Special Needs Child

[MJCota]

My son is going to be 8 when we go to WDW and I just had a question about the Guess accommodation pass (I believe it's called). My son has ADD and SPD (sensory processing disorder) and I was curious if we are allowed to use this card? I'm not worried about his ADD as we manage it very well and he's GREAT in public, he mostly has focus issues. I'm mostly worried about is SPD part. We have all documentation that shows his diagnosis but I wanted to see if anyone has experience with this.

Thank you!

 

[Weather_Lady]

My son is going to be 8 when we go to WDW and I just had a question about the Guess accommodation pass (I believe it's called). My son has ADD and SPD (sensory processing disorder) and I was curious if we are allowed to use this card? I'm not worried about his ADD as we manage it very well and he's GREAT in public, he mostly has focus issues. I'm mostly worried about is SPD part. We have all documentation that shows his diagnosis but I wanted to see if anyone has experience with this.

Thank you!

The GAC program has been changed, and is now called a DAS. ("Disabled Assistance System"). If your son's medical condition prevents him from waiting in long lines for attractions, then yes, this is something he can use. You can bring your documentation, but I don't believe you'll be asked to "prove" anything. Go to Guest Relations when you arrive at a park, explain his particular limitations with regard to standing in line, and you'll get a DAS card. Note that it does not provide "front of the line" access in the way that a GAC (Guest Assistance Card) did -- what it does is free the disabled guest (and his party) from standing in long lines. When you arrive at an attraction, approach one of the cast members (Disney employees) tending it. They will write a "return time" on your card that is roughly equivalent to the current standby wait time. (In other words, it's holding a virtual place in line for you, so you'll get on the attraction the same time you would have if you'd stood in line, but you won't have actually been in the line the whole time). Go do something else, and come back during your "return time" window, and you can then use a Fastpass+ or similarly expedient line, instead of the standby line. My understanding is that you can only have one "return time" pending at one time, but it should be easy to find things to do while you are waiting. Nearly every headliner attraction (the ones with the longer waits) has at least two attractions near it that are typically "walk-ons," meaning there is little or no line for them. If what is needed is a little nook somewhere with a minimum of noise or visual stimulation, ducking into a gift shop or finding an isolated bench in an electronics charging area might be the best way to wait it out.

Since you say your son typically does well in public, you may want to get a DAS card as a back-up and try touring without it at first, just to see how he holds up. Particularly if you visit during a low crowd time of year and use EMH, early arrival and/or your FP+ allotment to avoid long lines at the headliners, you may find that the waits aren't long enough for him to need to use the DAS. Either way, I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[MJCota]

Thank you! I was thinking of using it as a back up option if for some reason we don't get a fast pass (regular or plus) for a ride in advance. He generally does very well but can become overwhelmed with crowds and to much stimulation and will go into "meltdown mode". As he's gotten older he will catch himself before he starts to pretty much hyperventilate and will warn us. We generally take him to a calm down place that is quiet. I'm sure if this happens a wonderful employee can direct us to a semi-private/quiet area.