Disney finally sees huge abuse of the GAC

[stargazertechie]

Hundreds if not thousands, actually. Small fires, mechanical malfunctions, etc.. cause ride shut downs every day at WDW. Just because a fire alarm goes off does not mean a firetruck shows up. This is not speculation hearsay, this is a fact.

And again, please cite how many incident reports, news reports, and formal inquiries have occurred as a result of a fire that required immediate evacuation due to imminent threat of bodily harm.

As far as I can tell, there are 15 publicized deaths that have occurred in the parks. 13 of those 15 deaths were due to natural causes. None of them were due to someone dying in a fire.

 

[stargazertechie]

I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, the PP was referring to the poster who said their child could NOT wait.

I believe that was specifically in response to "what do you do if a ride breaks down".

That's why there are alternate waiting areas provided for children who cannot wait in a mainstream line.

 

[mousermerf]

And again, please cite how many incident reports, news reports, and formal inquiries have occurred as a result of a fire that required immediate evacuation due to imminent threat of bodily harm.

As far as I can tell, there are 15 publicized deaths that have occurred in the parks. 13 of those 15 deaths were due to natural causes. None of them were due to someone dying in a fire.

Did you forget that the Tiki Room caught on fire..?

And again, something does not need an incident report to have occurred. Find a real ride Op and ask them - they have evacuated because of fires. I have when I was a ride Op.

 

[Robbi]

First of all there is a huge difference between a kid on the spectrum and a man dying of cancer. A child with Autism should be afforded the convince of not having to wait in line a child on the low end with mild SPD symptoms should not and parents who use that as excuse for a GAC or just doing so for their convince so they don't have to deal with an impatient child.

Do you have a child on the Autism spectrum? My friend does. Her son is on the high end however he still manifests symptoms such as meltdowns that are related to autism and not to his being bratty. So should he not qualify for a GAC?
She gets the GAC as much for others as for her son because she would not want him being in a crowd of people when he has a meltdown. This 10 year old is sweet and adorable 95% of the time. That 5% however can be messy and she cannot predict when this will happen.

 

[Sam81]

And I don't think anyone is asking for instant gratification, only for an accommodation that is reasonable. I don't think any parent with a child on the spectrum is asking for a FOTL pass- only an alternate waiting area that is more secluded for those times when it IS needed.

But what a lot of people are asking for just isn’t reasonable. I own a restaurant and employ 13 people. I have a wheelchair ramp and an accessible stall. I try my best to accommodate all my patrons but I have limits.
If you came in tonight and there was a wait for a table there is nothing I can do to shorten it for you. Even if you have issues standing/sitting or anxiety from not having a table right away. Nor do I have or can create a special room that is more secluded. If you want to eat here tonight you have to wait for a table.

I keep going back to Peter Pan. What would be a secluded area? How is this a reasonable request? What “you” are essentially saying is that I would like to ride this attraction, but I need a special waiting area, it needs to be quiet and out of the sun. Person B needs an alternate waiting area as well. But due to their anxiety they cannot be in the same room as Person A. Person C needs a peanut free zone. Person D has a fear of children so they cannot be in the same room as Person C. Person F has visibility issues so they need additional light but Person A needs it dark etc…Tell me how can you keep up?

 

[Sparkly]

You obviously have never dealt with a child with severe Autism. My ds can not wait. We do not fly, he screams when we are in traffic, and yes we have had to vacate a boarding area due to a break down.
You simply do not understand Autism.

I am so upset right now with the way people are posting on this thread. Walk a mile in my ds's shoes. Live in his world then you can judge all you want.

THIS! As a adult with Aspergers Syndrome, the GAC has been a lifesaver. It's helped me enjoy the parks without the meltdowns. Our first two trips, we didn't know about it, and it was awful.

I would LOVE to be able to wait in lines like a normal person. Surely you would rather let us just use our GACs rather then hear the meltdowns? Disney is all about making people happy, after all.

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

And I don't think anyone is asking for instant gratification, only for an accommodation that is reasonable. I don't think any parent with a child on the spectrum is asking for a FOTL pass- only an alternate waiting area that is more secluded for those times when it IS needed.

Every kid in town with mild behavior or social issues is being put on to the spectrum. Sometimes kids are just a little over active or socially weird not a big deal most grow out of it and they can all learn to wait in line. As a teacher it is very frustrating because my class rooster is becoming filled with on the spectrum kids all who are on the low end and resources are being taking away from the kids who truly need it and most of the kids would adapt better if their parents would stop making excuses and acting like it is the end of the world.

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

Do you have a child on the Autism spectrum? My friend does. Her son is on the high end however he still manifests symptoms such as meltdowns that are related to autism and not to his being bratty. So should he not qualify for a GAC?
She gets the GAC as much for others as for her son because she would not want him being in a crowd of people when he has a meltdown. This 10 year old is sweet and adorable 95% of the time. That 5% however can be messy and she cannot predict when this will happen.

No but I teach children who do and I was referring to those on the low end with mild SPD symptoms. I also never referred to any of them asbeing bratty but just pointing out that the majority of the time these children on the low end can learn to control themselves and adapt very well when taught how to do so.

 

[stargazertechie]

Did you forget that the Tiki Room caught on fire..?

And again, something does not need an incident report to have occurred. Find a real ride Op and ask them - they have evacuated because of fires. I have when I was a ride Op.

Thank you for jogging my memory on the Tiki Room. I don't see, however, where there would be an evacuation danger for someone with a mobility impairment as it does not require transfer and it is flat terrain.

And there is a big difference between minor mechanical/electrical fire (which can be easily suppressed by fire suppression systems) and blazing inferno where immediate egress is the only way to survive.

Last year, fire departments responded to 384,000 house fires. Even if EVERY SINGLE ride, show, or attraction at Disney experienced a fire EVERY SINGLE day of the year, there would still be less than 50,000 fires annually.

You're still at least 7 times more likely to die in a fire in your own home than you are in a fire at Disney.

 

[Robbi]

But what a lot of people are asking for just isn’t reasonable. I own a restaurant and employ 13 people. I have a wheelchair ramp and an accessible stall. I try my best to accommodate all my patrons but I have limits.
If you came in tonight and there was a wait for a table there is nothing I can do to shorten it for you. Even if you have issues standing/sitting or anxiety from not having a table right away. Nor do I have or can create a special room that is more secluded. If you want to eat here tonight you have to wait for a table.

I keep going back to Peter Pan. What would be a secluded area? How is this a reasonable request? What “you” are essentially saying is that I would like to ride this attraction, but I need a special waiting area, it needs to be quiet and out of the sun. Person B needs an alternate waiting area as well. But due to their anxiety they cannot be in the same room as Person A. Person C needs a peanut free zone. Person D has a fear of children so they cannot be in the same room as Person C. Person F has visibility issues so they need additional light but Person A needs it dark etc…Tell me how can you keep up?

DIsney has decided to allow GACs. At your restaurant, you do not. @ different businesses and 2 different ways of running them.

Every kid in town with mild behavior or social issues is being put on to the spectrum. Sometimes kids are just a little over active or socially weird not a big deal most grow out of it and they can all learn to wait in line. As a teacher it is very frustrating because my class rooster is becoming filled with on the spectrum kids all who are on the low end and resources are being taking away from the kids who truly need it and most of the kids would adapt better if their parents would stop making excuses and acting like it is the end of the world.

Take that up with the government and your school board. If you don't like what's happening in your class, maybe it's time to move on to either another school or another profession.

 

[Sparkly]

But what a lot of people are asking for just isn’t reasonable. I own a restaurant and employ 13 people. I have a wheelchair ramp and an accessible stall. I try my best to accommodate all my patrons but I have limits.
If you came in tonight and there was a wait for a table there is nothing I can do to shorten it for you. Even if you have issues standing/sitting or anxiety from not having a table right away. Nor do I have or can create a special room that is more secluded. If you want to eat here tonight you have to wait for a table.

That's why Disney is so good, they can accommodate special needs very well. You can't really compare a restaurant and a theme park though.

 

[mousermerf]

Thank you for jogging my memory on the Tiki Room. I don't see, however, where there would be an evacuation danger for someone with a mobility impairment as it does not require transfer and it is flat terrain.

And there is a big difference between minor mechanical/electrical fire (which can be easily suppressed by fire suppression systems) and blazing inferno where immediate egress is the only way to survive.

Last year, fire departments responded to 384,000 house fires. Even if EVERY SINGLE ride, show, or attraction at Disney experienced a fire EVERY SINGLE day of the year, there would still be less than 50,000 fires annually.

You're still at least 7 times more likely to die in a fire in your own home than you are in a fire at Disney.

You're also more likely to die slipping in a shower than anywhere else.. but we still recommend showers to most everyone. You can make anything seem foolish with statistics.

And if you crunched Disney's numbers per capita - the gold standard of comparison - you'd end up with scary high numbers because there's essentially no capita (like less than 12, literally) at WDW.

An evac is an evac. It need to happen orderly and someone who cannot be controlled during an evac should not be on an attraction. Also every day people break bones and some even die at WDW. It's true.

 

[Sam81]

That's why Disney is so good, they can accommodate special needs very well. You can't really compare a restaurant and a theme park though.

They are “so good” because they just let everyone do what they want and head to the front. As a CM it is so much easier to just let you into the FP/exit line than having a 20 minute conversation about why you can’t be in a blue room. That’s the current process right now. Hopefully they change it.

 

[Muddypaws]

As a teacher it is very frustrating because my class rooster is becoming filled with on the spectrum kids all who are on the low end and resources are being taking away from the kids who truly need it and most of the kids would adapt better if their parents would stop making excuses and acting like it is the end of the world.

Are you for real? You are a teacher? Thank god my son has never had you for a teacher.

Oh wait, he must have had your cousin one year. The year I had to pull him out of school because the bullying was so bad the school had to eventually have police involvement. And then months of counselling.When all was said and done, most of the blame came down to his teacher who said all the right things, but eventually we discovered a very different agenda. One that said "If you weren't so weird, these things wouldn't happen to you." And was said loud enough for the other children to hear. Talk about making it open season.

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

DIsney has decided to allow GACs. At your restaurant, you do not. @ different businesses and 2 different ways of running them.



Take that up with the government and your school board. If you don't like what's happening in your class, maybe it's time to move on to either another school or another profession.

Really because I am worried about the more serious cases like my Autistic children getting the services and the amount of instruction time they need I should switch professions? Children with Autism need a lot of attention and direct instruction not just academically but with their behavior, social, and self help skills and just because little Susie is afraid of loud noises and melts down anyone makes somewhat of a loud noise I have to leave to go deal with her melt down is ridiculous. Little Susie needs to learn to deal and adapt to her surroundings.

 

[Robbi]

They are “so good” because they just let everyone do what they want and head to the front. As a CM it is so much easier to just let you into the FP/exit line than having a 20 minute conversation about why you can’t be in a blue room. That’s the current process right now. Hopefully they change it.

No, they don't "just let everyone do what they want and head to the front". I've personally seen CMs refuse to give people a GAC.

 

[Robbi]

Really because I am worried about the more serious cases like my Autistic children getting the services and the amount of instruction time they need I should switch professions? Children with Autism need a lot of attention and direct instruction not just academically but with their behavior, social, and self help skills and just because little Susie is afraid of loud noises and melts down anyone makes somewhat of a loud noise I have to leave to go deal with her melt down is ridiculous. Little Susie needs to learn to deal and adapt to her surroundings.

Are you serious? Little Susie may not because of her syndrome be able to adapt to her surroundings.

 

[gwmort]

I agree with the others that are optimistic the RFID system will greatly reform how these things work.

I can see them having special GAC accounts that allow unlimited day of fp to be added one at a time by a CM at the RFID reader to allow returns in the same time frame as the standby line.

Then you can go wait anywhere that suits your needs, and no one ever needs to see if you have anything other than the magicband on your wrist. The current system can't handle that because of the need to constantly issue little slips of paper, when its just a few finger swipes should be no problem.

 

[alecshawn]

Every kid in town with mild behavior or social issues is being put on to the spectrum. Sometimes kids are just a little over active or socially weird not a big deal most grow out of it and they can all learn to wait in line. As a teacher it is very frustrating because my class rooster is becoming filled with on the spectrum kids all who are on the low end and resources are being taking away from the kids who truly need it and most of the kids would adapt better if their parents would stop making excuses and acting like it is the end of the world.

Yep...too many kids are over diagnosed..and frankly...some parents just stink at parenting...so they look to an M.D. to shell out pills...
Oh, and because my child has "issue" we have the right to ...go to the fron of the line.... Well...no you shouldnt.

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

Are you for real? You are a teacher? Thank god my son has never had you for a teacher.

Oh wait, he must have had your cousin one year. The year I had to pull him out of school because the bullying was so bad the school had to eventually have police involvement. And then months of counselling.When all was said and done, most of the blame came down to his teacher who said all the right things, but eventually we discovered a very different agenda. One that said "If you weren't so weird, these things wouldn't happen to you." And was said loud enough for the other children to hear. Talk about making it open season.

What are you talking about? I said just because a kid might not have all the social graces society deems appropriate at that particular age does not mean he needs to placed on the spectrum or given a GAC at Disney. Some kids are socially award/weird and it does not mean there is anything wrong with them or that they need special treatment and most grow out of it and learn to conform to societies norm.