Asthmatic person

jcarboski

jcarboski
Joined
Mar 27, 2005
Were coming to WDW on April 14th-24, 2005 and have an asthmatic person in our group. I have heard that a person with an asthmatic condition can get a special "fast pass" type card that applies to the group that shes with. Has anyone heard of this situation before? And who would I contact about asking about it? Thanks in advance:)* jcarboski
 
What does she need it for? What are her specific needs? Just because is asthmatic doesn't mean she needs any special access. Cards are not given for a diagnosis but for specific needs that need to be accommodated and with an asthmatic there may be none.
 
What you are asking about is a Guest Assistance Card (we call it a GAC to avoid typing so much).
As Talking Hands mentioned, GACs are given based on needs, not diagnosis. Even if they were given on diagnosis, asthma is not a diagnosis that always causes any problems - many athletes have asthma (in fact, especially many swimmers and skaters get into sports to help their asthma), so just having it does not mean the person has a disability that requires any accomidation.
Also, the GAC doesn't act as a fastpass.
it says right on the GAC that it is "not meant to shorten or eliminate waits in line" (like a fastpass). It's not a pass, it is a tool to let CMs know what special accomidation is needed for someone with invisible disabilities. Because the accomidations are based on need, there is not one specific GAC. What the GAC says is different, based on the needs of the person the GAC is for.
If she has endurance needs (like can't walk long distances), it is recommended by Disney that people with endurance needs consider a wheelchair or ecv because the amount of time/distance spent waiting in lines is much smaller than the time spent waiting in lines.
Her best net would be to use Fastpass *** much as possible. Also, in general, the earlier you can get to the park, the quieter it will be and the more you will be able to see without waiting.
 
Just wanted to add that I have asmtha and if I'm having an attack, I wouldn't be able to use a GAC anyway....just not enough breath to do anything.

If I'm not wheezing, moderate exercise like walking is good.
 
I have asthma. One of my triggers is standing in direct sun when it's very hot out. In the winter months I wouldn't DREAM of getting a GAC, I have no need for one.

In the hot months I get one, and use it only as needed. In other words during teh cooler morning and evening hours, it put it awayand don't use it. It's not a Fast Pass. It gives me the opportunity on some rides and attractions to wait in a shaded area. I steadfastly refused to get one for a long time, reserving them for people with "true" disabilities. Until the EMT's bascially MADE me get one after they treated me for the second time in a day a couple years back. (OK, sometimes not so smart I am!)

At any rate, the way it generally works is the person holding the GAC and one member of their party waits in the disabled access line/shaded area/special holding dungeon (this varies from ride to ride) while the rest of the party queues through the regular line. When the remainder of the party gets to the front, the person with the GAC and their escort joins them and they all ride together.

If your friends needs this for health reasons, it can enhance a trip to WDW. But it's not going to bypass any lines.

Anne
 
Both of my boys :earboy2: :earboy2: have asthma and I do too :earsgirl: . We have been blessed to have the GAC extended to us on previous trips for other health reasons - I have a child with extensive medical issues. It never occured to me that there was a use for the GAP for this issue.

How does the heat affect asthmatic people?

We live in Georgia and I often have problems when it is hot but I thought it was just me ( allergy, smog and weight issues- all of which can affect asthmatics :guilty: )--

TIA for the info-
 
Every asthmatic is different. In my case it's not the "heat" that bothers me. It's the heat in combination with direct sun.

In other words, if it's 90 and overcast, I'm fine. If it's 70 and bright sunny skies, I'm fine. If it's 90 and I'm standing in the sun, I'm using my inhaler and figuring out where the closest shade and oxygen is--and hoping I can get to it in time before my blood OX gets so low that I pass out and wake up in the ER.

Anne
 
ducklite said:
In the hot months I get one, and use it only as needed. In other words during teh cooler morning and evening hours, it put it awayand don't use it. It's not a Fast Pass. It gives me the opportunity on some rides and attractions to wait in a shaded area. I steadfastly refused to get one for a long time, reserving them for people with "true" disabilities. Until the EMT's bascially MADE me get one after they treated me for the second time in a day a couple years back. (OK, sometimes not so smart I am!)

At any rate, the way it generally works is the person holding the GAC and one member of their party waits in the disabled access line/shaded area/special holding dungeon (this varies from ride to ride) while the rest of the party queues through the regular line. When the remainder of the party gets to the front, the person with the GAC and their escort joins them and they all ride together.

If your friends needs this for health reasons, it can enhance a trip to WDW. But it's not going to bypass any lines.

Anne
This is valuable information Anne, as my DD and I both have asthma that can be triggered by extreme heat/humidity paired with direct sun. THank you so much for posting your experience. BTW I would probably be one joining you -being treated due to stubbornness :blush:
 
Jen--You are the first person I"ve ever "met" who had that trigger. Do people give you the same reaction they give me? Looking at you like you are crazy when you tell them about that trigger? Even fellow asthmatics "don't get it".

Anne
 
ducklite said:
Jen--You are the first person I"ve ever "met" who had that trigger. Do people give you the same reaction they give me? Looking at you like you are crazy when you tell them about that trigger? Even fellow asthmatics "don't get it".

Anne
People think I'm crazy anyway :crazy: but yes, sometimes I do get a strange reaction. I think that contributing to the trigger is my anxiety that it will trigger an attack KWIM? Since we moved to SC 6 years ago, it's been more common for my asthma to flare up d/t this trigger, and I'm slowly learning how to deal with it more effectively. I have a feeling that hot as the SC sun is, I am looking at a whole different monster with that Florida sun! :sunny:
 
PS Your home is beautiful. I peeked at your other pictures too. I'm envious of your frequent travel. :) Someday I plan to travel with my best friend when our kids are grown. And every now and then I'll travel with DH too LOL!
 
Hi
I actually am so happy to se this thread. I never really looked on this board before but I followed a suggestion I saw on one of the other boards regarding asthma. My DD 6 has asthma. Instead of growing out of it it is just getting worse. She just got out of the hospital again. We are going to WDW in June and I will bring her nebulizer and inhalor for emergencies but I never knew of the GAC card. Heat and sunlight are also triggers for her. Living in So Fla you can understand how bad that can be. I push her in a stroller with fans and canopy but the waiting in those particular lines that push out in the sun is a problem. Maybe if we could get a GAC then on those select rides we would use it and she would not have to miss out. We went in March and we had to skip Philarmagic (one of her faves) because the line was out by the carousel. So my questions are: How do you get this card? Do I need a note from her DR? How do you use it? Do you re-apply every day in every park? Thank you so much!!!
 
jenr812 said:
PS Your home is beautiful. I peeked at your other pictures too. I'm envious of your frequent travel. :) Someday I plan to travel with my best friend when our kids are grown. And every now and then I'll travel with DH too LOL!

Thank you! I travel with "the girls" every year or two, usually for a long weekend. It's a blast!

Anne
 
ducklite said:
Thank you! I travel with "the girls" every year or two, usually for a long weekend. It's a blast!

Anne
The ridiculous thing is that we're already planning these trips together LOL! Our kids range from 11 all the way down to 21 months! :rotfl:
 

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