Possible Changes coming to the Guest Assistance Cards (GAC)

[flynnibus]

In order to get a parking pass you have to go to the doctor and then fills out a form you send it to the state and you are issue a parking placement card and a card . with this card you are told by the state that you can not be denied any available services and if you are denied that it is a violation of the law .this card can be issue for a permanent or temporary disability ( e.g. broken leg ) i know it will not cover every one but just asking for the card will cut down on abuse of GAC and not breaking any privacy laws.

Unfortunately that is not the same thing and can't be applied that way. The ADA laws require the accessible parking spots exist - not control who uses them. That's state motor vehicle law. And the state disability programs are generally only about mobility, and the ADA is far more reaching in it's scope.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Martimouse, i have a disability and contributed to this thread, i even gave details.

I'm fortunate to not need the gac, using an ecv and my crutches is all i need.

 

[Yensid1974]

Why am I going to do that when I could be enjoying my day?

Why not use my anecdotal evidence of not seeing 1 out of every 3 parties whip out a GAC card in the Fastpass line? I'm sure I've experienced a wider variety of Fastpass queue than a cast member at a singular attraction.

At the end of the day, my statement still stands:

If someone get's their jollies by lying about a disability to get on a ride 20 minutes earlier, then so be it. It's not right, but also isn't my job as a consumer to police them.

Bottom line, I would let 10 people lie about it if it guaranteed that one Make a Wish kid got to do every thing they wanted to on their vacation.

I just don't feel the need to take a stand on this, especially when the abuse is mostly perceived and not quantified.

You are missing the point entirely. If all those extra people are abusing that card then they are also delaying the others who really need it. How many abusers would it take for you to decide it was time to change something? 20-1, 50-1, 100-1? At some point a line has to be drawn and if passed then a change needs to be made. Just because you as a guest doesn't always see or notice the abuses of the system does not mean they don't exist. We as CM's and the company in general will not lose sight of our desire to help those who need it, that isn't even the question. The question is how can we do that better so that the system isn't abused by a significant number of people. Also, a large percentage of CM's also work on multiple attractions so they don't just see one specific FP line. Lastly, no one is asking you as a guest/consumer to police the system, that is the responsibility of the company which is what they seem to be doing now and this is just a discussion as to why.

 

[Lucky]

The question is how can we do that better so that the system isn't abused by a significant number of people. Lastly, no one is asking you as a guest/consumer to police the system, that is the responsibility of the company which is what they seem to be doing now and this is just a discussion as to why.

Part of it seems pretty obvious based on what I'm hearing from CMs here, and from what I've heard elsewhere. Stop issuing GACs to AP-holders that are good for 2 or 3 months, even when guests are only asking for a length-of-stay pass. Stop issuing GACs to groups of teenagers, or to a parent who doesn't even have his special-needs child with him. Stop reaching for the card to fill out before the guest has even finished requesting it. Personally I'm skeptical that many of the guests who request a GAC are just liars or fakers, but it sounds like the company up to now has been doing its best to encourage lying and faking.

 

[jakeman]

You are missing the point entirely. If all those extra people are abusing that card then they are also delaying the others who really need it. How many abusers would it take for you to decide it was time to change something? 20-1, 50-1, 100-1? At some point a line has to be drawn and if passed then a change needs to be made. Just because you as a guest doesn't always see or notice the abuses of the system does not mean they don't exist. We as CM's and the company in general will not lose sight of our desire to help those who need it, that isn't even the question. The question is how can we do that better so that the system isn't abused by a significant number of people. Also, a large percentage of CM's also work on multiple attractions so they don't just see one specific FP line. Lastly, no one is asking you as a guest/consumer to police the system, that is the responsibility of the company which is what they seem to be doing now and this is just a discussion as to why.

Provide me an accurate number of GACs issued in a day and an accurate percentage of the people coming through a Fastpass line on a GAC. Then we can have an intelligent discussion about how much the GAC is affecting Fastpass lines and from there move on to potential abuses and ways to rectify them.

You can't solve a problem before you know how bad it is. Regarding GAC abuse at WDW, all we have is one article about DL and a handful of anecdotal stories from cast members. None of those cast member in the Fastpass lines or at Guest Services have yet to mention that anyone with a GAC hasn't been able to do what they wanted to. Therefore, unless there is other empirical data, the benefits of the system are outweighing the abuses.

I don't doubt that improvements can be made, but what you have in this thread are people who have admitted to spending their time in WDW monitoring what other people do for the sole purpose of upsetting themselves in the name of social justice. That's what I'm commenting on.

 

[Spikerdink]

In order to get a parking pass you have to go to the doctor and then fills out a form you send it to the state and you are issue a parking placement card and a card .

To which I would answer this: In NY, once you get the handicap sign to put over your rear view mirror, it can be given to ANYONE to use/abuse. Years ago, I rode the train from Long Island to my job in NYC (1 hr + ride). Every morning, there was this brand new Corvette in a handicapped spot right near the stairs to get to the platform. One morning, I happened to see who got out - a young woman, about 25. She got out of the car and sprinted up to the train and hopped right on. As I walked past the car, I happened to see her roller blades in the car on the seat. So....my thought was Grandma/Grandpa got the pass, gave it to darling granddaughter so her shiny new car was in a separate location away from the masses and also so close she needn't worry about getting wet/cold/wind damaged.... Could she have had a disability that I didn't see - sure, but I will bet anything it was a scam....

Now, to the Disney relevance -

Over the years I have travelled with many different friends. A few times we have gotten a GAC. One was for a friend who had recently completed radiation therapy for prostate cancer. From all outward appearances, he looked healthy. But the radiation caused weakness in his legs and he found it hard to stand for long periods. So, we used the card when we could so he could enjoy more of his vacation. There were rides we didn't need it on, and there were times he went back to the room to rest and we did not take the card from him.

I have another friend who has systemic lupus - again, you would not know it by looking at her. But if you could see the scars from the pick line for IV treatments every night, you would see she has battled fiercely. She will make use of the GAC to minimize her wait times when possible because she knows she will have a limited amount of energy and these vacations are important to her. She often does not want to use a wheelchair, but we have insisted so that she can reserve what energy she does have for the things she wants to do. When we get to any ride, we always say she can ambulate and we will go throug the cue as necessary.

In both of these cases, the GAC helped make the guest's experiences better by allowing them to enjoy more of the park within the scope of their disability. I have never judged anyone who uses a GAC since you simply 'don't know' by looking. But I have seen people who will trade it off, use a wheelchair to bypass part of the line and scam their way through the day. If you challenge them, most likely you will get the same response as those who would hoard fastpasses all day and then use them anytime they wanted, ie "It's something that Disney hasn't enforced, so why shouldn't I take advantage of it."

My solution - have various versions of the GAC. Autistic child who can't wait in lines? Blue card - use alternative entrance for guest and reasonable party. Broken leg/wheelchair/bone issue? Red card - use the alternative entrance. Heat/asthma/lung issue? - Yellow card - no reduction in lines, but reasonable accomodation when possible. Finally, the person needing the card must be present to acquire it, and their photo should be attached. Not a perfect solution, but might lead to discussion that will!

Sorry for the long post!

 

[Todd H]

Seriously your post just brought me to tears... You and your family have a right to enjoy Disney regardless of all the messed up people in this world who take advantage!! I have seen first hand what Disney can do for children with autism and I think that you should continue to go and enjoy! The joy that you get out of seeing your son smile is WAY more important than some people's rants about line cutting.

Plus, if you dont go, the people who are abusing the card win. They continue to go and abuse while families who truly benefit from it stay home from embarrassment. Dont be embarrassed. Take your son, watch the joy in his eyes, and take whatever advantages you have at your fingertips-you deserve them! If any of these people had a child or family member with autism.. they would be singing a different tune! This is from a Momma who would rather stand in line with her children and watch a few people take advantage then see the card disappear for those who really enjoy and benefit from visiting Disney not be able to go! /rant

Thanks for the kind words. Much appreciated.

 

[DisneySaint]

I've bowed out for the past 6 pages or so and have read every post and the only thing I can sum everything up with is "See? This is why it's a problem."

I hear from people who legitimately need it; I hear from people who don't. I've seen some good ideas how how to 'handle' it, and I've seen some bad ones.

Again, as someone who worked at [what at the time was] the #1 most popular attraction in WDW - Soarin' - to somone who worked in Guest Relations, I've had more exposure than anyone to this. I can say this about Soarin': GACs made up maybe 25% of the total people going through the Fastpass line. And that's a high number. Some of these statistics of it being wildly out of control upwards of 90% are incorrect. The issue, frankly, is not quantity but legitmacy. How many of those people using GACs to go through the Soarin' FP line actually needed them? Hard to say, because the majority (in my experience) of disabilities are invisible. The issue also balloons to whether how many people of those who have the GAC and have a real disability actually need that card. For that matter, what actually constitutes the need? That's pretty much been the debate of this whole thread. Who needs to bypass the line? And whose to say who needs to? The guest? The GM? God?

Someone stated it earlier in this thread about the dialogue that takes place between a Guest Relations CM and a guest. That's it: "I need a GAC." "What's the disability?" "XYZ Syndrome" "How many people?" "Here you go." What more do you want the cast to do? I'm a 20-something year old making barely above minimum wage with a park filled with 50k+ people and a line out the door. From my experience, people immediately go on the defensive when you inquire more. Imagine the respones to questions like "Well, WHY do you need to skip the lines?" "WHY can't you wait in line?" "Can you tell me more about that disability?" "I don't know what the condition you just said is, can you describe it?" I'm not a medical professional. How can I determine where someone's child is on the autism spectrum, or whether someone simply needs to rent a wheelchair or they legitimately need to skip the line?

Asking people to pre-send in medical information or bring doctor's notes with them? Give me a break. You guys have to realize that a LARGE (majority) of guests are average Joe Bloe "come to Disney every 5 years without planning" non-WDWMagic reading experts. This will never happen nor should it be expected to. Disney has its hands tied. They have to offer reasonable accomodations to guests but we live in a society where people will ALWAYS find a way around the system.

I'd like to say I have a "fix it all" solution but I don't. No matter what you come up with, there will be a problem. And who's to say who gets what? Here's the conditions I've seen people ask for a GAC on:

Autism, Down's, pregnancy, heat, skin problems/sun, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Diabetes, Amputees, bad knees/backs/feet, migraines, ADD/ADHD, claustrophobia, elderly/old age, traveling with baby/small children, Alzheimer's, xenophobia, aversion to crowds, illness (flu/cold), vertigo, and many more.

Some of you may look at that list and say "?" but I want you to stop and think about something: Roleplay yourself as the Guest Relations CM and someone comes in and says they have any of the above things and they need a GAC. What do you do? What if they say they got a GAC last time? What if they want a manager? What if they don't "look" like they need it? What if the party is big? What if they throw a fit at you?

This is a tough, tough thing.

 

[Lucky]

This is a tough, tough thing.

Yes, WDW puts young low-paid CMs who aren't medical experts in a tough situation.

But some of these situations aren't so tough. Why offer AP-holders GACs that are good for 2 or 3 months? (That's probably done to save yourselves the time of having to write them another one when they come back next month. But then there's more GACs out there that people could be lending to their friends between those visits.) Or why give a GAC to a parent who says he has an autistic kid but doesn't even show up with a kid?

 

[PirateFrank]

Such as?

no no, you get to go first. You get tell my *why* they can't do anything else. Your assertion came first. not mine.

 

[DisneySaint]

Why offer AP-holders GACs that are good for 2 or 3 months? (That's probably done to save yourselves the time of having to write them another one when they come back next month. But then there's more GACs out there that people could be lending to their friends between those visits.)?

For the reason you just said. Some APs visit several days a week; it'd be inconvenient for them to get one every single time they come.

Or why give a GAC to a parent who says he has an autistic kid but doesn't even show up with a kid.)?

The answer you'll hear: Because autism is invisible. 4 out of 5 kids with autism I can't tell just by looking at them, so what does the kid do to reinforce anything? They can just bring any kid in (as they usually do) and say "My kid here has autism." It's considered insensitive to ask someone to "prove the person exists" Half the time I told guests that the person who needs to get the GAC has to be present they'd bring in a heavily disabled person bound to a wheelchair and say "Happy now?" and half the time they'd disappear and never come back.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Provide me an accurate number of GACs issued in a day and an accurate percentage of the people coming through a Fastpass line on a GAC. Then we can have an intelligent discussion about how much the GAC is affecting Fastpass lines and from there move on to potential abuses and ways to rectify them.

You can't solve a problem before you know how bad it is. Regarding GAC abuse at WDW, all we have is one article about DL and a handful of anecdotal stories from cast members. None of those cast member in the Fastpass lines or at Guest Services have yet to mention that anyone with a GAC hasn't been able to do what they wanted to. Therefore, unless there is other empirical data, the benefits of the system are outweighing the abuses.

Just shrugging this off like "well I don't see it, so its not a problem!" is exactly why its becoming a HUGE problem. I'm sorry to say this but the abuse IS ABSOLUTELY affecting the experience for everyone who is not abusing it, whether you want to accept that or not.

And why do you need "official" numbers? Disney is unlikely to ever release that information publicly and if they did it would be heavily skewed anyway to hide how far they've let it slip. Its kind of ridiculous to assume that since the higher ups were not aware of the widespread abuse at DL (as alluded to in the OP article), that the frontline cast is exaggerating. Listen to the people that deal with this stuff day in, day out, not some suit who steps foot in the park once a year. We have people with first hand experience in here telling you that the MK hands out somewhere near 450 cards a DAY. And that's just the MK, on one day, each one being good for up to 6 people, usually valid for several months. So on any given day you have over 400 new parties with new GACs, and add in every party that already has one and the result is an absolutely staggering number of people have them.

Why not use my anecdotal evidence of not seeing 1 out of every 3 parties whip out a GAC card in the Fastpass line? I'm sure I've experienced a wider variety of Fastpass queue than a cast member at a singular attraction.

Because you pass by the checkpoint quickly and aren't actively checking everyone? Because it probably never even occurred to you to even pay attention to what others are holding? Also as someone else mentioned, many CM's work multiple attractions - not everyone is a college newbie, but even if they were, it doesn't take much to realize there's a problem.
I think most of you on here would be shocked and appalled were you to to monitor a Fastpass checkpoint at, say, Soarin', for an hour.

 

[captainkidd]

no no, you get to go first. You get tell my *why* they can't do anything else. Your assertion came first. not mine.

There's nothing they can do. It's been said over and over in this thread. It's all got to do with certain laws. It's pretty much a no-win situation for Disney.

 

[jakeman]

Just shrugging this off like "well I don't see it, so its not a problem!" is exactly why its becoming a HUGE problem. I'm sorry to say this but the abuse IS ABSOLUTELY affecting the experience for everyone who is not abusing it, whether you want to accept that or not.

And why do you need "official" numbers? Disney is unlikely to ever release that information publicly and if they did it would be heavily skewed anyway to hide how far they've let it slip. Its kind of ridiculous to assume that since the higher ups were not aware of the widespread abuse at DL (as alluded to in the OP article), that the frontline cast is exaggerating. Listen to the people that deal with this stuff day in, day out, not some suit who steps foot in the park once a year. We have people with first hand experience in here telling you that the MK hands out somewhere near 450 cards a DAY. And that's just the MK, on one day, each one being good for up to 6 people, usually valid for several months. So on any given day you have over 400 new parties with new GACs, and add in every party that already has one and the result is an absolutely staggering number of people have them.

Because you pass by the checkpoint quickly and aren't actively checking everyone? Because it probably never even occurred to you to even pay attention to what others are holding? Also as someone else mentioned, many CM's work multiple attractions - not everyone is a college newbie, but even if they were, it doesn't take much to realize there's a problem.
I think most of you on here would be shocked and appalled were you to to monitor a Fastpass checkpoint at, say, Soarin', for an hour.

Are you a cast member?

 

[Jodie Newman]

I was really interested to read this as I've just come back from a trip to Disney and had nothing but issues because of the abuse of the guest assistance passes. I have a disability I was born with which makes it very hard for me to walk long distances and even harder to stand for very long without my muscles freezing. I would be quite happy for the busy rides to give out fastpasses to those of us who genuinely cannot stand in a queue for ages, at least it meants when you get back to the ride you know you won't be stood there for ages. Unfortuneatley I found so many people were being allowed to use this facility just because they were in wheelchairs, not that belonged to them but ones that they had hired for the day in the park. Now I don't have any issues with people hiring chairs if they need them but when you see the majority of them just wandering along pushing the chairs and then sitting in them to get on rides it can get a bit galling. My main annoyance with abuse of this was during the parades. There is designated disabled viewing areas as most people are aware and it would seem that just being on wheels is enough to allow you access to them. Because of the sheer volume of wheelchairs - again 90% hired from the park - all us genuine disabled people were seperated from our carers as there was no room for them to be stood with us, what would have happened if there was an emergency? Not exactly safe for us at all. What really galled me though was the young girl in the electric scooter next to me, she was with her boyfriend who was sat on her lap - who no-one seemed to want to move - but I saw her get up, go for food with no problem walking at all, she was practically skipping back!! And there was a gentleman behind her in an adult pushchair who you could clearly see had severe disabilities, but beause of this girls selfishness this man could not see a thing throughout the parade and he'd be seperated from his carer while this girl was allowed to have her boyfriend on her lap!! Disgraceful if you ask me.
I obviously bought all this up with Guest Relations on my way out of the park and although they were in agreement with all the things I was saying they are unable to do anything about it as their policy with these passes is that they are not allowed to ask any guests what the nature of their disability is or why they need assistance. This policy was brought in after a survey in which the majority of guests found it discriminating or uncomfortable to be asked what was wrong with them. I would put a bet on that being that the majority of people who are asked do not have a medical condition and are just wanting the pass to queue jump.
There are so many ways that this could be sorted and I think the way in which a question about a disability is asked is the most important thing. I think there should be different types of passes avaliable ones for people with a recognised disability or medical condition and ones which are there just for other people. I also think that the only wheelchairs that should automatically get access to things like the parade viewing and ride access are those which do not belong to the park, if you hire a chair and want to use the other stuff a pass should be required as well cos quite frankly the majority of people I saw in hired wheelchairs just had them as they were lazy and couldn't be bothered to walk round the park!!
All the other parks we went to asked questions about my disability I don't understand why Disney has to be different, as a disabled person and speaking for all the other disabled people I know, we don't mind talking about our condition, at the end of the day we need to know that we're going to be safe if something were to happen, we're not going to put ourselves at any risk we don't need.

 

[Rasvar]

I'm sure GAC cards are abused in WDW but the abuse is near epidemic proportion at DLR. It was ridiculous the number of cards that were being used with large parties on RSR and SM last Saturday on my visit there. I never really notice them at WDW. I saw a few that looked legit but I saw quite a few large parties of mostly teenagers using it on RSR and SM running through the FP queue, not even walking. It was the worst I had ever seen it. HMH was also another place I could suspect there was abuse. But I only made it on there twice and did not see any during that time myself.

 

[Aaron Paschall]

I live in CO, and only get to the parks about once every other year. We've used the GAC several times. My daughter has a combination of Cystic Fibrosis and a 22Q11 deletion (which NO one has ever heard of The CF saps her stamina, and extended heat can be extremely hazardous to her - the sweat throws off her salt balances, leading to faster dehydration and the like, not to mention the dietary requiremnts. 22Q11 is on the autistic scale, and renders her extremely sensitive to loud noises, crowds, flashing lights. Not always immediately, but we did have a sudden burst of steam from the train set us back a whole day once. First thing as we entered the park. The most extreme ride I've gotten her to go on in 6 visits is Peter Pan, and she sobbed in terror the whole ride. She's determined to try again this next trip, though

The thing to remember is that the GAC applies differently to different things. Sometimes it does move the family to the front of the line. Sometimes it lets one of us stand in line, while the others wait nearby. Sometimes it gets us a fastpass, or decent seating (although I WISH folks would keep an eye out for kids in strollers at the shows - why some people decide to cram right in front of the kid who can't stand up is beyond me). Other times, it's been as simple as getting a seat at the character breakfast that isn't right next to the kitchen, or under a speaker. Disney has been literally magical in the lengths they go to to make her trips as enjoyable as possible.

It saddens me that, yes, there are cretins who would abuse this wonderful gift they've offered. But when I see something like "Disney is now noticing the massive abuse of the system" it does concern me - because too often businesses respond to abuse by simply not offering those accomodations any longer. I'd hate to see the company that represents the highest standard of customer service in my mind feel forced to cut back on that customer service, just because of the boors that abuse the system.

 

[unkadug]

@captainkidd
@Todd H
And anyone else:

I apologize if I upset anyone here who truly needs the GAC. I am only upset at the abuse of the system, not those who actually need the card.

Keep your chin up...don't feel ashamed. Who knows, Disney may have a better plan up their sleeves that will minimize the abuse of the system and make it better and easier for those who need this perk.

 

[Yensid1974]

Again, there is no way that Disney will just disregard those guests who need extra help. All that is being thrown out there is that the system isn't really working well, and needs to be changed. I think the FP+ system has potential to, at least to some degree, work to mitigate the abuse. It is true that it will be virtually impossible to eliminate abuse entirely, but I think there are ways that can be found to lower it from where it is today. We just need to be able to have open, honest, and frank discussions about what to do. I think it is a good thing that it seems that now those discussions are going to happen. After all, this entire thing isn't really about making the experience better for the average guest alone, but making it better for average guests AND those in need of a little extra magic. Honestly, one of my favorite things to do while working at the Jungle Cruise is having a chance to talk to families with ECV's/wheelchairs while they wait for their boats.

 

[Uncle Lupe]

Yeah, I have read that too.

Most of the CM's we've encountered have been great about the GAC. I always show them copies of my prescriptions and highlight what they are for, just so there's no doubt. One year, we encountered a CM at the MK (Guest Relations just outside the park) who made a very snide comment to me. I showed him the note from my doctor and he replied "Gee, I wonder if your doctor gives out no waiting in line cards for his office." I thought that was REALLY uncalled for.

You should have told him that, "No, but he did give me a prescription to hand out pain. Do you need some?" or "Shut up fool!" in your best Mr. T voice.

That would definitely be uncalled for.

 

[PirateFrank]

There's nothing they can do. It's been said over and over in this thread. It's all got to do with certain laws. It's pretty much a no-win situation for Disney.

Again, bs. You can do plenty:

- apply controls preventing resale & unauthorized use
- limit distribution to recipient in need only (or parent(s) too, if recipient is under 18) there is no need for an entire party to benefit from such cards. The rest of the party can get fastpasses.
- establish cast member guidelines and procedures governing distribution. It's been made clear by cast members in this thread that a certain amount of judgement needs to be applied when distributing GACs. That's a weakness point that guests appear to be exploiting. Providing cast members with a *comprehensive* list of allowable conditions for GAC distribution will help correct the weakness.
- apply controls that require uses of GAC to be governed by the same limits that fastpasses currently operate under (I.e. waiting a certain amount of time between uses)

The above are corrections of weaknesses in the system. ...laws really have nothing to do with it except with maybe, my third point...and Im willing to bet, that's even a stretch, since GAC cards appear to be, with all due respect, a courtesy/perk.

It seems to me that the op has concerns because nextgen is going to bring in some of the very controls I refer to above.....so even the statement that Disney can't do anything, taken in the general context, is bs...as they appear to be doing something right now.