Bye GAC Hello DAS

[Wizzard419]

Let me guess, is her name Rebecca Goddard? She has been complaining about it since it was announced and always acts like she is the only mother of an autistic child on the planet and the world is out to get her/her child.

It is funny how at HMH they had the guy there, and he was the most terrifying looking worker there... he was dressed as a tax accountant!

[Amy]

Let me guess, is her name Rebecca Goddard? She has been complaining about it since it was announced and always acts like she is the only mother of an autistic child on the planet and the world is out to get her/her child.

It is funny how at HMH they had the guy there, and he was the most terrifying looking worker there... he was dressed as a tax accountant!

Not sure what her name was, but several of her videos seemed to be overly theatrical...and if she truly is having that many problems, on the very first day, she should go and talk to someone in management that can listen to her feedback

[Wizzard419]

It wouldn't surprise me if it was here, she is the epitome of the tea party (she is a huge supporter) where she hates the president and the notion of healthcare for all but demands the government provide care and private school level support for her kid. She probably does more harm to the PR for autism than anything else.

[Amy]

It wouldn't surprise me if it was here, she is the epitome of the tea party (she is a huge supporter) where she hates the president and the notion of healthcare for all but demands the government provide care and private school level support for her kid. She probably does more harm to the PR for autism than anything else.

One thing that really stuck out is how she said during the 15 minutes that guest relations was explaining the new DAS card, her adult son started pinching her. She responded by telling the CMs that if they didn't give her the front of the line passes that she would have to call 911 to stop his behavior and it would be their fault that she had to call the police. If she had to call the authorities to contain his behavior, ok, but it isn't really Disney's fault is it?
Also in one of her videos she tells him to "shut up" when he is talking over what she is trying to say. Doesn't sound like something you would say to someone that is autistic and easily pushed over the edge while at WDW.
I know there is the don't judge until you walk a mile in someone else's moccasins, and I don't pretend to know what her daily life if like with her child, but at some point you have to take some personal responsibility and not blame other people for everything that doesn't go exactly as you want it to go in your life. Can't enjoy your day because you can't skip every line at WDW? Guess what, no one else skips the lines either unless you are a Make a Wish family or a celebrity. And I bet at the very least, the MAW family would trade places with someone at the end of every queue if it meant their child wouldn't have whatever fatal disease they are facing.

[Wizzard419]

Oh, then not her since she has made it very clear that her son is still a kid.

I think they actually charge the celebs (or managers) for that privilege to bypass, if they actually get paid is probably another story. I had a flight up to the Bay Area office once and the plane was branded with make a wish foundation, I was actually surprised the airlines would have such a thing handy.

[Amy]

Oh, then not her since she has made it very clear that her son is still a kid.

I think they actually charge the celebs (or managers) for that privilege to bypass, if they actually get paid is probably another story. I had a flight up to the Bay Area office once and the plane was branded with make a wish foundation, I was actually surprised the airlines would have such a thing handy.

Definitely not her as this lady mentioned her son was 20-something.
Some celebrities might have to pay for the tour guides, but from everything I have read and heard, the ultra-celebrities, like Tom Cruise for instance, are whisked around backstage as much as possible so as to not disrupt the normal park operations.
Maybe one of our resident CMs might be able to fill us in the next time they are around the forum?

[Wizzard419]

They might be whisked to avoid a cluster-fu*k in the parks, but I would imagine, someone gets sent the bill since Disney wouldn't be doing such a thing out of the goodness of their heart, unless the star was still under contract.

[Cardinals314]

After reading many opinions about how it's going to be such a bad experience for people at Disney without the GAC card on other websites, I am going out on a limb here with my opinion. It may not be the most popular, but here is what I feel about it

If your family just cannot handle visiting a Disney park without the GAC card, maybe you are not the kind of family that needs to go to a Disney park. There seems to still be quite a bit of give on Disney's behalf to help out, but a major lack of willingness to give by some guests. The expectations of guests is really concerning.

[Wizzard419]

Like I brought up when the the NY Post first published the story of the rent-a-handi service at WDW, any action that Disney could take to handle the small issue (considering the high price tag and low number of customers) would only result in punishment of guests.

[dstrawn9889]

still need that 'like' button

[cy1229]

I think the big issue here is two-fold. Amy has read an account of a parent, and Wizz has described another, who seem to think that society somehow owes them something because they have special needs children. Let me tell you, as the parent of two teenaged daughters who are "normal", every child is a special needs child. I can't just plow through WDW my way because the girls have their own ideas about a good WDW vacation, and to do so would be insensitive. I can't just pick wherever to eat because I have one slightly picky daughter. I can't insist that we get started right at rope drop because one child needs to be allowed to sleep in. So tell me, what is WDW going to do to accommodate our special needs? Shouldn't they be willing to make my visit as magical as possible? We paid all this money and hang it all, we're going to get our MONEY's worth.

Right?
Get me?

Cardinals314 said what I'm sure we've all thought at some point - if your child isn't capable of managing queues and the noises and other sensory input that goes with a WDW trip, perhaps alternative arrangements should be made for that child. If your child can handle it, awesome, have a great time! WDW will make accommodations for you, within reason, because they want the most guests to be able to experience their parks.

I watched a program yesterday called "Table for 12" about a family that has 2 sets of twins, and a set of sextuplets. One of the sextuplets has cerebral palsy. They had a snow day, and the parents told the kids they'd go sledding. However, they left the child with CP at her grandmother's house. Not because they don't love her. Not because they don't want her to experience the fun of sledding. Because they didn't feel it was an experience they could safely provide for her. And the other kids didn't miss out on sledding because of their sister. They took her a snowball and let her hold it and feel how cold it is, and talked to her and told her about sledding. It was actually a very touching glimpse into this family's everyday life. They seem to be taking their one daughter's special needs into account with the needs of the rest of the family and making it work.

And for the record, a child who is pinching his mother repeatedly is the result of BAD PARENTING, regardless of the disability he might have. A child with autism can be taught to not hit or pinch when he doesn't get what he wants.

[Amy]

I don't want to put cousininmiami on the spot, but I know she has a family trip upcoming, and I wonder if she will be willing to share their experiences with the new DAS. I really respect her opinions and would be interested in seeing what they think of the new system when they go with her sister. Would you be willing to let us know what you think cousininmiami?

[cy1229]

I don't want to put cousininmiami on the spot, but I know she has a family trip upcoming, and I wonder if she will be willing to share their experiences with the new DAS. I really respect her opinions and would be interested in seeing what they think of the new system when they go with her sister. Would you be willing to let us know what you think cousininmiami?

Yes, I'd like to hear from someone who's used both systems, too.

I want to clarify that I don't want to exclude people with special needs. But honestly, there's only so much a company can do to accommodate without opening the door for abuse of the system. And nobody I know personally who has a child with special needs has ever presented it as "deserving" accommodations. I was just irritated at the account of the mother being so demanding and telling the CM that they'd better hurry up or she'd have to call 911. What a b****! THAT is the entitled behavior I was addressing.

[Amy]

I don't want to put cousininmiami on the spot, but I know she has a family trip upcoming, and I wonder if she will be willing to share their experiences with the new DAS. I really respect her opinions and would be interested in seeing what they think of the new system when they go with her sister. Would you be willing to let us know what you think cousininmiami?

Yes, I'd like to hear from someone who's used both systems, too.

I want to clarify that I don't want to exclude people with special needs. But honestly, there's only so much a company can do to accommodate without opening the door for abuse of the system. And nobody I know personally who has a child with special needs has ever presented it as "deserving" accommodations. I was just irritated at the account of the mother being so demanding and telling the CM that they'd better hurry up or she'd have to call 911. What a b****! THAT is the entitled behavior I was addressing.

Definitely ~ and that is exactly how I read your post. It just seems like there are going to be people out there that are like that lady where they demand immediate access and other concessions that I think most families that have someone with special needs aren't going to be like that at all. I follow someone on facebook that has to use a wheelchair all the time and they don't even use the alternate access or any other concessions unless they need extra time getting in and out of ride vehicles, and then they only use the alternate access to avoid hanging other people up.
I really think Disney has done a commendable job and they really are trying to improve the system so all people can experience the parks to the best they can. Of course you can't please everyone all the time, and I'm thinking from the attitudes of some (especially that lady moaning and complaining on facebook) they aren't going to be happy unless they are granted free access to the parks, front of the line, wherever they want to sit at shows, free allergen-gluten-whatever they are possibly allergic to food...and even then, they would likely complain that something took too long, wasn't the right temperature, etc...

[Wizzard419]

I would not be surprised if there are breaks in procedure when someone comes up to a worker, demanding to be let on the ride now rather than having to wait for their GAC pass to be active. Out of concern of backlash or even just to get them out of their hair.