What can GAC's be given our for?

[tigger2on]

With all this stuff going on with Disneyland, I was wondering what GAC's have or are being given out for nowadays???

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have had a few people e-mail me concerning the Disneyland petition. They were worried especially that it would affect WDW. I told them I would not support the petition primarily because of inaccuracies in reporting, and suggested they come to this forum to learn more. Below are the points I raised.

1. It involves Disneyland in California and not Walt Disney World in Florida.

2. It brings Disneyland into agreement with WDW.

3. It eliminates "front of line" privileges which DL had on their "Guest Assistance Pass"and WDW does not have with its "Guest Assistance Card" (referred to as GAC).

4. Recently DL was issuing about 1,000 of these per day, while WDW was issuing about 200 per day at all four parks, in other words it was being misused. Because of the "head of line" feature it was being abused.

5. If a person is in a WC or ECV to the extent possible they will use the standard line or a CM will direct them to an alternate entrance (such as Splash Mountain where stairs are involved).

6. If a person has an "invisible" disability (such as autism, deafness, having to stay out of sun, etc.) or there is need to use a stroller as a WC, there are stamps put on the GAC to alert the CMs to what needs to be done. I know one person who has a power chair but is also deaf, and so needs to be seated where the interpreter is visible rather than in the wheelchair seating area in the back; she has to have a card.

7. A GAC at WDW is valid at all four parks for the length of stay. It covers the disabled person and up to five additional members of the party. If a person is in a WC or ECV and has no invisible disabilities they do not need the card.

8. Also, under ADA a doctor's note is not necessary to get a GAC. The disabled person must be present to get the card. However, if a doctor's note is used, it should be in plain English and not medical terminology. It should state what special assistance is needed. A simple request to allow head of line privileges will not be honored

 

[SueM in MN]

Very nice summary, Cheshire Figment.

From what I have read, the biggest changes to DL were to get rid of the front of the line access and to suggest people who had endurance problems use a wheelchair. WDW already suggested wheelchairs for endurance problems and doesn't have front of the line access, so the changes don't involve WDW, just bring DL in line with WDW.

They recently changed the GACs at WDW from a written format to pictures, but CMs have posted that they are basically the same, just the format changed so CMs are more easily able to read them/know what to do. I haven't seen the new ones. Some of the messages on the old written ones included:

1. being able to use a stroller as a wheelchair (bringing a stroller into lines where strollers are not usually allowed)
2. being able to wait out of the sub when the line was in the sun for a significant amount of time
3. using the wheelchair accessible entrances without a wheelchair (like for someone who needed to avoid stairs)
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[Safari Steve]

I can't tell you how many times I explained the GAC not providing front-of-line access only to have the guest angrily tell me "It does at Disneyland!" Making their policies consistent with ours will help eliminate those exchanges, hopefully.

 

[darlingfamily]

We have a child with severe autism. Self-injurious behaviors and tantruming if things get too bad for him. I would assume the GAC would apply to him as well? Would the typical protocal for him be that he be able to wait in the WC line since he has severe issues with being in close proximity to many people (like waiting in a normal que-that's not spelled right.)? We by no meas want to jump lines but when we went back in 98 it was a Godsend because he didn't have to be near crowds where we could help it and we could give him visual cues as to when it was his turn. I remember the CM being MORE then helpful when it came to him going on attractions. It was one of the best experiences we had.

I agree with the abuse that has been going on at DL. We lived there for 10 years and had annual passes. It got REALLY bad and the passes were being handed out to anyone would walk up and ask for one. They weren't even checking for disabilities of any kind. It was rather frustrating to walk up to Pirates of the Carribean and have to wait behing a party of 25. And, I am NOT kidding! That happened to us numerous times while we lived there. We would talk to City Hall but it always seemed as if it fell on deaf ears. The other issue we encountered was that the CM were less then respectful to those with the special assistance pass and I can only assume it was because they saw how abused it was getting. But, being ignored when your 11 year old boy is screaming and crying because we have been waiting for 30 minutes to get on a ride that should have only taken 10-15 is rather disheartening.

There is a "myth" about GAC and SAP not being offered to any "invisible" disabilities going around. In fact I got an email in my inbox just yesterday on a local disabilities eliist that I am on. I hope no one minds but I am going to email the list and direct them here. I think this will clear a lot of misconceptions up.

Anyone that could clear up my original questions I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[SueM in MN]

Originally posted by darlingfamily
We have a child with severe autism. Self-injurious behaviors and tantruming if things get too bad for him. I would assume the GAC would apply to him as well? Would the typical protocal for him be that he be able to wait in the WC line since he has severe issues with being in close proximity to many people (like waiting in a normal que-that's not spelled right.)?

First, I want to say that I am not connected in any way with WDW, except by being a frequent visitor, being the mother of a multiply disabled child and doing a lot of reading and communicating with people. But, this board has been in existance for 4 years and LOTS of people have posted their (generally good) experiences at WDW.

One of the things that is different at WDW than at DL is that many of the queues at WDW are wheelchair accessible. Those are called "Mainstream Lines" and unless wheelchair/ecv users have other special needs, most of the time they will be waiting in the Mainstream lines. For someone with your son's difficulties, the Mainstream lines would not really work unless the wait is short, so the CMs do have ways to handle things. Here's a link to the official Disney site listing the attractions with Mainstream lines. Here's a link also to the
offical Disney FAQs page about touring with disabilities. They don't mention anything about Guest Assistance Cards, but do refer people to Guest Services.
Another way that WDW is different than DL is that WDW got rid of the Guest Assistance Pass (GAP) about 4 years ago and changed it to a Guest Assistance Card (GAC). There is a big difference (and that's what's troubling the people at DL right now; they don't understand it). A lot of people thought the GAP was a "pass" that allowed them to get on a ride right away, sort of like an entitlement (even though it never really worked that way at WDW). WDW also has not given GAP for endurance issues; they have suggested a wheelchair or ecv for many years for people with "endurance concerns. The GAC is a tool to let the CMs know what types of assistance you need. Things like a quieter place to wait, bringing a stroller in line and having it treated like a wheelchair, waiting out of the sun, avoiding stairs. There are some things that the CMs have enough experience with (like autism) to guess what assistance you might need, but for the most part, the Guest needs to help the CM understand what sorts of things they need. It's a cooperative effort and if the Guest won't help the CM, the CM won't know what they need and they won't get a GAC. It is not against the ADA for the CM to ask what sorts of assistance someone needs (even though some of the people who are posting on other boards outside the DIS are saying that they should not have to do anything other than say they want a GAC). There is a learning process to it all and DisneyLand CMs are in the middle of that process right now. Were there problems at WDW while they were implementing it? Yes, but, for the most part, it appears to be working well at WDW.

To request a GAC, go with the person who has a disability to Guest Services in any of the parks. (Despite what some of the othe websites and bulletin boards are saying), you don't need to give a long, detailed explanation of your medical history. You do[/] need to be able to explain what sorts of difficulties you expect. The explanation you gave, darlingfamily, would be very helpful to the CM.
The GAC is usually given out for the person with a disability, plus up to 5 other members of their party. There are times when you may be asked to split into smaller groups (for example, some of the rides/attractions have small waiting areas and a couple of groups of 6 won't fit). The GAC is good at all parks and is usually issued for the entire length of your stay. Each GAC is stamped with a message (or messages) that indicate what sorts of assistance you need. WDW recently changed the format of the GAC to make it easier for CMs to read it. I haven't actually seen a new one yet (but will in March!), but from what has been posted by visitors and WDW CMs, it was mostly a change from words to easier to read icons and education to CMs about the change.

There is a "myth" about GAC and SAP not being offered to any "invisible" disabilities going around. In fact I got an email in my inbox just yesterday on a local disabilities eliist that I am on. I hope no one minds but I am going to email the list and direct them here. I think this will clear a lot of misconceptions up.

Feel free to direct people here. Some of the frequent posters here have done the same thing on other boards they go to (without a lot of success because people tend to believe the email that's going around, even though it's full of inaccuracies -like saying you need to pay for FastPass. Most of us are getting very frustrated about some of the mis-information out there.

 

[darlingfamily]

Oh that is so helpful! I was turned on to this site by my sister who is a frequent WDW goer. I was floored when I came here and saw all the information that people were swapping. Just wonderful! I understand completely that these are all personal experiences and no one is speaking on behalf of WDW.

Thank you for clarifying what I should tell the CM when we get there. I have no problem waiting our turn I just don't want to subject everyone to my son's issues as well as the problems he would have in a regular waiting area. Hopefully, my fears will be all for naught. (wouldn't that be nice! LOL)

This gives me exactly the information I was looking for and believe me with 4 kids (2 of which have sensory issues and autism) we are going to try and be very clear about our needs and patient with the accomodations. I remember that when we went we had a wonderful time and our experience was a good one.

You are right with the accommodations differing between DL and WDW I think this is where the confusion has really set in. My DH took the girls to DL over Christmas break and they had already started changing over the SAP and he said that the experience was a thousand times better then when we used to go as annual passholders (man I miss those days though. )

We are plannig a trip in Oct. and I am so pleased to have found a place with such a wealth of information!

THANK YOU AGAIN!

Heather

All 6 of us in Oct of 2004!!!