We used to live in Orange County, California, and went to Disneyland on several occasions while we lived there. Visits to Disneyland--and probably some other amusement parks as well--are the only times when having Anthony actually benefits us because we can ask for a disability pass and skirt most of the long lines. We did once have the attendant at the customer service desk ask specifically why our autistic son needed the pass, to which I replied that if he had to wait in line a long time, he would eventually get upset and start hitting and biting people. Any skepticism she might have had seemed to disappear quickly on hearing that.

We returned to California over the Christmas break for the first time in a few years, and of course Disneyland was on the itinerary. Sadly, we found that the disability pass for the most part did not afford us entry at a disability entrance (usually the exit) as it had in the past--perhaps they have been eliminated--but was usually treated the same as the "fast pass" that people can get to go at a later time but which of itself is not particularly fast on crowded days. But of course the waiting times of 20 minutes or so are still much better than an hour or more.

The ride Anthony--and the rest of us--enjoyed most, and about which we wish we had known beforehand, was the Radiator Springs Racers in California Adventure. The ride starts out as nothing special, cruising at slow speeds through the Radiator Springs landscape from the movie "Cars". I was beginning to wonder why the lines were so long for this ride when, after a few minutes, our "car" stopped by another and the "race" started. I don't know what kind of speeds this ride attained, but how I wish we could go on it again. We rode too late in the day and still wanted to do other things, then found out later that California Adventure closed an hour earlier than Disneyland, much to our chagrin. But in hindsight, both my wife and I think we should have paid the $20 for the picture they take of the riders toward the end of the ride. It showed Anthony with a big smile on his face to match those of the rest of us, and there isn't much that really elicits that kind of a response from him.