Guest Assistance Card for Autistic Child?

[ScooterL]

Does anyone know what the policies/requirements are for getting one of these? My co-worker has an autistic child, and they are planning a trip to Disneyland at the end of the month. I thought that all he would need is a note from her doctor, but his wife read an article in the Orange County newspaper recently that said that Disney had changed their policy. So now rather than just issuing the pass, they will "observe" the child in question, and decide based on that short observation whether or nor to issue the pass.

Does anyone have experience with a situation like this and know what to expect?

Thanks!

 

[dletz]

Disney has never given out "Front of the Line" passes. They do give out special assistance passes that will sometimes allow you to use FP lines, Wheelchair entrances (when they are seperate), the exit, etc. But the user should never expect that they will just be able to walk right up to a line and walk right on. Awhile back the use of these passes became so widespread that the whellchair lines became twice as long as the regular lines in some cases. The last time I got a pass was for a knee problem that didn't allow me to stand in place for too long. I got the pass, but really only used it for a few rides. Most of the time I just stood in the regular line. I think what DL has done is publicize that they will issue the passes on a case by case basis, rather than just hand it out to anyone who asks for one.

 

[Zoemakes5]

I'm going to piggy back on this one if you don't mind. I have a son with Aspergers, an autism spectrum, and I was wondering about getting this for my son. We may not need them, but he's unpredictable when he's over-stimulated.
Another question I had was about parade and fireworks viewing. It will freak him out to have others crowding around him. I've even thought to rent a wheelchair for that purpose. Do they/can they do anything about it?

 

[disney-super-mom]

It's called a Guest Assistance Card, and you can get one at Guest Relations.
(It doesn't allow front of the line access, just so you know.)
I would go to the "disabilities" section of the Disboards and read the FAQ thread. There you will find out everything you need to know about a Guest Assistance Card.

I can't imagine a CM being able to determine if an autistic child will or won't need a GAC based on a minute or so of observation. That's ridiculous!

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

My sister-in-law has an autistic child and they recently headed down to DL. They didn't have a note or anything they just went to guest relations I guess and they could see that he obviously had some issues. They gave him the special assistance card or whatever it was and they used it at their own descression to get to the front of the line.

 

[JosephTNielsen]

When I was at the park with my partner, Robert, we noticed that two people in front of us for Indiana Jones were able to skip the line completely and go right to the front due to a pass they had. My guess is that it was the Assistance Pass that you guys have been talking about. We asked one of the workers about it and he said you have to go to City Hall to request one. I would bring the doctor's note just incase.

...Joe...

 

[wendithepooh]

I too have a son with Asperger Syndrome,but he is very high functioning.When we went in June I thought about asking for a guest assistance pass but was afraid they would turn me down .He doesn't look like he has anything wrong with him,but he does like to "finger dance"(runs back and forth,fingers going,and sounds coming out of his mouth)
He did very well until he knew the fireworks would be starting.He HATES anything to do with loud noises.(That is how we found out he had it)We would go back to the hotel before they started every night which was a bummer.We finally decided it wasn't fair to my girls to miss out.So my son and I went shopping on mainstreet and could barely hear them.He did really well.That is what we will do when we go back in Dec.
We did ask A CM if they had any earplugs on them to help stifle the noise(he left his at the hotel)The CM said he would be right back and about 10 min. later he came back drenched in sweat.We were at Fantasmic area and he said he went to Indiana,buzz,and somewhere else and could not find any.But I was very impressed by his efforts.

 

[samkj]

IT IS NOT A FRONT OF LINE PASS!!!! It is a special assistance card that allows people who would find it impossible to enjoy the park otherwise. Without the assitance of alternate entrances or waiting areas some people would find it impossible to enjoy the parks. The only true front of line is for kids who are visiting on a "wish" trip due to a lifethreatening illness.

Please stop calling it a front of line pass, or imply people skip lines. That imformation is just plan wrong, and is what led to the abuse of the system DL saw in years past.

 

[JosephTNielsen]

IT IS NOT A FRONT OF LINE PASS!!!! It is a special assistance card that allows people who would find it impossible to enjoy the park otherwise. Without the assitance of alternate entrances or waiting areas some people would find it impossible to enjoy the parks. The only true front of line is for kids who are visiting on a "wish" trip due to a lifethreatening illness.

Please stop calling it a front of line pass, or imply people skip lines. That imformation is just plan wrong, and is what led to the abuse of the system DL saw in years past.

The only reason I said it was front of the line or whatever is because that's what the WORKER at Indiana Jones said it was. I can only go by what the cast members tell me.

...Joe...

 

[minnietoo]

I'm going to piggy back on this one if you don't mind. I have a son with Aspergers, an autism spectrum, and I was wondering about getting this for my son. We may not need them, but he's unpredictable when he's over-stimulated.
Another question I had was about parade and fireworks viewing. It will freak him out to have others crowding around him. I've even thought to rent a wheelchair for that purpose. Do they/can they do anything about it?

I would think that being in a w/c would freak him out more - as his face is down lower in the crowd and that could make him feel more "penned in" so to speak.

Hm m m if he becomes over stimulated waiting in a line - perhaps it might not be helpful to go on a ride at that time - maybe it would be better to find a place for him to relax and get away from the crowds, noice, and activity.

But you know your child best - and are the only one that can make that choice for him.

 

[samkj]

The only reason I said it was front of the line or whatever is because that's what the WORKER at Indiana Jones said it was. I can only go by what the cast members tell me.

...Joe...

Then it was a different card altogether. It is not the special assistance card.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I'm going to piggy back on this one if you don't mind. I have a son with Aspergers, an autism spectrum, and I was wondering about getting this for my son. We may not need them, but he's unpredictable when he's over-stimulated.
Another question I had was about parade and fireworks viewing. It will freak him out to have others crowding around him. I've even thought to rent a wheelchair for that purpose. Do they/can they do anything about it?

If its only the crowds that bother him and not the loud noise I would suggest viewing the fireworks back by Its a Small World. There will still be crowds there, but nothing like the ones near the castle hub and on Main Street. They rope off the area near Small World as the fireworks draw near and Small World itself, along with many rides in Fantasyland will close. That sort of keeps people out of the area and the fact that you will miss Tinkerbelle's flight and some of the castle projections. If you sit right at the rope, there would be no people right in front of him and if you had the family members sit beside and behind him maybe that would make him more comfortable. In any case I would check with City Hall when you first arrive at the park to see what they can do for you and suggestions they might have.

 

[ScooterL]

Thanks to all of you who offered helpful suggestions on places to look for information about this. I will pass it along to my co-worker and I'm sure it will help them with their trip. (Even once I knew the correct name I couldn't find anything about it on Disneyland's web site!)

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks to all of you who offered helpful suggestions on places to look for information about this. I will pass it along to my co-worker and I'm sure it will help them with their trip. (Even once I knew the correct name I couldn't find anything about it on Disneyland's web site!)

You won't find it in any of the information from WDW or Disneyland. The closest they come is to say to go to Guest Services if you need extra assistance.
Both parks do require that the person with a disability be there at the park when you request a Guest Assistance Card (GAC) because the card is issued to that person with a disability. I have heard of people trying to claim they had a child with autism when they didn't even have a child (just because they thought the card would be an advantage).
I know it may seem picky, but Card is the correct term. I know from talking to CMs at WDW that they changed the name from Pass to Card because so many people thought a Pass meant front of the line access, when it never did.
The information about GACs in the disABILITIES FAQs thread was written with WDW in mind, but is also true about Disneyland. Click here to get to that thread and just scroll down to the GAC information. I have heard that DL is a bit more 'careful' about giving out GACs than WDW is. More people at DL have reported the CMs seemed to want 'proof' from them than at WDW. It might be because the change to GAC has been more recent at DL than a WDW or it could be that they had more abuse.

 

[Zoemakes5]

If its only the crowds that bother him and not the loud noise I would suggest viewing the fireworks back by Its a Small World. There will still be crowds there, but nothing like the ones near the castle hub and on Main Street. They rope off the area near Small World as the fireworks draw near and Small World itself, along with many rides in Fantasyland will close. That sort of keeps people out of the area and the fact that you will miss Tinkerbelle's flight and some of the castle projections. If you sit right at the rope, there would be no people right in front of him and if you had the family members sit beside and behind him maybe that would make him more comfortable. In any case I would check with City Hall when you first arrive at the park to see what they can do for you and suggestions they might have.

Thanks so much!! We are unavoidably going during a pretty busy time, 3/28-3/31.
As you guessed, it's really not at all the sound at all (at least not for him), it is all the people jostling into him and bumping in to him and my experience is even when you stake out a spot really early, everyone crowds in around you. And, a pet peeve of my son's is when that happens people don't bother to apologize. So then, it's not only that he's getting jostled but that people are being RUDE! (The capitals there for his emphasis!) And, then not feeling like he can move or get away. For him, knowing all the ways "out" is a safety net for him. If he started feeling anxious it would be difficult for him to "get away".
The standing in line thing would certainly not be abused. (Though I know it's an issue in the parks.) And it's not that the being at DL would cause a meltdown in and of itself. But, after a day of lots of noise, lots of excitement, being outside of his routine (even good change is bad change!), his ability to regulate himself does get diminished. A break would help in an immediate situation, but not generally. Even if the accomodation was simply to allow one of us to stand in the line and then allow our son to wait with the other parent and "line jump" or meet us at the front might help remarkably!
I will definitely go in and talk with guest services, and in fact will call before I go. We all know that you can get different answers from different CM's depending upon alot. And, I'm happy to bring a note from my doctor, but I'm really rather hesitant to bring my son in to a non-medical CM after standing in the crazy throng of people to get in to guest services to then discuss in detail all my son's issues and shortcomings. Especially since he does very very well in one on one conversations with adults and you wouldn't probably "see" his diagnosis. We'll just have to see.
Once again, I'm sorry to hijack the thread. Hopefully the answers I've gotten and will get will help Scooter advise their friend.

Scooter, the website is fairly useless on this issue, as far as I can tell. If you do a search for disability, it has a rather detailed brochure on mobility, auditory and visual disabilities, but nothing that falls outside those parameters.

 

[samkj]

Here is a link to the guidebook for guests with disabilities. http://adisneyland.disney.go.com/media/dlr_v0200/en_US/help/disabil_gdebk_5_06.pdf

And the link to the disAbilities board. http://disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20 This is mainly WDW, but they will have a lot of good information for your friends as well.

BTW, thank you for changing the title of your post!

 

[ScooterL]

Once again, I'm sorry to hijack the thread. Hopefully the answers I've gotten and will get will help Scooter advise their friend.

Oh, please don't feel like you hijacked the thread! I'm glad it turned out to be something that could help both of us!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Thanks so much!! We are unavoidably going during a pretty busy time, 3/28-3/31.
As you guessed, it's really not at all the sound at all (at least not for him), it is all the people jostling into him and bumping in to him and my experience is even when you stake out a spot really early, everyone crowds in around you. And, a pet peeve of my son's is when that happens people don't bother to apologize. So then, it's not only that he's getting jostled but that people are being RUDE! (The capitals there for his emphasis!) And, then not feeling like he can move or get away. For him, knowing all the ways "out" is a safety net for him. If he started feeling anxious it would be difficult for him to "get away".
.

I cannot guarantee it will work back by Small World, but I can guarantee that watching them back there is more likely for success than by the castle. By the castle, people exhibit behaviors similar to what one would observe at a Wal Mart twenty minutes before closing time on Christmas Eve! Back by Small World people seem to amble up slowly and during busy times it can certainly get crowded but NOTHING like near the hub. And there are escape routes in that you can duck into parts of Fantasyland quite easily. Also, there is a restroom area near the Fantasyland Theater. That is a good place to escape to and its deserted back there during the fireworks so if you needed to make a quick getaway that would do it. I know because I had to do it once. When you get to this area sit as close to Small World as you can. There is a bench/wall area with two levels of seating. At the end of that is where I am pretty sure they will rope off the walkway leading towards Small World. If you get there around one hour before show time you can get a good seat. There's churros stands, popcorn stands, the restroom I mentioned above, the Fantasy Faire gift shop stand, and before it closes, you and your husband could take turns taking the kids on Small World while the other holds the spot. Even when its crowded back there its just a whole different atmosphere. Good luck!

 

[minnietoo]

You can watch fireworks from near the mexican resturant and BTM in Frontier land - absolutely no crowds - you won't see the projections on the castle or tinkerbell but you have a clear view of fireworks and hardly any people. The sound comes off the Golden Horseshoe (don't know if that's changes because of the refurb right now).

 

[minnietoo]

Even if the accomodation was simply to allow one of us to stand in the line and then allow our son to wait with the other parent and "line jump" or meet us at the front might help remarkably!
I.

What you need is the ability to do what is similar to "baby swap" - and what a great idea for someone in this situation. Maybe when you ask for the GAC you can specify this is the accomodation you really need and they can mark the card so you can get this type of access.