Trouble using GAC again.

[Mish]

I sometimes get embarrassed because people look at my son and I think they are thinking what is wrong with that child being pushed around in a stroller. Sometimes he is running ahead of me. My DS has a hip condition that affects him if he does to much running and walking around. After a long day of Disney he is in a lot of pain. The stroller helps him be able to sit and be pushed when his legs hurt. Sometime people say to me why is he in a stroller and I just say he has a hip problem and is not supposed to do a lot of walking. I think they think he is lazy. Last time we went to Disney we went to fantamisic I wanted to Die when the CM was yelling " please make room wheel chair coming through". People were all looking. While I understand it is crowded I felt like we were the center of attention. I will get my pass and hopefully there will be no issues. Thanks.

 

[Lives4Disney]

Taximom - I am really sorry about all the hard times you had. I also have a DD10 that is visually impaired and legally blind (although she doesn't know about the legally blind, or how bad her sight is compared to others - sounds a bit like your DD in that way - her vision team at school thought maybe we should put up the signs "Blind Child Area" in our neighborhood but we didn't want our DD to wonder/ask who they were for, lOL) We have been sooooo lucky for the most part at WDW with CMs, maybe because my DD uses a white cane & that alerts them to our situation. I am disappointed to hear you had so many challenges. We also only use a GAC on a couple rides/attractions. Our worst and most embarrassing and heartbreaking situations though have occurred with other guests, pointing and questioning WHY we were sitting in HC spots or WHY we skipped the snaking queues in the dark movie ride etc. (Her cane is foldable so not always noticable if she is just carrying it) It is very awkward and humiliating - and sad. It's hard enough having to ask for something out of the ordinary, and it brings it right home that your kid is different and needs something extra, they should be more sympathetic to anybody that needs any accomodations.

Hope you get somewhere on your email/letter/complaint. It sounds like somebody sure needs to be listening to this problem and correcting it.

Good luck,

Lives4Disney

 

[aurorasleeping]

I just wanted to second...or third...or fourth... the suggestion to please please PLEASE call and/or e-mail Disney directly if you encounter any of these such problems. Although I have never used a GAC (I might have to at my trip in October though... )...I was an attractions cast member for about 3 years, and have alot of experience with helping (or trying to help) Guests with GAC's, so I just wanted to throw my $0.02 in.

When I worked there (and from talking to people who still work there...) "Sensitivity-training" is still not nearly up to par. I noticed that most CM's would interepret the exact same GAC card (at the same attraction) in different ways... Usually do to poor training/having NO clue what to do...occasionally though they were just rude/obnixious people .
Hopefully, if Disney hears enough complaints about the service guests with GAC's recieve they will try to improve it...

Also, not all GAC's can apply at all rides. (I.E. There really is no logical way to have a "shadded" wait area at the Magic Carpets... or to use a stroller as a wheelchair on the swiss family treehouse)... Sometimes Cast Members may not have been properly trained with how to deal with a specific need that seems diffult to meet at a location (if it's really an issue please ask to talk to a coordinator)

If you encounter a just out and out rude CM, please try to remeber there name and where the work...mention this to Disney (yeah...I feel sorta like a rat for saying that...But I saw a lot of CM's doing horrible things (I tried to step in and remedy it when possible...but I couldn't always...) that they never got reprimanded for. (It usually takes more than one guest complaint for a cast member to get in any kinda trouble...so if Disney see's the same CM's name showing up over and over...they can usually take steps to remedy that situation)

Also, unfortunatly an increasing (or so it seems) number of guests try and "take unfair advantage" of their GAC privileges (i.e. demanding front of the line...when the card says "may use stroller in place of wheelchair" or "seated in front row"), So often towards the end of the day (especially busy ones) CM's could be a little twitchy about the cards...and unfortunatly we often tend to see everyone with a card as trying to do that It's not fair to anybody...and tends to ruin everybody's day... (guest and cast member alike)

Sorry..that seemed long. I'm also very sorry that anyone here had to suffer because of an incompent/un-trained/rude cast member while on vacation

 

[taximomfor4]

AuroraSleeping,
Thanks for the input from the other perspective! I certainly was worried that CMs would think we were "abusers." However, with the vision-impairment thing on the GAC also, I figured that made our needs more specific. I actually thought it made our needs easier to accomodate...just lead us in to the appropriate seating, lol. I guess in some shows that is more difficult.

In the past, HITA used to corral us with the wheelchairs, and when they let them in before the main crush by 20 seconds or so, we'd have that moment to get to seats at the exit-side of the rows. I am unsure why this was so difficult this time. But what really struck us (and embarassed/saddened dd) was when the CMs there couldn't decide what to do with us, and even began arguing with each other about us. Near us, and right in front of all the people in line who kept eyeing us.

I guess we are very sensitive about certain things, and this is one of them. We continue to feel that the GAC is a valuable tool for Special Needs WDW visitors.

Thanks again!

 

[stenickar]

I have 2 children with autism. My 9yo dd is verbal and most of the time a very happy girl. My 10yo ds is mostly nonverbal and can not tolerate babies or children crying. We bring ear phones to help muffle the noise. Because he walks very slow, likes his own space, is easily distracted and may need to leave an area immediately(crying, which we all know never happens at WDW, hehe!!) I have rented or brought a w/c for him when we visited WDW.
I have also bought and made business size cards describing each child's individual needs. I add a little blurb about autism. One of the cards I bought has the following sentence which I find very helpful....Please be patient while we teach our child how to function appropriately in the community. These cards can be handed to those gawking strangers that wonder "why you don't just discipline that child". Hope this helps, if anyone would like more info on the cards just let me know. Lori