This was extraordinary. I’m sorry I didn’t say this before anything else. IMHO, information for guests doesn’t go far enough in explaining the “hows and whys”. I can’t say it too strongly–this was incredibly valuable.

Thank you.

As a current and former cast member at Disneyland and WDW with both visible and hidden disabilities who has used a GAC card I have some additional information.

1. First and foremost, your GAC is NOT the proverbial “Golden Ticket” from Willy Wonka. It will not guarantee that you will always have an ideal reserved seat or viewing position or never have to wait in line. While I realize that most people with disabilities don’t expect this, unfortunately there is a very noisy minority who demand exactly that (just like the infamous minority of APs).

2. Be aware how the process is structured: Your request is screened at Guest Relations and, for the most part, cast members at individual locations will act on what is stamped on your pass. As stated in the article, the “Plaids” at GR will not grill you on your disability–it’s up to you to explain what assistance you need.

3. You still need to plan ahead. All of us with disabilities deal with this on a regular, if not daily, basis. This is especially true of older attractions at Disneyland. Even though my present job requires me to stand for hours on end, I still bring my wheelchair when I’m visiting the park for more than a few hours, just so I have a place to sit.

Here’s a prime example. Fantasmic at Disneyland is performed on the Rivers of America, which has been retrofitted as a viewing area. It is not a purpose-built amphitheater like DHS at WDW. The viewing area is “accessible”, in that people with mobility impairments can view the show from a large portion of the area. There is a designated wheelchair viewing area next to the Mark Twain dock, which is also next to “A-tower” which broadcasts the captioning signal for the deaf and hearing impaired.

However, other options are limited. Other than the Disney Dining dessert reservation program, there is no seating available other than on the ground at the river’s edge (which is filled one-to-two hours before the 9:00 show in summer) or in chairs at River Belle (which fill more than an hour before). An alternative is to grab a prime space and let members of the party who can’t sit on the ground or stand for long to sit on a bench (hard to find) or at French Market until showtime. The solutions are similar for guests with disabilities such as Autism or anxiety disorders who have difficulty with crowds.

The bottom line is that it requires planning and patience. Unfortunately, many guests (including the “temporarily abled”) want to show up in the last 15 minutes before the 9:00 show) and get a prime spot (including where people have been camped out for up to two or three hours).

4. Use common sense. You would be surprised at the number of people who still elect to use the exit at an older attraction, even though they don’t have a wheelchair in their party and the wait is two or three times longer than the regular attraction entry and there are no stairs. In my experience, they are told that the choice is theirs (because they may not be disclosing all of their needs, which is entirely at their discretion) but many of them still want to use their “Golden Ticket” just because it’s “special”. Most recently I witnessed a former Paralympic Gold Medalist who did this. Go figure.

Note: I’m very active on disability blogs and am a co-founder of a disability thread on a major political blog. One of the subjects that comes up is people with disabilities who have a sense of entitlement and a common observation is that it seems that many of the people who complain the loudest are those with the smallest needs. My subjective observation is that many of the guests with the most severe disabilities that I encounter are the most appreciative of efforts to assist them.

Bottom line: Plan ahead, understand what the GAC does and does not do and be practical. Accessibility is an ongoing process, especially with “legacy” attractions. Believe me, if you approach the situation positively, the overwhelming majority of cast members will be anxious to assist. Yes, there is still the need to educate, and I absolutely understand how tiring it is to have to educate the abled majority, just like every minority.

If you encounter barriers that you feel are unreasonable, give feedback. Leave a comment at Guest Relations or write after you get home. Alternatively, communicate through your advocacy organizations.

(As always, my comments are my own and not on behalf of the Walt Disney Company or any other entity.)

I need not have worried. The pass was easily obtained 9I had brought a doctor’s note but it was not needed, nor was showing his Medic Alert tag listing his disabilities). We were directed to enter any Fast Pass line when available, and for non-FP attractions we either asked a Cast Member where to go or, once we got the hang of it, looked for the small wheelchair symbol on most exits. Usually there was only a very short wait, if any, so J. rode everything time and again to his heart’s delight.

The new Cars ride – we were instructed to skip the long line of folks waiting for a FP, and walked to the entrance of the ride itself, where FP’s for disabled folks were hand-written and given out. So for that ride we did have to come back later, with our sp[special FP – but, again, w/o waiting in the then 45-minute line with everyo9ne else to get the FP. This was early on a Wed. morning, before FPs ran out for the day. I do NOT know if disabled folks can get Fast Passes all day long or if they can just enter the FP line with the Guest Assistance Pass once FPs are gone. I would not risk it.

Thanks!

Disney takes into account any hidden disability and individual might have and provides accommodation. No need to provide documentation or show proof of any kind.

Thanks for your comment–I hope I answered your question!