visual impairments

[cab0899]

My 6 year old son has a significant visual impairment, he can't not see distances well at all. Is there anything I can do about ensuring better seats at some of the shows so that he can see the stage?? Thanks, Kim

 

[Cheshire Figment]

At the first Disney park you go into; go to Guest Services with him and explain his problem. You will be issued a "Guest Assistance Card" (referred to in disABILITIES as a "GAC") which will allow him and the group (of up to five additional people) to special seating areas. Tis will be vlid at all the Disney parks for length of stay,

 

[cab0899]

Thanks for the information! We'll give it a try.

 

[SueM in MN]

The GAC will assist you for shows like Festival of the Lion King at AK (actually all the shows at AK), Fantasmic, Beauty and the Beast and the Indiana Jones stunt show, where a CM will lead you to your seats. The rides it will make a difference for would be things like the Great Movie Ride, TOT and Star Tours at MGM or Ellen's Energy Adventure and Body Wars at Epcot, where everyone is seated in a theater car. For most of the other rides, all the seats are about the smae distance away from the "action".
The places people have had problems are the movies (like ITTBAB, the Muppets) or shows like Little Mermaid that load a lot of people quickly for a short show. We've seen people with viaual problems for those shows just sort of left to fend for themselves and we have pointed them to the door that will be closest to the front of the auditorium, so at least they will be going in the right direction. Luckily for you, most people don't like to sit in the very front row (unless it's a live show). The other thing to keep in mind is that you don't always want to follow the guests in wheelchairs or ecvs. Sometimes wheelchair seating is at the back of the auditorium (examples would be Little Mermaid, Muppets, Cranium Command). We've had experiences where someone with a vision problem was arguing with a CM that they had a right to be with the "other people with disabilities" when the CM was trying to make sure they did not end up in the back.