GAC changes - July & Aug 2013?

[Talking Hands]

That's my issue with FP & FP+ the time associated with it. For me it just doesn't work like your DW. I cannot predict how I will feel in an hours time let alone 60 days! Didn't know that re Universal will check that out!

I agree about not being able to schedule 60 days out. Interpreter schedule is only given at most 7 days out.

 

[Mom2six]

I'm finding that unless someone has a child with autism, they don't really understand the problems that the current GAC system prevents.

Kids with autism have meltdowns that are different than those of typically developing kids. They can become a safety issue. I don't think WDW is going to change the system in a way that results in autistic kids suffering more than they already do.

On another note, Universal Orlando has an Express Pass that we plan to purchase on our next trip there. It does cost extra and is not associated with the disability card. There are no times associated with the EP so it's usable for us, where a fastpass is not. I don't like having to pay more to accommodate my son's disability but it's a fact of life in many other ways so...

If Disney had such a pass, we'd pay extra just to avoid the dirty looks associated with the GAC. Hopefully, the new system will help to make it more "invisible".

Yes, the meltdowns really become a safety issue...and sometimes it's like he doesn't have any idea what he is doing during a meltdown. No logic remains at all.

I would definitely pay extra! We aren't planning to go to Universal until next year or so when my youngest daughter can go on more of the rides. I wish Disney had an option like that.

I will try not to panic about these changes until all the information comes out.

 

[lovethattink]

Yes, the meltdowns really become a safety issue...and sometimes it's like he doesn't have any idea what he is doing during a meltdown. No logic remains at all.

I would definitely pay extra! We aren't planning to go to Universal until next year or so when my youngest daughter can go on more of the rides. I wish Disney had an option like that.

I will try not to panic about these changes until all the information comes out.

They can get dangerous. My son's are much better. But there was a time that I sported a lot of black and blue marks. Working through the book The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children changed our lives for the better. It taught me and dh how to recognize the signs of a meltdown before it happens and how to stop them from occurring. Because once a meltdown starts, all reasoning, logic, and communication is thrown out the window. And you know how fast they can go from calm to full blown, so it's a matter of recognizing and acting on it faster than immediately. The book also helped me to chose my battles better and understand what goes on in his head.

If you stay onsite at Universal, you don't have to pay extra for the express pass.

Right, don't panic. It wise to try to be informed.

I'm at a park, usually once a week, to eat out. Sometimes we go on attractions and sometimes not. I'm sure we'll be one of the first to experience any changes. And we'll be staying on property the end of August into September. So if things change then, we'll be seeing them first hand.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Must be very difficult with a child with autism in the parks. I was waiting for a bus with my rollator and this lady and her DS were next to me. The child ( about 8 ) went from zero to complete no reasoning in the space of 3 minutes because he wanted the Mickey Mouse hanging on my rollator. The Mom told him it belonged to me and bless him he just didn't understand why he couldn't have it. I didn't know what to do I was desperate to help her as she said Dad had taken her DD for a swim and some alone time as because of the way things were with DS she didn't get much time focussed on her. So I whispered to her did she want the Mickey Mouse I could easily replace it , it would be my pleasure as clearly the son was autistic. ( he was rocking at this stage whole bus line looking and he had started to get violent ) . She said yes through tears and offered me money but I didn't want it. I gave it to the boy if he promised to be good for his mum which he did. Melt down over. He sat silently with Mickey until the bus arrived all was well but then.. This woman also waiting in the line started to interfere... You should not have given in to him..... You are building a monster... Blame blame blame..

I was horrified. People must blame you all the time but they would not blame you if it was a physical disability it's just this influences behaviour. People don't see the brain is just like any other matter in the body we can't always control it.

I wish people could be more understanding of us. I frequently get tuts and sighs at daring to take an extra minute to be loaded onto the bus. I live with this pain and disability 24 x 7 and it held them up for one moment! People complain that GAC gets you something they don't get. I say try living as us for one day, or the sibling of somebody with autism. A GAC card offers little comfort but we do cherish what it does offer. I hope Disney do not give in to this impatient mass of me me me culture. Walt would be mortified.

Ok I like what Universal are offering but I don't think guys and girls we should have to pay our way in Disney to be normal. Let's fight for your children and the likes of me! We deserve it.

 

[lovethattink]

Must be very difficult with a child with autism in the parks. I was waiting for a bus with my rollator and this lady and her DS were next to me. The child ( about 8 ) went from zero to complete no reasoning in the space of 3 minutes because he wanted the Mickey Mouse hanging on my rollator. The Mom told him it belonged to me and bless him he just didn't understand why he couldn't have it. I didn't know what to do I was desperate to help her as she said Dad had taken her DD for a swim and some alone time as because of the way things were with DS she didn't get much time focussed on her. So I whispered to her did she want the Mickey Mouse I could easily replace it , it would be my pleasure as clearly the son was autistic. ( he was rocking at this stage whole bus line looking and he had started to get violent ) . She said yes through tears and offered me money but I didn't want it. I gave it to the boy if he promised to be good for his mum which he did. Melt down over. He sat silently with Mickey until the bus arrived all was well but then.. This woman also waiting in the line started to interfere... You should not have given in to him..... You are building a monster... Blame blame blame..

I was horrified. People must blame you all the time but they would not blame you if it was a physical disability it's just this influences behaviour. People don't see the brain is just like any other matter in the body we can't always control it.

I wish people could be more understanding of us. I frequently get tuts and sighs at daring to take an extra minute to be loaded onto the bus. I live with this pain and disability 24 x 7 and it held them up for one moment! People complain that GAC gets you something they don't get. I say try living as us for one day, or the sibling of somebody with autism. A GAC card offers little comfort but we do cherish what it does offer. I hope Disney do not give in to this impatient mass of me me me culture. Walt would be mortified.

Ok I like what Universal are offering but I don't think guys and girls we should have to pay our way in Disney to be normal. Let's fight for your children and the likes of me! We deserve it.

Your story touched my heart! The pixie dust you spread was awesome.

Unless someone has walked in our shoes as the disabled or the caregiver it's nearly impossible to understand what we go through. And your right, it's a 24/7 thing that doesn't go away.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Your story touched my heart! The pixie dust you spread was awesome.

Unless someone has walked in our shoes as the disabled or the caregiver it's nearly impossible to understand what we go through. And your right, it's a 24/7 thing that doesn't go away.

I now carry 'spare Mickeys' in my bag I would never give to a child without speaking privately to the parent first though. Plus I never offer if I haven't got enough for siblings too. So far I have given away quite a few! You don't have to be a CM to sprinkle pixie dust. I wasn't blessed with children. But I think children are all our blessings aren't they.

As I am an early riser as I get tired fast I often get fast passes first thing in the morning. I enjoy giving away FP later in the day. TSM is very popular! I won't be able to do that with FP+ !

 

[Schmeck]

Must be very difficult with a child with autism in the parks. I was waiting for a bus with my rollator and this lady and her DS were next to me. The child ( about 8 ) went from zero to complete no reasoning in the space of 3 minutes because he wanted the Mickey Mouse hanging on my rollator. The Mom told him it belonged to me and bless him he just didn't understand why he couldn't have it. I didn't know what to do I was desperate to help her as she said Dad had taken her DD for a swim and some alone time as because of the way things were with DS she didn't get much time focussed on her. So I whispered to her did she want the Mickey Mouse I could easily replace it , it would be my pleasure as clearly the son was autistic. ( he was rocking at this stage whole bus line looking and he had started to get violent ) . She said yes through tears and offered me money but I didn't want it. I gave it to the boy if he promised to be good for his mum which he did. Melt down over. He sat silently with Mickey until the bus arrived all was well but then.. This woman also waiting in the line started to interfere... You should not have given in to him..... You are building a monster... Blame blame blame..

I was horrified. People must blame you all the time but they would not blame you if it was a physical disability it's just this influences behaviour. People don't see the brain is just like any other matter in the body we can't always control it.

I wish people could be more understanding of us. I frequently get tuts and sighs at daring to take an extra minute to be loaded onto the bus. I live with this pain and disability 24 x 7 and it held them up for one moment! People complain that GAC gets you something they don't get. I say try living as us for one day, or the sibling of somebody with autism. A GAC card offers little comfort but we do cherish what it does offer. I hope Disney do not give in to this impatient mass of me me me culture. Walt would be mortified.

Ok I like what Universal are offering but I don't think guys and girls we should have to pay our way in Disney to be normal. Let's fight for your children and the likes of me! We deserve it.

The reason people are 'blaming' for creating a 'monster' is that behavior reinforcement is a very important tool for helping people with autism, and giving the child the toy (and having an immediate recovery when it was given) reinforced the explosive behavior. That probably undid months of behavior therapy, IMO.

 

[livndisney]

The reason people are 'blaming' for creating a 'monster' is that behavior reinforcement is a very important tool for helping people with autism, and giving the child the toy (and having an immediate recovery when it was given) reinforced the explosive behavior. That probably undid months of behavior therapy, IMO.

Your opinion doesn't matter unless you were the mom involved. The pp stated they asked the parent. Parent agreed.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Your opinion doesn't matter unless you were the mom involved. The pp stated they asked the parent. Parent agreed.

Oh yes I would never do anything without asking the parent. I had no idea what to do you see. I just looked to her as she would know best. I just wanted her to know it was an option!

 

[Mrs.Malone]

Paula, you handled that beautifully, with grace and mercy. Asking the parent privately was just fine. What bugs me is when strangers loudly insist on giving my kid what he wants and imply I'm a mean mom. That has happened to me during a meltdown or two over the years.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Oh yes I would never do anything without asking the parent. I had no idea what to do you see. I just looked to her as she would know best. I just wanted her to know it was an option!

You were so fast thinking. I know the mother appreciated it so much. So many times have I been alone with my daughter and she starts to tantrum and at WDW it is so dangerous with busses and all going on. It helps so much if those around are understanding as is often not the case.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[cmwade77]

That's a good point (though I thought that most lines were now mainstreamed?). Maybe something like the "block" being for the difference in time between the stand-by and the time you waited? It could be easily done by starting the timer when you enter the line (rather than when you exit).

So, if the stand-by time is 100 minutes (as per an earlier example) and you wait 20 minutes, you'd be blocked for 80 minutes. If you wait 120 minutes, you'd not be blocked at all. That doesn't factor in ride time, but I'm just making up ideas, really (based on the proposal by a PP).

To make it fair, I would work it that of you did wait longer that you would get a credit so to speak towards a future block. So in this example, you go to the next ride and wait 20 minutes for that ride when the line is 40 minutes, you would not have to wait at all for the next ride after that, as you have a credit. I would also make the kiosks and apps let you know how long you need to wait and even the approximate wait times for your needs.

But that is probably me dreaming, but its how I would work it.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

You were so fast thinking. I know the mother appreciated it so much. So many times have I been alone with my daughter and she starts to tantrum and at WDW it is so dangerous with busses and all going on. It helps so much if those around are understanding as is often not the case.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Thank you. I am sorry things are so hard for you :-(

 

[Vidia2]

Paula, you did handle that very well. It's people like you that renew my faith in human kindness. I'm sure that mother was so grateful.

My DH found this article regarding the use of the GAC especially for autistic individuals and their families and the issues involved:

http://micechat.com/26813-disney-guest-assistance-card-gac/

I found the comments to be very helpful as well. The article and many of the comments refer to teenagers and young adults with autism. This becomes a whole new ballgame but the article explains it better than I could. Our son is a teenager who's had years of behavioral therapy that has not/will not ever, in his case, "cure" his disability.

The author of the article suggested an option that I hadn't thought of which would allow certain guests to wait in a seated area for the length of the standby line. There would be people who would find that unfair, I suppose.

I wasn't aware, before reading the article and comments, that CM's also abuse the GAC system. I guess I'm naive.

 

[bedogged]

Has anyone actually heard about a change to GAC or are these posts I've been reading just people's suppositions?

 

[Vidia2]

Has anyone actually heard about a change to GAC or are these posts I've been reading just people's suppositions?

I called WDW main number and was told that they knew nothing (general info CM) and got transferred to MK guest services. Was told pretty rudely that they had no information. Vague. Transferred again to guest services CM in disabilities information/reservations. She confirmed, after talking to her supervisor, that changes are going to happen but that her supervisor couldn't even tell her exactly when or what the changes were going to be because they were keeping the information confidential.

The "suppositions" are regarding what the changes will be and when they will take effect.

Maybe others have more info in the way of confirmation that the changes are happening. I've never been given blatantly false information by WDW so I have no reason to doubt that upcoming changes are a certainty. What that means, I have no idea.

 

[jimmysmom74]

I now carry 'spare Mickeys' in my bag I would never give to a child without speaking privately to the parent first though. Plus I never offer if I haven't got enough for siblings too. So far I have given away quite a few! You don't have to be a CM to sprinkle pixie dust. I wasn't blessed with children. But I think children are all our blessings aren't they.

As I am an early riser as I get tired fast I often get fast passes first thing in the morning. I enjoy giving away FP later in the day. TSM is very popular! I won't be able to do that with FP+ !

Paula, you are a very kind soul. I have been in that situation of a major meltdown in a very public place. It may not always be the right choice to give in to the behavior, but when you have to weigh the risk that your child may harm himself or others vs giving the child something that will clearly solve the problem, I think you and the mother made the right choice.
I think children with autism have regulatory systems that make these needs become so overwhelming that they can not control the emotional outburst. When you control the environment you can manipulate the results and withhold the desired stimulant causing the meltdown, but when the environment is out of control, the child emotions are at an unmanageable level, and the risk of injury is high, you must solve the immediate problem. You gave that mom the easiest, most successful option. I thank you for her.
For me, the worst part of these moments is still the embarrassment I feel at the looks and comments that witnesses to these episodes give me. I wish I had a thicker skin, but for some reason it always hurts.

 

[Disfanx4]

Speaking as a mother of two who have special needs, GAC or not, if the standby time is 100 minutes it's best to just do what everyone else does who doesn't want to wait that long: skip the ride and come back later.

That would cause a major meltdown for my 2 as they don't understand, if the ride is there why can't I ride it. It may seem easy to some to just explain it to them but when it isn't understood there is no point. At school they can't even wait in line when the bell rings to go in because of severe sensory issues, it's very noisy and crowded with shoving and touching in the lines so imagine what it would be like at Disney. It's not the kids fault, they are not trying to be difficult it's just part of who there are

 

[aubriee]

Stroller as Wheelchair is only for certain attractions. Almost every attraction is ADA compliant now in its line. I've 1st hand seen this fight though with CMs. A woman had the S/W stamp and was set through the normal line for Soarin and she had a fit. She got out of line and went back to yell at the CM.

The only line I can think of that isn't compliant is Peter Pans Flight and People mover.

I've seen the same thing numerous times at Soarin. In fact, just this past May we were having trouble getting through to the Fast Pass lane for Soarin, due to a very large family (at least 12 of them) standing in the way arguing with the CM that they got to go through the fast pass lane because mom had an ECV. The CM was trying to explain that the normal line was ADA compliant and obviously plenty wide enough for her to go through with the ECV. The husband kept yelling that the ECV gave them a front of the line pass and he knew the rules. When we kept saying excuse us and tried to get through, the CM finally looked at our fast passes and told the other family to stop blocking the entire fast pass line. The man then looked at my mom's ECV and went ballistic, demanding to know why she got to go through the fast pass line with an ECV and they didn't. By that time, I had had it and told him we had already ridden it going through the stand by line and the only reason we were now able to use the fast pass line, was because we had gotten a fast pass prior to going through that stand by line.

Just a few days later we were again blocked at the fast pass line to Soarin by a large family who apparently had a GAC for a stroller to be used as a wheelchair. That large family was also blocking the entrance, while they argued with the CM that they should be able to use the fast pass line. We saw the exact same thing at Toy Story Mania, where a family had the fast pass entrance blocked arguing that their GAC allowed them to enter through the fast pass lines. The CM was again explaining no, that it just allowed them to use the stroller as a wheelchair, but they had to go through the standard line like every one else and would then be separated at the stairs so they could use the ramp. They weren't having it and insisted they should be allowed to use the fast pass line and were refusing to let those of us that had fast passes through. Since you see it happening so much, you can see why other guests may get irritated at the abuse/misuse.

 

[Disfanx4]

Your story touched my heart! The pixie dust you spread was awesome.

Unless someone has walked in our shoes as the disabled or the caregiver it's nearly impossible to understand what we go through. And your right, it's a 24/7 thing that doesn't go away.

Well said!