Possible Changes coming to the Guest Assistance Cards (GAC)

[Nemo14]

I believe he meant that every 12 year old boy experiences the very same traits that partially define the symptoms of Asperger's.

But the point is, it's not the same thing at all.

 

[unkadug]

But the point is, it's not the same thing at all.

I understand that. I just think he meant that EVERY 12 yo is clumsy and awkward.

 

[Nemo14]

Indeed they are, but Asperger's "clumsiness and awkwardness" is a whole 'nother ballgame. If you ever spent a day with an Asperger's kid, you'd understand what I mean. It's not that simple.

 

[Yensid1974]

They haven't really dealt with any of the changes. I have a feeling that we will see some integration of this into the MM+ system. It actually makes sense if they can build in some FP+ options for the traditional GAC users. Like say, if they are allowed to schedule like 6-8 rides a day. Maybe OPS can have some control over when those times would be so we can spread those guests around the park during the day as to not have any of them waiting longer than necessary and also not cause any attraction backups. Interesting possibilities but nothing will really come I don't believe until the MM+ system is fully operational.

 

[doctornick]

They haven't really dealt with any of the changes. I have a feeling that we will see some integration of this into the MM+ system.

Whatever changes are coming to the GAC are coming to DLR as well (and, in my limited experience, I think GAC abuse is worse at DLR) and there won't be MM+ in effect out there. So, I don't think any upcoming change is going to utilize that much.

 

[merry68]

Well if your dragging your special needs kids on rides they don't want to do just so you can use the GAC, then you are not using the GAC for them. Nobody denies there is abuse, even those of us who use it know there is, and it angers us most of all because we may lose a benefit that Disney has given us to help make a possibly very stressful event a little less stressful.

As for TSM my son has no issues with it, but his issues are less visual and more tactile, and the ride is very short. For a long time noise did bother him, but we brought noise reducing headphones, and he was fine, he got stares but he did not care, and slowly but surely he got used to to noise and now we don't even have to bring them.

That is my point,., no one was dragging their kid on... everyone was laughing and having a great time as we had to wait about 10min near the 3D glasses in the FP line... and being in DHS we saw a few of them elsewhere in the park. Parents don't wanna wait in line and find out it's better to grab a GAC and suddenly have a kid with some form of autism.. easiest thing since each kid is different.

Sorry I wasn't clear that I believe that parents are reading up on the GAC and how it can benefit them, so they just suddenly have an autistic kid and go grab a GAC and bypass the lines when in reality no one in their party has a disability that would require use of a GAC.

 

[arko]

Whatever changes are coming to the GAC are coming to DLR as well (and, in my limited experience, I think GAC abuse is worse at DLR) and there won't be MM+ in effect out there. So, I don't think any upcoming change is going to utilize that much.

Short term MM+ is not in effect at WDW either, so if the changes are scheduled to start in August as some have indicated then MM+ would not even be an option. this is not to say that it couldn't be in the future.

 

[bethmygibbons]

I have trouble breathing because I've been smoking since I was 7. Can I have a GAC?
I have a splinter/bruise. Can I have a GAC?
I have a condition where I cannot wait in a line for more than 1 minute. Can I have a GAC?
I'm 1 month pregnant. Can I have a GAC?
I'm 8. Can I have a GAC?

Wow, how ableist.

 

[Nemo14]

I don't think that anyone here is saying that abuse doesn't happen, and indeed it probably is more rampant now. My point, anyway, was that Asperger's is a very real thing, and having a child with Asperger's changes the lives of the entire family. If a GAC helps them to have a little less stress, than I have no problem with that.

 

[GFD613]

The root cause of the GAC issue is that Disney has a capacity problem.

They have trained us to accept their terms of standing in line for two and a half hours to ride some dumb attraction.

If all of the lines were reduced to 15 or even 30 minutes, most of the people who posted here would be able to wait in standby, and there would be no incentive for abuse. Thus, he GAC could be properly used by those who need it.

When I mentioned this to my husband, he pointed out that Disney is not stupid. If they make you spend most of your day standing in line, you will have to come back a second day to ride all of the attractions, thereby increasing Disney's revenue in admissions, hotel nights, food and merchandise.

So this is all Disney's fault. Direct your anger at them, not the disabled, or even the abusers.

 

[doctornick]

If all of the lines were reduced to 15 or even 30 minutes, most of the people who posted here would be able to wait in standby, and there would be no incentive for abuse. Thus, he GAC could be properly used by those who need it.

Wait times are collectively less at DLR than at WDW and there are far more rides per guest there. And yet GAC persists and is arguably worse in California than at WDW. While obviously wait times -- and the ability to avoid them -- is going to promote fraudulent use of GACs, it's not realistic to expect WDW or any theme park to have 15-30 minute wait times on every ride especially at the busiest times of year. No park has that kind of capacity.

 

[Victor Kelly]

The root cause of the GAC issue is that Disney has a capacity problem.

They have trained us to accept their terms of standing in line for two and a half hours to ride some dumb attraction.

If all of the lines were reduced to 15 or even 30 minutes, most of the people who posted here would be able to wait in standby, and there would be no incentive for abuse. Thus, he GAC could be properly used by those who need it.

When I mentioned this to my husband, he pointed out that Disney is not stupid. If they make you spend most of your day standing in line, you will have to come back a second day to ride all of the attractions, thereby increasing Disney's revenue in admissions, hotel nights, food and merchandise.

So this is all Disney's fault. Direct your anger at them, not the disabled, or even the abusers.

Not to pounce, but this seems more of a trollish post. If one deems the ride stupid, they should not be waiting for it. If one chooses to blame Disney for their parks being popular and crowded, then one would expect another to not go to the parks. People here are not, and I stress NOT blaming any person with a need to have a GAC for anything or any problems. What people are fed up with is the abusers.

Everyone, Look at my Avatar for a second. I am the Groom. Does anyone see a disabled person? No you do not. I have PTSD, and anxiety, and social anxiety issues as well as severe sensitivity to light which cause migraines due to a brain injury. And I also have back and neck problems, although minor. Could I actually get a GAC? Possibly yes. But I do not, it is my choice because there are others more in need of it than myself.

The arguement is not about who needs what. It is about blatant abuse, by those that feel the need to scam the system, and even by some that have a genuine need, but abuse the priviledge.

We have parents of children on here actually working themselves up about their little ones that have something that requires an accomodation due to a medical reason. The one that sticks out the most to me, is the little girl that has a big issue with sunlight. She needs to get into shade ASAP.

GAC is not meant for people to do things as a scam. It is meant to help those that need the help. Nobody here want the people that need the help to not have it.

To try and call attractions stupid then try to blame Disney for the popularity of their parks is flat out ignorance and negativity. Here is my solution, don't go. Vote with your wallet. For every person that does not like Disney, there are 100 more that will take your place. And there are thousands more that would love to go but cannot afford to.

Sorry for the long winded post, I vacate the soapbox now.

 

[flynnibus]

Is a child with Asperger's (high functioning autism) covered under the ADA laws at theme parks? Is Disney under a legal obligation to provide these folks with immediate Fastpass lane access to whichever E Ticket attraction the entire family of five wants to go on?

I think that's been asked a few times in these types of threads, and I don't know there's ever been an answer to it.

I ask because if there is no legal ability under the ADA for a business ("Disney" in the form of a 12 dollar an hour hostess in a polyester plaid vest) to question the need for such a GAC pass, then there is obviously the ability for anyone to walk in to a Disney theme park and say "My child has Asperger's and we need the GAC pass for our 8 day vacation here." It would seem that there's a short list of code words one only needs to say in Guest Relations on each visit, and the GAC is handed over without question. And thus, the growing abuse.

But is Asperger's really covered under the ADA such that a theme park must allow that family priority boarding priveleges at every ride, no questions asked and no ability to put a limit on how many times they can ride Space Mountain in a day? I'd be fascinated to learn the legal requirements for such a customer service. And what other business (stores, transport, restaurants, government offices, etc.) must also oblige the family with an Asperger's child priority service ahead of other customers waiting in long lines?

Anyone know?

This has been covered before...

Does it apply at Disney?? Yes. Does it apply elsewhere like a grocery store? Yes

Does it apply to this disorder? Yes if it impacts major life functions and its pretty easy to find things that would impact life functions with significant autism cases.

But the rest of your question goes off track and this is where most people misunderstand things.

What the business has to provide accommodations for is not your disease, but simply what you have trouble doing. It's what disability/limitation you have -- NOT what your diagnosis or medical condition is. That's why you don't ask what their disease is -- it's what their limitations are. That's what the in person discussion is about

The problem is how Disney responds to the need for accomodations. And why the abuse problem is prevalent at Disney, and not at your grocery store.

 

[GFD613]

Not to pounce, but this seems more of a trollish post. If one deems the ride stupid, they should not be waiting for it. If one chooses to blame Disney for their parks being popular and crowded, then one would expect another to not go to the parks. People here are not, and I stress NOT blaming any person with a need to have a GAC for anything or any problems. What people are fed up with is the abusers.

Everyone, Look at my Avatar for a second. I am the Groom. Does anyone see a disabled person? No you do not. I have PTSD, and anxiety, and social anxiety issues as well as severe sensitivity to light which cause migraines due to a brain injury. And I also have back and neck problems, although minor. Could I actually get a GAC? Possibly yes. But I do not, it is my choice because there are others more in need of it than myself.

The arguement is not about who needs what. It is about blatant abuse, by those that feel the need to scam the system, and even by some that have a genuine need, but abuse the priviledge.

We have parents of children on here actually working themselves up about their little ones that have something that requires an accomodation due to a medical reason. The one that sticks out the most to me, is the little girl that has a big issue with sunlight. She needs to get into shade ASAP.

GAC is not meant for people to do things as a scam. It is meant to help those that need the help. Nobody here want the people that need the help to not have it.

To try and call attractions stupid then try to blame Disney for the popularity of their parks is flat out ignorance and negativity. Here is my solution, don't go. Vote with your wallet. For every person that does not like Disney, there are 100 more that will take your place. And there are thousands more that would love to go but cannot afford to.

Sorry for the long winded post, I vacate the soapbox now.

I am extremely hurt that you called my post "trollish". I was just trying to bring my own unique perspective to this conversation. If you read the entire thread, which I have, many not all but many, posters have said their disabled loved ones and they themselves could handle a shorter wait in the standby line.

The fact is we are all nuts to spend hours in line for these rides, and i speak as someone who enjoys them very much!

I will also point out that on our last visit in Jan 2010, I was using a cane due to a sprained ankle. I did not use a GAC, I didn't know such a thing existed, and no cast member ever suggested it might alleviate any of my suffering. And guess what? It was still a great trip!

Disney could do more to increase capacity and reduce wait times by not shutting down one side of a ride when crowds drop, and by adding more quality attractions to distribute the crowds. However, they have chosen to spend their money on DVCs, retail and restaurants. That's their choice, and their right. I am only pointing out the facts.

And by the way, thanks to the fact that hurricane sandy destroyed my home and my home office, leaving me with zero income, I won't be clogging up your lines any time soon.

Finally, I suggest everyone stop saying hurtful personal things on this thread. It isn't nice, and doesn't solve anything.

 

[TP2000]

The problem is how Disney responds to the need for accomodations. And why the abuse problem is prevalent at Disney, and not at your grocery store.

Got it.

Just throwing it out there... Have any parents ever gone to Target on a Saturday afternoon with their autistic child, and when faced with long 20+ minute lines at the frantic checkout lanes gone up to the Target manager and said "My child is autistic and can't wait in line, I need priority checkout service please." ?

And I wonder how that conversation would go between the Target manager and the parent? I can't imagine there is any grocery store or restaurant in the country that has established priority service options for those who can't wait in line due to a non-apparent disability. So why does Disney have to offer them? There are people who troll small businesses looking for out-of-code wheelchair access and then threaten to sue them for ADA violations and get bought off for a few thousand bucks.

If the ADA mandates that priority service accommodations be made for those who can't wait in lines, how come no one has ever tried suing a store or restaurant or government agency that makes their patrons wait for service?

My hunch is that the ADA makes no such claim and Disney doesn't have to offer anything more than a wheelchair accessible queue. And if the ride was built prior to 1990, then they should let wheelchair folks in through the exit. If the ADA did say that those who can't wait in lines must be accommodated with established priority service, there would be lawsuits all over the country at every popular store or restaurant.

 

[alissafalco]

The root cause of the GAC issue is that Disney has a capacity problem.

They have trained us to accept their terms of standing in line for two and a half hours to ride some dumb attraction.

If all of the lines were reduced to 15 or even 30 minutes, most of the people who posted here would be able to wait in standby, and there would be no incentive for abuse. Thus, he GAC could be properly used by those who need it.

When I mentioned this to my husband, he pointed out that Disney is not stupid. If they make you spend most of your day standing in line, you will have to come back a second day to ride all of the attractions, thereby increasing Disney's revenue in admissions, hotel nights, food and merchandise.

So this is all Disney's fault. Direct your anger at them, not the disabled, or even the abusers.

I have never thought about it that way, but you are exactly right! If the wait times were minimal this would not be an issue. Don't take what the other person posted personally, he was wrong to say that your psot was trolling. It was not at all.

 

[Monty]

Got it.

Just throwing it out there... Have any parents ever gone to Target on a Saturday afternoon with their autistic child, and when faced with long 20+ minute lines at the frantic checkout lanes gone up to the Target manager and said "My child is autistic and can't wait in line, I need priority checkout service please." ?

And I wonder how that conversation would go between the Target manager and the parent? I can't imagine there is any grocery store or restaurant in the country that has established priority service options for those who can't wait in line due to a non-apparent disability. So why does Disney have to offer them? There are people who troll small businesses looking for out-of-code wheelchair access and then threaten to sue them for ADA violations and get bought off for a few thousand bucks.

If the ADA mandates that priority service accommodations be made for those who can't wait in lines, how come no one has ever tried suing a store or restaurant or government agency that makes their patrons wait for service?

My hunch is that the ADA makes no such claim and Disney doesn't have to offer anything more than a wheelchair accessible queue. And if the ride was built prior to 1990, then they should let wheelchair folks in through the exit. If the ADA did say that those who can't wait in lines must be accommodated with established priority service, there would be lawsuits all over the country at every popular store or restaurant.

Apples and oranges.

It is an entirely different scenario in a local store than at WDW. If I had an autistic or otherwise disabled child, in most circumstances I would have a partner or other caregiver with whom I could leave said child while I went to Target and waited in line. Most people have coping mechanisms in place for the day-to-day problems that arise. It's an entirely different scenario at WDW. The parks are somewhere that the object is to enjoy the attractions with disabled family members. Thankfully Disney recognizes the distinction and does what they can to make families' experience in the parks enjoyable.

It seems lost on a number of posters in this and similar threads that Disney goes above and beyond what is required by the ADA because it's the right thing to do. Human decency is not something that can be comprehensively legislated or enforced, but over the years Disney has bent over backwards to be as compassionate and welcoming to as many people with disabilities as they could. Sadly, now the abuse has reached the point that some here are proposing that Disney stop being decent. I sincerely hope the Management at Disney who are reviewing the GAC program and abuses thereof aren't as single-minded or myopic as some of the posters in this thread and come up with changes that will address the abuses without destroying the incredibly humane and praiseworthy program that's in place.

There are things that could be done to reduce some of the more blatant abuses:

• Require that GAC holders' group be identified when they first get the GAC. This would stop the "renting" of GAC holders as guides by "rich" families.
• Have Medical Practitioners on staff to issue GACs rather than un-trained CMs at Guest Relations. The First Aid stations in the parks have nurses, perhaps they could be responsible. Then people might be less inclined randomly claim some disability they don't understand, if they have to explain what limitations are associated.
• Issue only one-day GACs. While a bit of an additional burden, I think most GAC users who are "legitimate" wouldn't object. Regulars would become familiar to staff and the process would go more smoothly. Members of the accompanying "group" could be identified at the same time. If a GAC user was constantly bringing different "family from out of town", it would become obvious fairly quickly.
• Once RFID is fully implemented, tie GACs to the RFID and use that to limit total number of rides per day to what could reasonably be accomplished by an able-bodied person during the season in question. This would address the abuse that gets a user multiple rides all day, thus riding more than able-bodied possibly could. Hard to determine what a reasonable number of rides would be. I rode Everest 27 times in one day without GAC during slow season. If I had spread my rides between a number of different rides I might have only rode 15 or so. I'm sure Disney could work out a reasonable formula. Then if the GAC user needs to get in as many rides as possible quickly, they could use up the allotted rides quickly and get out of the park before a meltdown occurred, or they could spread their rides throughout the day and have a more relaxed, less stressful pace if that's what they need. All without getting any "unfair" advantage and riding dozens of rides when thers can only accomplish a few.

Just some thoughts, certainly not comprehensive. It would still not curb all the abuse, but it would probably reduce it significantly.

 

[The Mom]

The Disney parks have a reputation for accommodating a myriad of disabilities of all types. Families know that this is one place where they do not have to face a thousand hurdles a day (just hundreds, most of which the average guest doesn't even notice) in order to do what most of us do on a daily basis. Because of that, during just one day at the parks you will most likely encounter more people with disabilities than you do for the rest of the year.

It is unfortunate that there are people who are selfish and immoral enough to scam the system, but I hope that a solution can be found that doesn't hurt those who have to deal with, at best, inconveniences for the rest of their lives. I was "disabled" for short periods a couple of times, and discovered obstacles, that I had never noticed, that made certain activities impossible. Thanks to ADA, they would be doable today. But I also cared for my parents as they became more and more disabled (both physically and mentally) and until you have to deal with it on a daily basis you have no idea of how frustrating and tiring it can become, even with improvements. This was with the knowledge that it would not last more than a decade or so - I can't imagine how hard it would be for a lifetime.

If no solution can be found, I hope that most of us can at least thank God that we (or family) are neither in need of a GAC (for now) or have so little integrity that we would lie to get one. Please try to have a little patience and compassion, even for those who you suspect are scammers - they are to be pitied for their lack of character. But I know I too get irritated with them, and have to keep reminding myself to ignore them, difficult as it may be.

 

[Nemo14]

The Disney parks have a reputation for accommodating a myriad of disabilities of all types. Families know that this is one place where they do not have to face a thousand hurdles a day (just hundreds, most of which the average guest doesn't even notice) in order to do what most of us do on a daily basis. Because of that, during just one day at the parks you will most likely encounter more people with disabilities than you do for the rest of the year.

It is unfortunate that there are people who are selfish and immoral enough to scam the system, but I hope that a solution can be found that doesn't hurt those who have to deal with, at best, inconveniences for the rest of their lives. I was "disabled" for short periods a couple of times, and discovered obstacles, that I had never noticed, that made certain activities impossible. Thanks to ADA, they would be doable today. But I also cared for my parents as they became more and more disabled (both physically and mentally) and until you have to deal with it on a daily basis you have no idea of how frustrating and tiring it can become, even with improvements. This was with the knowledge that it would not last more than a decade or so - I can't imagine how hard it would be for a lifetime.

If no solution can be found, I hope that most of us can at least thank God that we (or family) are neither in need of a GAC (for now) or have so little integrity that we would lie to get one. Please try to have a little patience and compassion, even for those who you suspect are scammers - they are to be pitied for their lack of character. But I know I too get irritated with them, and have to keep reminding myself to ignore them, difficult as it may be.

Well said!!!

 

[Wikkler]

Wow, how ableist.

I had to look the word up to know what you meant...

discrimination in favor of the able-bodied

I have trouble breathing because I've been smoking since I was 7. Can I have a GAC?
I have a splinter/bruise. Can I have a GAC?
I have a condition where I cannot wait in a line for more than 1 minute. Can I have a GAC?
I'm 1 month pregnant. Can I have a GAC?
I'm 8. Can I have a GAC?

I'm pretty sure people with splinters/bruises are able-bodied...
I'm pretty sure smokers are able-bodied...
The waiting in line condition is actually pretty much a BS excuse... If you cannot stand, get a wheelchair and a GAC, otherwise, just deal with it
I have no idea about the 1-month pregnancy though.

I don't think that anyone here is saying that abuse doesn't happen, and indeed it probably is more rampant now. My point, anyway, was that Asperger's is a very real thing, and having a child with Asperger's changes the lives of the entire family. If a GAC helps them to have a little less stress, than I have no problem with that.

We didn't realize the enormous benefits of the GAC until the last day, then we were all like:

Why didn't we think of that?

It certainly took the stress out of our son...