroller as a wheelchair.
That alerts the Cast Members to allow it in the lines just like they would allow a wheelchair. (Strollers are not usually allowed in lines).

She was not sure what they can do for us. Honestly we probably won't need a front of the line pass, but it might be nice to have just in case. Mostly I would like something for the character experiences. It gets tiring explaining 100 times a day that he does not talk when people ask.

Just so you know, the Guest Assistance Card is not a front of the line card. (Some people are afraid to ask for one because they don't want that).
It's just to help the CMs to have some basic information about your child's needs. I'm not sure what sort of assistance you are looking for regarding the character experiences, but Guest Assistance Cards are not used for the character greetings that take place outside (and, as I mentioned, they don't go into detail to say things like that your child doesn't talk).

For the 'getting tired explaining he doesn't talk...
As one mom with a non-verbal child to another, you may want to re-think what you are explaining. Just because people ask doesn't mean you have to explain. You can choose to explain if someone seems really interested and you feel some kind of connection to them. But you don't have to answer or if you do, you can just re-state something like, "He is not talking yet." When my daughter was little, she had some shirts with sayings on like, "I may not say much, but I communicate."

The other concern is myself. I am a healthy looking young woman. But on the inside I am kinda messed up. I suffer from arthritis of the spine and have bad back problems and pain. I am not sure how I am going to handle all the walking and bending and sitting etc for several days while at Disney World. I am in pain everyday of my life and I get things done but I also try to spend a lot of my day off my feet. Not going to happen at DW obviously. I don't have official handicapped status. If I get to DW and find myself in a lot of pain and not being physically able to handle it, what do I do about renting a wheelchair? I again would not feel like I need to pass the lines, but I might need the chair to move around some or have a mobile place to sit when I can instead of standing. What info can you give me about how that works?

You do not need a doctor's note to rent either a wheelchair or an ECV (motorized mobility scooter). Most lines are accessible and guests using wheelchairs and ECVs do not skip/pass lines, but do wait in the same line with everyone else, for the most part. You don't need anything special to use the wheelchair in line - the Cast Members can see it and will know that you need to use an accessible boarding area/entrance if that attraction is not totally wheelchair accessible.

I would encourage you to check out post #2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread which has info about renting ECVs and wheelchairs. If you are in pain during your normal, everyday life, you will be in pain at WDW.
The average guest walks somewhere between 3 and 9 miles per day in the parks - not even including walking around at their resort. And, much of the walking is not even in lines, it is just getting from place to place.
That is why WDW's official recommendation is to use a wheelchair or ECV for people who are concerned about the amount of standing and walking.

 

[turtlechick6]

Thank you. That helped a lot. I did go back and read the faq after I posted this and that did help me out a lot on knowing what to expect. Thanks again.

 

[ppony]

Turtlechick, I do hope you post upon return about your experiecnes w/ the pass and your children. I too have a non-verbal 3 year old and in his case I do think he is on the Autism Spectrum, somwhere. He's getting all the same therapy assistance your child is getting. I swear, it was like I was writing teh first part of your post.

As Sue said, I find myself explaining less and less. Sometimes I do say "autism" or "doesn't talk" and generally it stops people from asking or inquiring any more which is what I want. And like it or not, the labels (be them completely accurate or not) can help in society with getting assistance, understanding and compassion. I feel for you and understand totally.

I'm actually concerned greatly about the looks, and words other people will gveus when we need to use the card for things like the stroller in line, seperate waiting areas or what-have-you. Blowing them off is far easier said than done w/ me.

Check out the info Sue pointed out to you and there is a lot of info on this forum that you'll want to read. I've been gleaning for months now. I wished I had known aout the pass last year becasue we were in MK for all of 3 hours until I had to take my DS out. I have higher hopes for this year. I'll be looking for a report when you get back. I hope you post! Even if you would send me a PM to tell me how it went, I'd appreciate it!

 

[SueM in MN]

Another thing people have posted a lot about that is helpful is using a touring plan like TourGuide Mike that helps you to know where it is least busy in the least busy park so that you can be there.
You may still need a Guest Assistance Card for things like bringing a stroller in line and having it treated like a wheelchair, but the Guest Assistsnce Card helps only for attractions.
Using TourGuide Mike you will be in less busy areas, which may mean you don't need to use the card at all. At very least, it will help in places the GAC can't help - like waiting for bathrooms, restaurants and just avoiding crowds while getting around. For many people, those things are more of a problem than the actual attractions.