Guest who earn a one way ticket to hell

[dizneeluvr]

as a parent of a MAW child (march 2004) i cried when reading some of these posts. My daughter (13) was born w/congenital heart defect. she has only 2 chambers in her heart. she is learning disabled too. although 13, she has the mindset of an 7-8 year old. we do have a handicap pass when we go to WDW (we are also DVC members). she also uses a wheelchair. upon looking at her, you don't see her disabilities, but they are there just the same.
i remember seeing a character line up that was just finished and the line of people were sent on their way, just as the character was leaving they saw a MAW child arriving, the character and CM took the child and parent off to the side and had pix taken. The CM go above and beyond to make all these kids feel special THANK YOU ALL!!
as i see it,the only people who should be called "handicapped" are the STUPID GUESTS.

[Pinoy_Stitch_84]

Are you an angel? That was a very nice thing to say about stupid guests (a.k.a. parents who don't let the attractions people check their children's height for safety purposes or who ask me to make exceptions).

[gaz1970]

...
This usually shuts people up. (Yes, I have had to use this line way too many times). But no, now the second woman in line has piped up with, "I have a disability that should make me as good as some dying kid!" I could hear the mom start to cry. That was too much.
...

i was horrified reading this. i have heard about the MAW foundation and i know what it is all about. i have to confess i have been in a line at times and have moaned about line jumpers (not many in the USA compared to europe) but i didnt know how to make out a MAW member. i will in future be more considerite and will watch out for the pink buttons (i didnt know how to recognise one before) and ensure even as a guest i will make there trip easy

[Euterpe]

I was told not to assume the buttons meant anything because you can buy them on ebay. That's why have to have a GAC card.

[SueOKW]

I wouldn't say they will always be pink - but they are large buttons... you know - I can't really remember what they say on them!! You can't miss them though, i promise. Ours was about 3 inches in diameter and blue.

And yes, I don't know that about Ebay, but you do need a GAC. It's just that it's the like the GAC from heaven!! I still shake my head when I think about how fantastic our trip was.

I've never been to a resort (Give Kids The World) where families like ours were the norm. We were no different than anyone else.
Sue

[Main Streeter]

I was told not to assume the buttons meant anything because you can buy them on ebay.

This is what I was told also. In Traditions we were told to be very alert, sensitive, but alert. A MAW family is usually easily identified by CMs, + they are always the finest guests we encounter.

[gaz1970]

i bet there is nothing more rewarding than to be able to put a smile on these people

[ThunderCat]

I was told not to assume the buttons meant anything because you can buy them on ebay. That's why have to have a GAC card.

This is Very True (I just glanced at eBay and found GKtW T-Shirts) -- or, as I explained to one guest, anyone with a ten dollar button-maker, a computer, and a printer can turn out some pretty darn official-looking buttons.

However, the flip side of the coin is that sometimes these families "slip through the cracks" when it comes to being issued the proper GAC cards. When that happens, I have been told by both managers and coordinators that we should always err on the side of the guest.

Only time I've ever turned away a guest who only had a button was when the button was obviously very old (it sported a MUCH older "Give Kids the World" logo and was actually rusting). I told the guest that if she needed "special access" to the attraction, Guest Relations would be happy to issue her and her family a Guest Assistance Card -- and if she needed immediate access, Guest Relations would need to verify her credentials with Give Kids the World.

[Syndrome]

The internet is a curse with things like that. So many people post photos of their children enjoying the wish, with their buttons clearly visible. All it takes is some unscrupulous a-hole who belongs in the 66th level of Hell to see that, get the design from the photos, and then make and sell counterfeit buttons. I imagine people like that have taken a break from their fake button duties at the moment, tho', as they're probably off looting the last remains of the FL tornado victims' homes. Pond scum!! :mad:

[Driver_dylan]

Living here in Orlando, we sometimes grow accustome to the GKTW / MAW Center. They do great work and help not only the children but the families as well.
This is why I was so angry when I heard that during one of the spaigetti dinners that the crew that was scamed be some party. I found this unbelievable if it was true. :mad: