Teens using a GAC?

[PatMcDuck]

What a weird situation. I have 2 kids with "issues", and the younger son (age 20) usually gets a GAC at WDW. (well, we get it for him, he has Downs, Autism, not verbal, visual difficulties, balance and stamina concerns, etc.). My daughter, now 17, has had multiple serious health problems over the last 3 years. She sometimes needs a wheelchair and GAC for completely different reasons than DS. We have in the past just gotten the one for DS, because we travel in the parks together, and his covers just about everything, sometimes both are in wheelchairs anyway. We have not been to WDW as a family in 18 months, but we are coming over New Years this year. Here is the thing, DD is having MAJOR issues right now, we almost cancelled this trip (like we did for the June trip). We may get her a GAC as well, because she wants to go to the parks with her 18 year old cousin without us at times...... I am not sure but if we do this, will she have trouble using a GAC, I mean 2 teens without parents using one? I know this should not worry me, but it does. People are mean enough to us with my son sometimes, running in front of his chair to beat us to line queues, etc.

I have not made up my mind on this, because I am not sure what accomodations could be made for her, and it may not be possible for her cousin to push her in a wheelchair (DD outweighs the cousin by 40 pounds). I think they will just have to stop and rest often, use FP, of course. I was just wondering if teens without parents can use a GAC without other guests becoming suspecious..... Otherwise they may be 2 teens, one in a wheelchair, and people will think they are faking needing the WC. (she has bad arthritis in both knees, probably more knee surgery coming in January)

What a crazy rambling post this is, sorry!

 

[seashoreCM]

Otherwise they may be 2 teens, one in a wheelchair, and people will think they are faking needing the WC. (she has bad arthritis in both knees, probably more knee surgery coming in January)!

Would they mind wearing a fake cast on a knee or lower leg? (Not the same kind for each of them.)

Or how about a sign hung on the wheelchair: "I can walk -- only to first base."

It is likely that CM's at the rides admit wheelchair users more quickly than they should because it is more difficult to time things otherwise. For example counting off 4 minutes to synchronize with the spot in the line this wheelchair guest would have been had he not neede a wheelchair before this wheelchair guest goes in ,the n 6 minutes to synchronize with the rest of the line and the next wheelchair guest goes in etc.

Then other guests see this and start faking with their own wheelchairs. (Is it really easy to bring in a wheelchair to fake with?)

 

[jmartinez1895]

It is my understanding that anyone who needs a GAC gets one. The CM's at the attractions should not give them a hard time because they had to explain their needs to the CM's at guest service to get one. As far as what other people think, don't worry about them, let them think what they want. We use the GAC for my sons hidden disability, but we happened to be in line at Dumbo with a child that was severily handicap and it was very obvious taht he needed help and after the CM came over and let us know that he would unload the group that was on and then let us on a man in the standard que said very loudly that it must be nice to have a kid that can get you out of waiting in line. ( We had waited for a very long time so he was very wrong about not waiting in line, but anyway). Some people are just mean and others are just stupid. Don't let what anyone thinks ( or what you think they are thinking) get in the way of your families fun and most importantly the saftey of their health.

 

[cosine4]

They should be fine, they aren't abusing it so don't worry what others think.

In regards to other people being rude/mean and inconsiderate to your son in the wheel chair, keep in mind that most of those people are just rude/mean and inconsiderate to everyone. While pushing a stroller (even when I used to be a fast paced walker) people would intentionally jump in front of the stroller. I have even had this happen as a walker. I know this doesn't make it better, but maybe not being singled out makes it a little less annoying.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Have you thought of renting an ECV for your daughter? As she is 17, there are some off-site places that would be willing to rent her one, as long as they feel she is capable of driving it safely and responsibly. Have a look in the FAQ for details of off-site rental companies. Another option would be to look at rental companies local to you. Having an ECV would give her a little more independence, and allow her to go off with her cousin, without worrying about him getting too tired to push her.

As for the morons out there who think they can judge medical need with a single glance - they can go stick their opinions where the sun don't shine! I am partially mobile, and use a wheelchair whenever I leave the house but can still stand up from it when I need to transfer. I've never noticed anyone make any comments; even when I was a teenager and used a Disney wheelchair, before things got bad enough for me to need my own. I have seen one or two 'looks', and last trip I had somebody tut at me because I was having too much fun to be a genuine wheelchair user. When I notice these things, I just burst out laughing! If they want to ruin their own holiday by worrying about what I'm doing, and whether I need to, that's their lookout - I'm not going to let them spoil my fun.

I've found that decorating up my wheelchair turns any would-be-glares into smiles and positive comments. Your DD might find this works for her, too. I tend to go for beads, ribbons and fairy lights (outdoor ones, of course), but she can choose whatever suits her best

Slightly OT point, but if your daughter ever wants to talk to other people going through similar things to her, I am on a forum called But You Don't Look Sick, which has been a great help to me. It's a very positive community, very friendly, and has plenty of people her age (and others!) with invisible illnesses and disabilities.

However you choose to do things, I hope you all have a great trip! Don't worry about what others think, and never be afraid to ask for the help you need; Disney offer plenty of assistance to those of us with extra challenges, so take it!

 

[Schmeck]

People are mean enough to us with my son sometimes, running in front of his chair to beat us to line queues, etc.

I don't understand this part of your post - are you saying that it bothers you that people who can move faster than someone in a wheelchair can get ahead of you before you get to the queue? Would that mean that everyone has to move down Main Street at the exact same pace, etc? I mean, whether people are walking, pushing strollers, riding in ECVs or wheelchairs, we all go at our own pace, and whoever gets to the queue first gets to the queue first. (no shoving or tackling allowed, of course)

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't understand this part of your post - are you saying that it bothers you that people who can move faster than someone in a wheelchair can get ahead of you before you get to the queue? Would that mean that everyone has to move down Main Street at the exact same pace, etc? I mean, whether people are walking, pushing strollers, riding in ECVs or wheelchairs, we all go at our own pace, and whoever gets to the queue first gets to the queue first. (no shoving or tackling allowed, of course)

I know exactly what she is talking about.

Have you ever been on the highway where cars were moving along well, not exactly the same speed, but roughly the same and traffic was flowing?
Your car was a safe following distance behind the car ahead of you. All of a sudden, one car came much faster than all the rest and snuck ahead of you, with just barely enough room to fit into your safe following space without hitting you or the car ahead of you. In order to have a safe following distance again, you have to slow down so the 'sneaky' car is safely ahead of you.
The OP is talking about the WDW foot traffic equivilent of that. We are following traffic ahead of us at a safe following distance. Someone comes quickly from behind or the side (no lanes like on the road) and goes into your safe following distance. It is not usually one person; the one person comes first and then their whole group is ahead of you. We have occassionally had it happen where people actually said to other members of their group to 'hurry up and get ahead of that wheelchair."

I'm sure it happens sometimes to people who are walking also, but they don't have a very large following distance that anyone thinks they can 'use'. It is more of a problem with a wheelchair or ECV because people see the following distance that you need to leave for safety and they interpret it as an empty space they can go into.

 

[Schmeck]

Thanks for the analogy Sue - that does make sense, and it would bug me too. I didn't realize the OP meant right as they were getting into the queue. That's rude!

Of course people are going to get ahead of them as they are walking to the queue - we all go at different paces, some people stop to look in windows, take photos etc, some maniacs run, pushing their kids in strollers at breakneck speeds - we all just have to be polite, and realize that we all get there eventually, whether we move quickly or slowly. But to cut people off as they enter the queue, and state that fact out loud?

 

[Kay1]

My 18-year-old son has autism and uses a GAC sometimes (though now he can usually tolerate a 20-minute wait). My 19-year-old sometimes takes him on rides and once took him to DHS on his own. He has reported no problems at all.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

It is not usually one person; the one person comes first and then their whole group is ahead of you. We have occassionally had it happen where people actually said to other members of their group to 'hurry up and get ahead of that wheelchair."

I'm sure it happens sometimes to people who are walking also, but they don't have a very large following distance that anyone thinks they can 'use'. It is more of a problem with a wheelchair or ECV because people see the following distance that you need to leave for safety and they interpret it as an empty space they can go into.

Of course people are going to get ahead of them as they are walking to the queue - we all go at different paces, some people stop to look in windows, take photos etc, some maniacs run, pushing their kids in strollers at breakneck speeds - we all just have to be polite, and realize that we all get there eventually, whether we move quickly or slowly. But to cut people off as they enter the queue, and state that fact out loud?

And these are the people that us evil wheelchair users run down

!! Before anyone roast me alive, I'm only kidding, but I don't mind calling people out on what they've just done, or at the very least, making loud and pointed comments to my partner e.g. "Have I gone and turned invisible again? Because those people just jumped over my footplates to get ahead of me!".

 

[Beccabunny]

This has happened to us a few times when we've used our daughter's special needs strollers in the mainstream queues. One family shoved past us, hitting the stroller so hard my daughter almost fell out. Another time a woman shoved past us, then called for her entire family to join her in line, resulting in more shoving past us. This is one of the reasons we now use our GAC for alternate entrance whenever possible. This sometimes results in a shorter wait, which annoys the very people that like to shove us aside, and often results in a longer wait, but without the hassle of dealing with rude and obnoxious people.

 

[peemagg]

Those are also the people who have to pass you on the road, just to get to the stop sign first. They are also the idiots who when it snows around here forgets how to drive and end up in the ditch. That is when I find my justice.

When people do things like that to me in WDW, I don't feel the least bit sorry, nor do I feel the need to apologize to them. If they hadn't cut in front of me so close that I can't stop in time, then they are the ones who should be apologizing to me. If it is something that I did, then I will but otherwise if you are too stupid to jump out in front of me like that, then take the bruises and scrapes that you deserve.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I don't understand this part of your post - are you saying that it bothers you that people who can move faster than someone in a wheelchair can get ahead of you before you get to the queue? Would that mean that everyone has to move down Main Street at the exact same pace, etc? I mean, whether people are walking, pushing strollers, riding in ECVs or wheelchairs, we all go at our own pace, and whoever gets to the queue first gets to the queue first. (no shoving or tackling allowed, of course)

Sorry, i did not make sense. Heck no, I pass people in wheelchairs myself on Main ST,(when not with my son at WDW). I meant a few specific situations, where people literally jumped over us to get ahead if us as we enter a queue. Usually one in the rude family darts ahead of our group just as we enter, and then he calls out to his family to climb past us to join him...... Just annoying, sets a horrible example the rude family's kids, you know? I am so mellow, Type B person, not much gets me upset in life..... but sometimes it gets to you.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Sorry, i did not make sense. Heck no, I pass people in wheelchairs myself on Main ST,(when not with my son at WDW). I meant a few specific situations, where people literally jumped over us to get ahead if us as we enter a queue. Usually one in the rude family darts ahead of our group just as we enter, and then he calls out to his family to climb past us to join him...... Just annoying, sets a horrible example the rude family's kids, you know? I am so mellow, Type B person, not much gets me upset in life..... but sometimes it gets to you.

Been there, done that, got the notches on my wheelchair counting up how many of them I ran over

!

 

[jenn-n-okla]

We used a GAC for our daughter for 2 seperate trips. She has one of those "invisible" diseases...a rare lung disease. She "doesn't look sick" most of the time. We used the "stroller = a wheelchair". SOME people were/are rude. However when they would see the tubing on her face they were somewhat better. For the times she wouldn't use the Oxygen but was just to tired to walk, people would give us dirty looks in the least because "why did she get to bring her stroller". Like you said a few times we were able to get through the line faster, but more often we had to wait. I think it seemed like we were going faster because we entered a different area at the end of our wait and there were less people to deal with, but man oh man people running ahead....I normally just let them go. We have been so many times it is not a huge deal to us to "be the first". These are usually the same idoits who rush to the stop light just to be first and then still have to wait with the rest of us.

 

[videogal1]

Those are also the people who have to pass you on the road, just to get to the stop sign first. They are also the idiots who when it snows around here forgets how to drive and end up in the ditch. That is when I find my justice.

When people do things like that to me in WDW, I don't feel the least bit sorry, nor do I feel the need to apologize to them. If they hadn't cut in front of me so close that I can't stop in time, then they are the ones who should be apologizing to me. If it is something that I did, then I will but otherwise if you are too stupid to jump out in front of me like that, then take the bruises and scrapes that you deserve.

The rather large party that tried to squeeze past me at an attraction there also tried to explain to the CM that I was part of their group in an attempt to get preferred seating (HA!). When the CM looked my way I shook my head and she sent the people back to the entrance... I'm not sure it's possible for someone to ride the coattails of those with a GAC but teenagers may not have as much success in repelling strangers who want to join the party for the perceived benefits...

 

[dclfun]

Pat- after all that Bridget has been through, I think as a Mom you're likely worried about her getting her feelings hurt or having to deal with emotional pain on top of everything else. I really wouldn't worry about it or put it in her mind that people might be rude. She's been around when rude people darted in front of Sean ( and I know exactly what you meant) and has compassion that many other teens wouldn't have due to her brother's special needs, I'm sure. I'd let her go on her own with her cousin as much as possible because at her age, she needs some independence from her family. Even though she's heavier, that doesn't mean the w/c will be too hard to push as with wheel's it will move with it's own force. You can go to GS with her to get her GAC and then send her on her way-she's a WDW pro. Meanwhile I'm sorry to hear she's had more problems.---Kathy

 

[PatMcDuck]

Thanks Kathy! We leave in 5 days, wow. We think she will need a wheelchair for some of the time there, on top of the knee arthritis on both knees, she has a stress fracture in one foot. That is healing, but too much walking and it still gets sore.

Sean has his own chair, so we are set with him just fine.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

When we went to WDW with my friend, she used a wheelchair. She is a young, seemingly healthy (although very overweight) 20 something. You can't tell by looking at her that she has graft vs. host, both of her hips have been replaced, and both her knees and ankles need to be (not that you can replace ankles.)

FWIW, I pushed her most of hte time when she was in the chair and it wasn't too bad. And she outweighs me by at least 100 lbs.

When I worked there in attractions, I would get young people all the time using the GAC without their parents. We never questioned it. If somebody thinks it is not on the up and up they can ask if the person on the GAC is with the party in line, but most won't even do that. I think I've seen a CM do that one time when a wish kid could not ride the ride and the brothers were trying to use the GAC.

I would just ignore the idiots and do what's best for your family. At that age she is going to want some independence. People will look askance at any teens who are alone, people will always find a reason to be judgmental. Just talk to your daughter ahead of time and I'm sure that she will be okay.