Hoo boy. I know this is a topic that tends to get people fired up. So Walt Disney World made some big changes to their guest assistance program and everyone went crazy. Personally, I was told “well that’s messed up, Disney got rid of their Guest Assistance cards!” and I (like everyone else) was immediately outraged!
Fortunately, that’s not the true story.
What you may have heard:
“Disney got rid of their Guest Assistance Cards!”
“The Guest Assistance Program will cease to end on October 9th!”
“Disney’s much-abused Guest Assistance Card program will end next month!”
“Disney ends line-skipping for disabled!”
“Panicking and riots in the streets as the Guest Assistance Program is eliminated forever and ever the end!!”
Ok, the last one is a slight exaggeration. Seriously, though, I have had to sift through a lot of reports and rumors to figure out what the heck is going on, and there really is a lot of charged language being used that seems like it’s just intended to get people mad! Honestly, though, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be all that bad.. except for people who are trying to cheat the system.
So let’s talk facts.
For those who are unfamiliar with the GAC program, here’s how it works: a card, with a name written on it, is presented to individuals with (visible or not) disabilities that preclude them from standing in the one-to-two(+)-hour stand-by lines to wait for a ride. The cards are dated and stamped with the required accommodations, including wheelchair/alternate entrance requirements. Up to 6 people can be admitted to a ride or attraction on one pass. The group enters the attraction through the (generally much shorter and aptly named) FastPass line.
Since the Americans with Disabilities Act makes it illegal to ask for proof of a disability, and since the GAC seems kind of like the equivalent of a “go to the front of the line” pass, a good many people have become so, erm, excited to ride Star Tours and Space Mountain that their better judgment may have been clouded a tad, and they may have, uhh, exaggerated a bit in order to obtain a pass they may not have truly needed as much as they indicated.
Ok, who am I kidding, people lied and cheated to lay hands on these puppies. Oh, and PS, there have been reports of families HIRING disabled “tour guides” at up to $130 per hour so they could get these passes.
Dude. Nasty.
So anyway, no matter how you want to put it, people have been scamming the system. LOTS of people, in fact. It’s unfortunate, to say the least. In my family, disabilities run the gamut from bad hips to albinism to sensory processing disorder, from 6-year-olds to 60-year-olds. I genuinely cannot imagine having to try and do Disney without the guest assistance program available to us. My family has to live with these disabilities all of the time, and almost no part of the day-to-day life has any form of a “guest assistance program”; it’s just one of the many ways that Disney goes the extra mile to make the guest experience better, and easier, and accessible for everyone. It’s unfortunate that able-bodied people would prey on that, pretend to have the disabilities that do really affect real people every day.
As it turns out, Disney dun’t like it any better than the rest of us.
So here’s what’s really going to happen:
On October 9th, 2013, the GAC will be replaced with the DASC (Disabled Access Service Card). Guests with disabilities will be offered a return time for attractions based on the current wait time, kind of like the current FastPass system; unlike the FastPass, DASC users will only be able to make one reservation at a time. The guest will present a DASC pass with their photo on it during their allotted time frame; if the disabled individual does not go on the ride, sorry Charlie, no one else in the party can use the pass.
It’s important to remember that, in creating these systems, Disney is not trying to give disabled people an advantage over the non-disabled (the disabled-ly handicapped? Is that the PC term these days?); it’s not very fair for the public (the non-disabled public, that is) to get mad that the wait times may be longer for those participating in the program. Unfortunately, a fast way to stop the abuse of the program is to disincentivize the cheaters. However, if you use the new DASC and have feedback, whether positive or negative, speak up! Sharing your experience with Disney (constructively…. Let’s remember we’re all adults here) during the early days of this program will help them address issues and build it into something that really works for their guests.
Except for the line jumpers.
Memories Ever After - by Amie 