From Yahoo Lifestyle:
“3 Things to Know Before You Head
to Disney With Your Child With a Disability”
My family went to Disney World
last year with our son Nicholas, who has a disability. When I was planning for
my vacation, I wish I had known these three things that could have made my
experience a little bit better.
1. Ask
Even if you didn’t go to Sunday school
with your mom and dad, you may have heard someone say the partial bible
scripture, “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find.” Well if you
are headed to Disney World, the park does offer accommodations for individuals
with disabilities, but you gotta ask. it is not going to be handed to ya. You
have to often seek out solutions for your loved one with disabilities, and that
means you may have to stand in a line for a hostess or host who can point you
to a spot that will help you out. My son Nick is diagnosed with autism. He
often has a tough time with long lines. This is really with anything. He hates
waiting in long lines at the supermarket, church, or an out or event. Many
parents with kids on the autism spectrum understand when I say this isn’t him
being impatient, but rather a sensory thing. If we are in a line too long, I
have to leave the area or he will have a meltdown because of the overwhelming
wait, the overwhelming crowd, or both. One time he even yelled to me, “I can’t
breathe!” Part of it, I notice, is constraints of movement. If he has to sit or
stand still for a long time, he will literally break out in a jumping and
wiggle dance just to keep from standing or sitting too long. One behaviorist at
his school said to me sometimes kids on the autism spectrum feel sitting still
for long periods of time is physically painful. They have to move. Nick has
gotten better over time, but he is not over it by any means. So if this is your
kid — or your child is in a wheelchair or perhaps has another disability,
here’s your first move. On your first day in any of the parks go to Guest
Relations. Our first park on our vacation was Disney’s Magic Kingdom. There,
you will need to head to City Hall. In my case, I let one of the Disney hosts
know my son is diagnosed with autism and really has a tough time standing in
long lines. I had a note from his doctor as a backup. The host got to see it,
as soon as I stood in a lengthy line, Nick was loudly asking me how long we had
to stand in line. The host saw the need before I got to the desk. At guest
relations they will give you an electronic link to your electronic ticket or
“magic band.” (I will get to magic bands in just a minute.) This will allow you
to have “disability access accommodations” for 30 days. The link will allow you
to go to any ride or stage show and arrange a time to return to ride that ride
— even if the wait time is really long. Some waits for rides like the popular
Avatar Pandora ride are more than 120 minutes on any given day. They will give
you a time to walk around — do something else and come back at a coordinated
time slot. However, you can only set up one of these “disability access” rides
at a time. Also, for those who may need american sign language interpreters,
you can ask for show times when interpreters will be at a show so your child or
loved one can enjoy the show. I was told interpreters are coordinated at all
Disney Parks but there are a limited number. So I would arrange this before
arriving.
2. Magic Bands make things easy
but be warned.
The Disney Magic Bands are great.
You can link your credit card or debit card to one band, a select few or all
the bands in your party. This means you can leave your wallet locked in a safe
in your room while you have fun at any Disney World park and buy what you want
when needed with the magic band as well as use it for fast pass rides. One good
security measure with purchases though is you have to put in a four digit code
you specifically select for every purchase during the time of your stay. One
host told me beware of letting kids know the code. She told me a story of a
4-year-old who charged up to $1000 on their parent’s credit card that way.
Needless to say, Nick did not know the code.
3. Be prepared to walk miles and
pack patience.
Nearly every day of the week the
three of us walked between seven and nine miles a day. If your loved one has a tough time walking
long distances, you can rent a stroller or electronic scooter if you don’t have
one. Bringing your own, however, can save you money. My advice, however, is
check ahead. Crowds are also huge. Even if it’s off season, I’m told Disney has
a lot of people. Memorial Day weekend was packed and lines were very long. Even
when you have a fast pass, dining reservations, a bus/shuttle time or arranged
just about anything at a set time, there will be delays. So if you are a
stickler for time, learn to use yoga breathing techniques and slow down. Rarely
does everything start exactly on time. Restaurants generally give you a 20
minute grace period if you are late. And rides give you an hour window from the
time of your appointment. Calling ahead to a restaurant can buy you time, but
not indefinitely. If you miss your window for a ride, you’re generally out of
luck.
^ I have been to Disney World
several times with a person in a wheelchair and had lots of little issues (even
with lots of pre-planning) that made the whole trip to the “Greatest Place on Earth”
not so great. I have not been back in some time so I hope they have fixed their
disability issues and that everyone can now experience a great time. ^
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