Special needs pass?

[momandseandodisney]

Hi everyone –
Going to Disney (just myself and my 7 year old son) Sept 22nd til Oct 1st.

Staying at the Polynesian

Last time we went in Sept 2003 - I got my son (who has several physical and emotional limitations) though not visible or in need of a wheel chair, we got him a “pass” that let the employees know t the rides, and it got him easier admission into the attractions – I am looking to obtain one of these again, but I don’t remember where I got it last time or what it was called.

Can anyone help me out here?



Thanks in Advance, Mommy and Sean

 

[SueM in MN]

The card is called a Guest Assistance Card. We call it GAC on these boards to avoid typing so much. If you do a search for GAC or Guest Assistance on this board, you will find a lot of information.
You, with your son, can request one from Guest Services in any of the theme parks. The card you get in one park is valid in all the parks and is usually given for up to 6 people (5 plus the person with a disability).

Here's a bit of information for you (cut and pasted from my sticky notes on my computer):
Just go to Guest Services with your son in any of the parks and talk to the CM there about your sons problems and needs. The diagnosis is not really that important because people with the same diagnosis can have very different needs. The GAC is not given based on diagnosis at all (for example, there is not a "list" of appropriate diagnosis for a GAC); the GAC is given based on needs.
A few other things
- the GAC is not meant to be a pass that gives immediate access. It is meant to provide appropriate accomidation for the needs of the person it was issued to. It says right on the card that it will not shorten or eliminate waits in line.
- think of the GAC like an insurance card, not necessarily needed or used all the time, but there for when you need it.
- even on the same attraction, the GAC is not handled the same each time. Exactly what happens depends on how busy it is, how many other people with special needs are there at the time and staffing. Some times you may be sent thru the fastpass line; sometimes you might be given a slip and told you can come back at the time written on the slip; sometimes you might be taken right in. It depens on what they call "attraction considerations" (which is basically the things I listed in the second sentence).
- if you/your child needs a lot of consistency in what will happen, getting Fastpasses will give the most consistency. You don't have to be present to get a fastpass, you can send one member of your party ahead with all the park passes to get fastpasses. When you report back to the ride at your fastpass return time, your wait will be 15 minutes or less.
- if you have your old card, it is usually useful to show to the CMs in Guest Services.

 

[momandseandodisney]

Thank you very much my son has a cond. called TFD

it is a temp disorder, where he can become very hot or cold in the blink of an eye regardless of the outside temp. he needs lots of cooling packs and heating packs in some cases, making lots wait virtually impossible, the staff was very great in accomadating us in 2003, I just forgot how to get the pass

Thanks very much

 

[w.bishop2@ntlworld.c]

Just a word from a GAC user (my son is autistic). We've just got back from our third visit to Florida and I was a bit worried that the GAC might be more difficult to obtain than on previous visits. But when I went to Gust services in Animal Kingdom I didn't have to show any documentation or have to provide a detailed explanation of my son's needs before being given a GAC stamped for us to be able to use an alternate entrance where available. In practice this almost always meant the Fastpass line. This was great because son can tolerate a line for as long as is common with fastpass and it wasn't obvious to either him or other guests that we were getting "special treatment". It was the same at Universal (where you have to renwe the GAC each day). I'm not sure if it was my honest face or my British accent - I always asked for help and gave a sincere "Thank you" to the CMs - but there was never any hint of doubt as to our eligibility for assistance.

I am truly grateful for, and appreciative of, the existence of the GAC. Each one of my son's visits has been made immeasurably easier by the consideration shown to us, even though when things are going well it's very hard to see that he has any problems at all.

 

[momandseandodisney]

Great to see you had a good exper. I have all the documents if needed, I travel with those papers always, but I dont expect any troubles