I doubt anyone will read my full inevitably long incoming post, but I will post it anyways. Other than being a live cast member, I'm the closest you'll find to "straight from the horse's mouth." I not only was in Guest Relations for several years, but I trained it. I was part of the actual team that instructed Guest Relations cast what GAC's are/how they work/how to distribute them. So I at least have some experience with this.
With that said...
If you asked me what the single biggest problem in all of Disney I encountered in my 3-4 years there was, I would unequivocally and without hesitation say GACs. The average guest does not see the epidemic it has caused. (Note: This "epidemic", as I define it, is of my personal opinion). The number of GACs we distributed on a daily basis was nothing short of astounding. ...and 95%+ of them were for disabilities that are "not readily evident" and sometimes for a person that wasn't even there ("my son is autistic and he is waiting outside with his father"). GACs are an amazing point of contention for both guests and casts alike. Laws and regulations like HIPPAA (sp?) dictate what Disney can and cannot do. It almost boils down to a "don't ask, don't tell" sort of thing.
Let me break it down to you so you can understand what it's like on the other side of the counter:
Questions a CM asks themselves about GAC requestors:
Is it for them?
If it's for them, do they have a readily apparent disability?
Do you give a GAC for ADHD, can't stand long, asthma, back problems, irratable bowel syndrome, etc.? Where do you draw the line?
Does the person who's getting the GAC need to be present? If so, how do you make the parent "get" the person that needs the GAC? And, if so, why do you NEED to see them? If they're autistic, for example, you may not be able to tell just by looking at them.
What do you do about, say, a group of teenagers that come in and say they need a GAC?
What about someone who clearly does not need a GAC and doesn't have a condition that would neccessarily warrant one but insists they get one every time and have never had a problem until you?
What about large parties?
The fact is, the system is abused. Heavily. Most Cast Members would simply rather not "poke the fire" and simply do as their told and write the GAC. Others may be more restrictive. But why? How? To gain what?
Let's use a classic one as another example ... ADHD. I had many a guest come in and request a GAC for ADHD. Now, think about it, does someone with ADHD absolutely need a GAC to skip all the lines? Probably not. Use Fastpass; get thing sto occupy you while in line, etc. But what if you say "no" to that guest and they throw an absolute fit? What if they show that they had an old expired GAC for this condition? What if they say they never had a problem until you?
I really feel bad about the whole thing because I know I've seen legitimate families that have legitimate reasons that they NEED the card, but I've also had guest who blatantly admitted their friends told them to just say a magic word like "autism" and they will never have to wait in a line at WDW. How can you legitimize this without breaking any laws?
Another scenario: Many, many, many people who "can't stand for long periods of time." Standard reply? "Get a wheelchair." You may even give them a free voucher for one. "Well I don't want to get a wheelchair." Now what? Too bad, so sad? Give them the card? Tell them to deal with it? Just trying to illustrate how difficult these situations can be.
I very sincerely hope the big whigs can come up with something which continues to service the guests who need it but somehow purge those who don't. But, even then, how many more people will there be (just as there are now) who will expect something under the new system just because they had something under the old system. It's certainly a worisome thing for me.
