Parkinson's and a GAC / room question... About This Page:

[notjustamom]

My mom just got recently diagnosed with Parkinsons. Should she get a GAC? We will have one for my son (autistic) but I'm wondering if she wouldn't benefit from one too? Since it's all so new I'm not sure how she'll do with all the walking. I was thinking GAC for shaded queue waits and being able to sit. What do you think? Also, should I have it noted on our reservation at BWV and request a room close to the elevators? TIA

[PamelaK]

I would go ahead and get a GAC for your DMom as well. ON our last trip we had a GAC for my DD with Hereditary Spastic Paraparesis (a physical disability) and also one for my DBF with Social Anxiety and OCD. They each needed accommodations for for their disabilities. They both got a stamp for the use of alternate entrances where available, it was each for separate reasons. DD needed it because of her wheelchair, and DBF needed it because his social anxiety would cause him to have anxiety attacks if the crowds were too large for him and he were trapped in a queue line that he could not get out of. (Thankfully, this never happened since he made good use of his GAC.)

Decide what would best help your DMom and then get her the GAC. You never know if you might separate and do something on your own. This way if your DMom is not with you and your DS then she can still get the accommodations that she needs.

[SueM loves WDW]

I've got a little different perspective and I'm not sure that a GAC will provide as much assistance as you think it may.

Most of the queues are shaded or roofed in some cases are even indoors. The one attraction where we have had trouble with the queue being in the sun is the Nemo musical at AK; we asked there about any ability to wait out of the sun and were told they had no accommodation for that.

If you are concerned about walking enough to think of a room closer to the elevator, I think you will find that she needs a wheelchair, ECV or a rollator (a rolling walker with a seat). We have seen many people using rollators on our last 3 trips to WDW - they provide support and stability while walking, a place to lean against and a seat that can be folded down whenever the user wants to sit.
Most attractions either have slowly moving lines that are constantly moving or, if you are standing still in a preshow, they don't normally have anywhere to sit. With a GAC, you may be offered a wheelchair for use in the line, but there is no guarantee they will have one.
Also, the GAC won't usually shorten the distance walked - and some queues are very long, whether you are in the Fastpass or Standard line. For example, someone used a pedometer to measure the distance from the entrance to the queue in Soarin' to the boarding area and found it was 1/4 mile. After riding, you have to walk the same distance to get back out again (plus go up and down the very steep entrance hill to get into and out of the Land).
Just the distance going around the lake at World Showcase is 1.1 to 1.3 miles (shorter if you walk closer to the lake, farther if you walk closer to the buildings). When you put all the walking between attractions together, she will be walking much more outside of queues than waiting inside the queues where a GAC could help her.

So, my suggestion would be to talk to her about a wheelchair, ECV or a rollator (if she wants to walk). She would not need a GAC to use those and I think having a mobility aid would make for a much more pleasant vacation.

[Eeyore Tattoo]

I would also recommend a ECV for her. I personally would get a GAC id she does have a ECV stamped to use the handicapped entrance. The reason I recommend this is simple.. Some ques are not too easy to negotiate with a ECV. I learned this the hard way, & when a cast member refused to let me enter the handicapped entrance without a GAC & I had to go all the way back to the EPCOT entrance to get one. It took me almost a hour to get from the back of EPCOT to get it & return to the ride.
I will never not get a GAC & if I don't need it OK, But if I do need it, I have it!
I also found the Toy Story Mania que impossible to get through on a ECV & use my GAC there..

[lukeandbrookesmom]

I agree with Deb I've seen many guests having difficulties with the EVCs/wheelchairs at some of the rides and a GAC would have been more help to them. I would get it just in case. I've she doesn't end up needing it that's great but I think the piece of mind having it will be worth the stop to pick it up.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by SueM loves WDW

I've got a little different perspective and I'm not sure that a GAC will provide as much assistance as you think it may.

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I agree with that. I think WDW has taken pains to make so many of the queues fully accessible for many disabilities. If the GAC doesn't provide much assistance, it would probably be because, as far as reasonable accommodations go, not very much is really necessary.

[SueM loves WDW]

WDW also has a Guidemap especially for Guests with Disabilities.
The old format was a booklet, but the new format since about a year ago is a map, very similar to the ‘regular’ park maps. You can find them at the entrance of each park in the large rack of park maps. If you don’t see them there, you can pick one up at Guest Relations or the place where ECVs and wheelchairs can be rented.
Those maps include a map that looks like the regular park map, but has additional information about things like wheelchair entry instructions for the different attractions. In most cases, you will see that the handicapped entry is listed as “Enter through the Standard queue.” For the attractions with Fastpass, the instructions usually say to “Obtain a Fastpass or use the Standard queue.”
AK and the Studio were built with Mainstream, wheelchair accessible lines for almost all attractions. Epcot and MK were not built to be fully accessible, but as attractions have been added or renovated, they added Mainstream Lines as much as possible.