What to expect with GAC?

[jeremeyp]

My wife and I are taking our son with Down syndrome to Disney World for his first time in July. My mother and my wife's 9 year old sister will also be joining us.

I was wondering what kind of accomdations we might expect with the GAC. The primary one I am looking for is for us to be able to take his stroller in the line with us. We are going during a pretty slow week, so I'm hoping lines won't be much of a problem. (12/12-12/18)

Due to the Down syndrome, he has low muscle tone, and I'm afraid he'll tire fairly easily if he has to stand in line. Additionally, he has ADHD, which makes it VERY difficult for him to stand still for any length of time without being in a stroller (or car seat).

Thanks in advance for any answers.

 

[LilyWDW]

My wife and I are taking our son with Down syndrome to Disney World for his first time in July. My mother and my wife's 9 year old sister will also be joining us.

I was wondering what kind of accomdations we might expect with the GAC. The primary one I am looking for is for us to be able to take his stroller in the line with us. We are going during a pretty slow week, so I'm hoping lines won't be much of a problem. (12/12-12/18)

Due to the Down syndrome, he has low muscle tone, and I'm afraid he'll tire fairly easily if he has to stand in line. Additionally, he has ADHD, which makes it VERY difficult for him to stand still for any length of time without being in a stroller (or car seat).

Thanks in advance for any answers.

When you go to the parks, head to guest relations. Explain as you did here that due to low muscle tone he would not be able to physically stand in line for long periods of time and you are needing to use his stroller as a wheelchair. This is one of the most popular accommodations. You will be given a tag/sticker to place on the stroller so that CMs can see it is being used in this way.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[deerislemaine]

We don't have a lot of experience, but we were really impressed with Disney last April. Our son is highly functional and very smart AS kid. He has a lot of sensory challenges. Loud noises and being around people in close quarters for long periods is challenging to him. After a popular ride, we'd have to take a break and find a quite place.

We went to the guest relations with a letter from his physician, but they didn't want to see that. They wanted us to explain what accommodations he might need, and they wanted to talk with him. I don't remember what was on the GAC, but it allowed us to be in WDW for 9 days with dignity and have a blast. The card allowed our son to bypass some long lines, and that was a big help because he couldn't handle the crowds without taking a break. We could do some rides, and then find a quite spot. More importantly, there were 4 occasions when he had a sensory overload, and we really needed to find a quite place that was dark. Our son was almost traumatized on 2 occasions, and the card allowed to to get help. The CMs helped up find a quite place on one occasion. On the other occasion, they got us on the train on the other side of the MK quickly so that we could get out of the park fast-- he just need to get away from the noise.

The whole experience has changed how we view vacations. We used to go camping on an island or travel abroad to remote places. We were really concerned about Disney because of all of the stimuli. It turned out that our son (and our other two kids) had a wonderful time. There were challenges, but the GAC and attitude of the CMs made it so that we could deal with everything. The whole experience caused us to buy a DVC membership and plan more trips to Disney.

Other than being pleased with the service, I was pleased that the staff decided what accommodations we needed. My advice is to explain your situation at Guest relations, and I'm confident that they'll help you.

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't have time for a long post right now, but want to welcome you and point you toward the disABILITIES FAQs thread. You can find that thread near the top of this board or by following the link in my signature.
Post #6 is about Guest Assistance Cards (GACs) and includes information about using a stroller as a wheelchair.

Exactly what happens with a GAC depends on what the persons needs are, which is why you have to have them with you and explain their needs. It also depends on the attraction - what it has available to meet different needs and even things like staffing at the time. So, I try to avoid saying "this is what will happen," because it often won't work exactly that way.

Some people need only to bring a wheelchair or stroller in line - since all attractions are wheelchair accessible to get to the boarding area, their experience may be mostly just getting in the regular line with the wheelchair or stroller.
If that is the only need, someone using a wheelchair doesn't need a GAC ( although someone with a stroller as wheelchair would). And, gong when it it not busy, you may find the waits are very short for many attractions and you don't need anything besides the stroller in line for those.

People with additional needs, such as your child, would have a stamp appropriate to their needs stamped on their GAC. The GACs are not meant to shorten waits ( that is even printed right on the GAC) sand not all accommodations are available at all attractions. So, how your child's GAC is handled will be different from someone with different needs and will be possibly different at different attractions, depending on what is available there. It may even be different for the same attraction for the same person at a different time because if things that are not visible to guests - like exactly how the line is being routed and staffing at the time.

So, if you are told to do something different on a second ride of the same attraction, it doesn't mean you were not treated correctly.

They will do as much as they are able to meet your needs.

 

[jeremeyp]

Thanks everyone. Your responses were very helpful. I had read the FAQ, but still didn't know exactly what to expect in our situation.

Calvin is 4 and, for the most part, non-verbal. He uses some word approximations, but only a few of us know what he actually means.

I have seen a lot of posts on the Autism Spectrum and was trying to figure out how some of those accomodations may help with Calvin. He does tend to get over-stimulated. His developmental pediatrician (who we love, and is an expert on AS issues) had an interesting observation, though. Calvin almost deals with the world in the opposite way that most individuals on the AS deal with it. Rather than trying to shut the world out, he trys to drag you into his.

His ADHD will also be an issue. His motor does NOT stop running. He has to take medication to help him sleep with his CPAP at night. I haven't found an activity yet that has worn him out (not even a nap). I've been wondering if WDW might do the trick!

This will be our first vacation of this type with him. I'm hoping the light crowds will be helpful.

Thanks again!

 

[snow_white's_mom]

If you go to guest relations they will help you, I would bring your son in with you when you get the GAC. You don't need a doctors note or anything, just explain the situation. You will get a card thats good for the length of stay and a tag to put on his stroller that will allow you to take his stroller into areas that you normally couldn't. We use this for DD, it defiantly helps with long lines and also places like the land in epcot. Have a great trip!

 

[ratlenhum]

I didn't read all the replies so this may have been mentioned.

Asked them to mark your GAC "Stroller as a Wheelchair" They put a stamp on it and give you a big red sticker to put on your stroller handle.

 

[cwright]

Thanks everyone. Your responses were very helpful. I had read the FAQ, but still didn't know exactly what to expect in our situation.

Calvin is 4 and, for the most part, non-verbal. He uses some word approximations, but only a few of us know what he actually means.

I have seen a lot of posts on the Autism Spectrum and was trying to figure out how some of those accomodations may help with Calvin. He does tend to get over-stimulated. His developmental pediatrician (who we love, and is an expert on AS issues) had an interesting observation, though. Calvin almost deals with the world in the opposite way that most individuals on the AS deal with it. Rather than trying to shut the world out, he trys to drag you into his.

His ADHD will also be an issue. His motor does NOT stop running. He has to take medication to help him sleep with his CPAP at night. I haven't found an activity yet that has worn him out (not even a nap). I've been wondering if WDW might do the trick!

This will be our first vacation of this type with him. I'm hoping the light crowds will be helpful.

Thanks again!

Hi-

Your son sounds a lot like mine. When we went to Disney last, he was 5. We went to guest relations first thing and I did bring a note from our doctor(I say safe rather than sorry). It simply said that Jake was a great little boy with Autism and he would need some extra help with .....(whatever your little guy needs, ie. lights and noise, close crowds, etc.) They also asked if we would like a stroller as wheelchair sticker and trust me you do!! It was the single most helpful thing that we had at Disney. Most of the time, and I do know that it could be different depending on your experience, they didn't even ask us anything. As soon as a CM saw our sticker, they led us to the handicapped accessible queue and away we went. It was much quieter and calmer in that area for most rides. Also, if you need child swap passes you can ask for those too if your little one doesn't want to ride and both of you do. This gave our daughter a chance to ride some things she wanted twice in a row. I figure with all of the other things she has to go through because of Autism, this pass is well deserved! Hope this helps. --C

 

[Enzo's Dad]

We just got back in October. Our Son has a genetic dissorder that gives him low muscle tone as well. He is three and only able to wallk with a walker, and not for long distances. We did the stroller as a wheel chair. It worked great, the only time it was questioned was at the baby center in Epcot. That was a bit shocking but, I think the lady had not been told about the red sticker, by her boss. The only thing we noticed is we put the sticker on one of the handles and if the CM was on the otherside they would question us until we showed them the sticker. Then it was like you were a VIP, they could not be nicer.

 

[WeLoveToyStory]

My son is 7 and also has Down Syndrome. We have done the GAC the past 2 years to be able to use his stroller as a wheelchair. He has the low tone and standing in lines is very tiring on him and also he just sometimes needs a place he can retreat to if things around him are getting a little too chaotic. He's small for his age, but holding him is very tiring for myself and husband. The GAC was great to assist with this. We used it on attactions that had long waits, but would carry him into the shorter lines. We also utilized Fast Passes whenever possible so then we mostly just walked onto the ride like anyone else without using the GAC.

They will give you a tag to place on the stroller and also an index card stating what your child's accomodations are. Be sure to always have the card with you along with the stroller tag. There was once when my husband and I were separated and he had the index card and I had my son with the stroller and the CM would not allow us to board without viewing the card. And there were several other times when they asked to see the card prior to allowing us board.

Hope you have a great trip! We are currently planning our 3rd trip for next year. My son absolutely loves Disney and so far we've found it is really the only amusement park that he can enjoy. We've tried other local places, but there's not much he can do. I just can't trust him to ride kiddie rides alone and myself, hubby, and his older sister are too big to ride with him and at most places he's too small for anything bigger than kiddie rides.

 

[ppony]

We just got back a few weeks ago from our first trip using a GAC for our youngest AS child. We needed to have the stroller for him becuase he simply will not walk if he doesn't want to (and thusly doesn't have any muscle tone to speak of from so little walking), He won't wear shoes unless its moccasins (and even then, rarely), he doesn't understand nor follow directions and is non-verbal. SO the stroller as a buffer between him and other guests as wella s a way to keep him with us period was our ony option. That GAC was a God-send! As you guys all know, it's hard enough with children like ours, so for Disney to be so gracious and friendly to allow us some help in our situations is worth price beyond measure. While I can't say I ahd a great trip, my DS10 and DH did and I was at least able to enjoy as much of the parks as I ciould and it would have never been possible w/o that card. If the OP wasn't to PM me about specifics I'd be THRILLED to share to give you a better heads up as to what you'll experience! You might already have the info alrady since this thread is a few months old or I'd PM you myself.