traveling with child who is visually impaired and autisic

[WDWMom]

Friends of ours of thinking of doing a trip to WDW. To get an idea of the cost, they put their info in trying to price a package at disney.com. Near the end, there was a question about any members in your party being visually impaired and she checked yes. She said the price of the package went down some. So my question is, does disney give any discounts for visually impaired guests? Their son(11) is legally blind and is autisic as well. They are not going to go with a package because they are basically a rip off and we can help them plan the trip for much less $$$ than Disney charges. (we have been over 20 times) So wondering if there is any special ticket for visually impaired? She had also heard families with autisic kids get a special fastpass. Is this true and if so, do they need some kind of documentation and from where?

 

[soulmates]

Friends of ours of thinking of doing a trip to WDW. To get an idea of the cost, they put their info in trying to price a package at disney.com. Near the end, there was a question about any members in your party being visually impaired and she checked yes. She said the price of the package went down some. So my question is, does disney give any discounts for visually impaired guests? Their son(11) is legally blind and is autisic as well. They are not going to go with a package because they are basically a rip off and we can help them plan the trip for much less $$$ than Disney charges. (we have been over 20 times) So wondering if there is any special ticket for visually impaired? She had also heard families with autisic kids get a special fastpass. Is this true and if so, do they need some kind of documentation and from where?

My sister took my nephew, who is autistic & wheelchair bound. They needed no documentation. There is however, a disabilities board, maybe you can get your answers there.

Good luck!

 

[frayedend]

I don't know about price but a package isn't always a rip off. It depends on the deals being offered at the time.

 

[DaniB]

A friend of mine has a son who is legally blind and autisic. She once told me she does not have to pay admission for him to most places.

I'm in Canada though. Not sure what the set-up is for Florida.

I'd suggest checking with the disabilities portion of the board, and perhaps even phoning WDW.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Yup, definately check the disABILITIES forum. You'll find lots of good info!

And also, the packages aren't always a rip-off. Like any good sale, you've got to dig!!!!

 

[maroo]

You will find a lot of information on this topic on the disABILITIES board here on the DIS.

But, for clarification on this thread - the "pass" you are asking about is called a Guest Assistance Card or GAC.

You can find information about it HERE. That is a link to the Frequently Asked Questions on the Disabilities board here on the DIS.

It is NOT a Front of the Line pass. Guest Services issues this cards based on the specific needs for the person requesting accomodations.

Check the disabilities board - they will have lots of information about this.

Disney doesn't give discounts based on disability, to my knowledge - but they do a great deal to accomodate people with all sorts of disabilities.

If you are interested in discounts, I would check the Codes and Rates board (located under the Resorts Forum).

 

[MareSINY]

Definitely no such thing as a front of the line pass, unless you get a Fast Pass, and even that isn't a front of the line pass.

My niece is autistic and on our last trip we got her a GAC (Guest Assistance Card) that allowed us to use her stroller as a wheelchair and also stated that she needed a quiet area to wait for the ride. Since most rides don't have separate entrances for wheelchairs (they can wheel through the line with everyone else) it helped to have the added note about needing a quiet place to wait (she doesn't handle crowds well). We were escorted to a waiting area and waited the same amount of time we would have had we not had the pass. We didn't use it much because we found that she was just too over stimulated on the rides and it was just too stressful for her to ride most rides so we took turns staying off the rides with her.

 

[WDWMom]

Thanks everyone. I will check out the disabilities board.

 

[soulmates]

Definitely no such thing as a front of the line pass, unless you get a Fast Pass, and even that isn't a front of the line pass.

My niece is autistic and on our last trip we got her a GAC (Guest Assistance Card) that allowed us to use her stroller as a wheelchair and also stated that she needed a quiet area to wait for the ride. Since most rides don't have separate entrances for wheelchairs (they can wheel through the line with everyone else) it helped to have the added note about needing a quiet place to wait (she doesn't handle crowds well). We were escorted to a waiting area and waited the same amount of time we would have had we not had the pass. We didn't use it much because we found that she was just too over stimulated on the rides and it was just too stressful for her to ride most rides so we took turns staying off the rides with her.

I beg to differ, my nephew is wheelchair bound, autistic & has Cerebral Palsy. My sister, her husband, my niece & nephew NEVER waited in a line. A CM took them to the front EVERY time. Now,I have no idea if it's a coincedance that each CM did this, or what...but I do know, she had an incredible trip. The CM's were very kind and treated them very well. Sadly, because of his sensory probs, she only stayed till noon w/ him and then they took him back to the resort. However, they never stayed in one line.

 

[WDSearcher]

My nephew is wheelchair bound, autistic & has Cerebral Palsy. My sister, her husband, my niece & nephew NEVER waited in a line. A CM took them to the front EVERY time. Now,I have no idea if it's a coincedance that each CM did this, or what...but I do know, she had an incredible trip. The CM's were very kind and treated them very well. Sadly, because of his sensory probs, she only stayed till noon w/ him and then they took him back to the resort. However, they never stayed in one line.

It very much depends on the individual circumstances. Presuming that your nephew was not part of some special group (DreamKids, GKTW, etc), it could simply have been that the Guest Relations person dealing their GAC decided to toss some extra magic their way and set them up for FOL access like the VIPs. It could also be that your sister felt like she was getting FOL access when she was getting normal guest assistance. (A lot of people who by-pass the regular line feel as though they are getting some huge FOL benefit, when in reality they are not. "Not waiting in line" and "front of line" are two different things.) It really depends on how often your sister had been to WDW with your nephew. If this was the first time they went with him, she could have felt that she was getting something special when, in fact, she was being treated the same as any guest with a GAC.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the disABILITIES! board.

 

[kteesmumma]

My son is legally blind as well...we will be getting one of the GAC's but will only be needing to use it for any shows we may go see...so that hopefully we can get seats alot closer..that way he can see it better.

as far as any discounts due to being visually impaired..id be curious about that. where exactly was this question on the website..I have looked and priced out so many different packages..I have never come across this question...although I have never pushed the BOOK NOW button...as I am not ready to book...

 

[SueM in MN]

First - I have never heard of any discounts at WDW because of any disabilities.
I'm not sure of the reason why the price went down for the OP, but I'm quite sure that it was not because of disability.

Second - Guest Assistance Cards are not meant to shorten or eliminate waits in line. That is actually printed right on the card. There is information about GACs in post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. I know it is factual because I have WDW Guest Relations CMs read it for me every once in a while to make sure it is still up to date.

The only people who get actual front of the line access are children on Make a Wish or other Wish trips.
And, even then it sometimes doesn't work out that way. I was just reading a trip report where someone on a Make a Wish trip posted they had to wait 40 minutes for one attraction.

A lot of people THINK that they got front of the line access because they are not really aware of what is happening at the attraction and are just aware of what is happening.
Sometimes, because of how that attraction works/loads, the person may be pulled out of the line and think they are getting on sooner, but they really are just waiting in a different place.

And, people have heard so much about lines in WDW that they expect lines and if they don't have to wait, they think it is because of the GAC or wheelchair they are using, not just that it's not busy. We have been to WDW in January and February at times when you can literally take a picture and not have more than 5 people in it. Even during busy times (like Christmas and Spring break) it is possible to ride everything in Fantasyland without having more than a 5-10 minute wait for anything - no GAC, no wheelchair, it's just not busy at certain times.
That's what services like TourGuide Mike and RideMax take advantage of to advise people when to go where.

Some examples of things that might look like Front of Line, but are not:

• Buzz Lightyear with DD in her wheelchair last year. We were prepared to get into the regular line, but a CM called us over to the Fastpass line and gave us a handwritten Fastpass. If I had not been to Buzz Lightyear many times, I may have thought we were getting special treatment, but that's not what was happening. The 'regular' line was only a 5 minute wait, so we would have waited the same amount of time whether we had gone in the regular line or the Fastpass line. The regular line has more bends and corners than the Fastpass Line, so it would have taken us longer to get thru it. Since people were walking quickly thru the regular line, we would have actually slowed the regular line down. So, we were put into the Fastpass line, but still waited the same time.
• Haunted Mansion - we were sent into the exit by the CM at the ride entrance. Because the line was not long and that ride loads into the shrinking room in batches, we ended up getting on the ride at the same time as the people joined the regular line just ahead of us going into the exit. The wheelchair has to be on the exit side for loading because the 'regular' boarding spot is in a different spot than the exit. We have gone to Haunted Mansion at other times (even the same day) and have been in the regular line until it reaches the hearse. CMs who work at Haunted Mansion have let me know that guests with special needs are taken out of line in both of those ways depending on how full the waiting area is (not really based on how long the wait is).
• Small World - Guests with special needs may wait in line until the line gets to a doorway on the left side that leads to the exit. At times, they may be sent directly thru that doorway without waiting in line. Guests normally board on one side of the boat and then exit on the other side. Anyone with a mobility device needs to board at the same side as they will exit, otherwise their mobility device will be on the wrong side of the water when they get off. The exit ramp is the only way to get the mobility device on the correct side of the water. The doorway can't be any farther down the line or there would be no way to get across the water to the exit.
  Guests with special needs wait on the exit side. You may not feel like you are waiting, but often are waiting even longer than if you could have walked on thru the usual line
• Any movie or show - Guests with Special Needs are often taken in before the other guests are brought into the theater. This is not an 'advantage', it's because there are limited numbers of seat for people with special needs and the CMs need to have the people who need those seats wait together so that they don't send more people into the theater than there are seats for them. You may be send somewhere earlier to wait, but usually will enter the same show as other guests who were right ahead of you.
• MK is the oldest and least accessible park, so there are some attractions with lines or boarding areas that are not wheelchair accessible. Guests using those will have to be handled differently or use a different entrance. Sometimes that means a shorter wait, sometimes a longer one.
  For guests who have not been to WDW before or often, those differences may seem like front of the line access because they were removed from waiting in the regular line, when they actually don't get on the ride any faster.

THere are many more examples - this is just a sample. All of those things would have felt like we were getting faster treatment if we were not aware of how long the wait in the 'regular' line was.
But , the only true Front of Line access is for WISH trip kids, and even they have to wait at times.