DD with deveral severe disabilities

[Walt's#onefan]

Good Afternoon! I am taking my 3 year old DD with severe autisim,Severe CP(mixed type,Hemiparesis/Semi-Lobar Holoprosehcephaly and is a non-walker, non-talker, and is feed soley throgh a feeding tube on a surprise trip to Walt Disney World june 18-28th.She is also profoundly deaf. She loves all things Disney. I was wondering what is there for her to do? How about bording rides/buses?? Thanks1

 

[keypooh90]

HI I AM SORRY Tell her we love her and to be safe .

Keypooh90

 

[NancyDVC]

You are one great Mom. I presume that your DD uses a wheelchair. I have found the drivers to be very efficient at loading and unloading wheelchairs on the buses. You and your DD will be loaded first when you get on and unloaded last at your destination.
There are many attractions where she can ride in her chair-Kilimanjaro Safaris at AK, Journey into Imagination at Epcot etc. All of the shows have special wheelchair seating areas and the CMs will direct you to a special area to wait until they seat you. You and your entire party will be able to sit next to her.
In some cases there maybe a need to take her out of her wheelchair and place her in the ride vehicle. This is usually done at the exit area (again the CMs will direct you). (Haunted Mansion is an example.) The Cms are not permited to lift anyone in or out of a wheelchair so to do this you must transfer her. Also in some cases they may have to stop the ride until you and your DD are in the ride vehicle. Again they tell the other guests to please remain seated but do not tell them why the ride has stopped. (Courtesy for you and your DD.)
Ask for a Guide for Persons with disabilities at each park at the Guest Services. This is very helpful in knowing which rides will be easiest for her to ride. And which rides you may want to avoid.
We just got back from WDW this week and noticed how much more often the characters were around. A bus caravan at Epcot, Camp Minnie & Mickey at AK, outside some rides at MK. The weekly schedule that you can get at the parks will tell you when and where the characters are to be found for autographs etc.

I have noticed how careful and considerate the greeters who accompany the characters are. They make certain that 'special guests' (aka those in wheelchairs etc.) are not neglected and get some one on one time with the characters. It is so touching to see a character go down to eye level with a child in a wheelchair to let them get a personal experience. As a physical therapist I think that I notice some of these thing more, but it does my heart good when I see a child (or an adult ) with mobility problems having a ball at WDW!
If your DD is a Disney lover she will have a great experience I'm sure. There are lots of DISers who post on this board who can give you more insight.
Have a great trip!!!

 

[midge dionne]

Good Luck and have FUN! Pack lots of patience and remember you are in the Happiest Place On Earth. We are going to be at WDW at the same time. This will be our first time since my son died. Michael used a manuel wheelchair and eventually oxygen. We love going here,but there will be rude people. The specifics are different for every family, but our experiences were never so bad that we wouldn't go again. We never had a problem with the buses. Take lots of pictures. When we went to ToonTown, we picked which 1 group out of 3 that we wanted to see because the lines were so long. We were surprised when the CM took us through the back way to the other 2 groups. We have lots of great pictures and memories. Even though Michael has died, I keep in touch with this board so I can share my experiences with others. Michael's life was not an event quickly forgoten and something to get over with. Have a great time!!!!!

 

[midge dionne]

Sorry about the multiple postings. The computer was very slow and and I hit the send button several times.

 

[SueM in MN]

Originally posted by midge dionne
Sorry about the multiple postings. The computer was very slow and and I hit the send button several times.

i fixed your multiple postings for you.
The whole internet seems to be slow tonight. I almost double posted myself a couple of times!

 

[Walt's#onefan]

Hi! I have more questios. Allie(my DD) uses a PANDA chair. Any one with first hand experiance on using one of those in the parks?

How do you go about making a ressie for abarrier free room with roll-in shower/handbars?

What about a rented fridge to hold meds/formula for g-tube?

In the first aid station is there a fridge to put meds?

Should I get a GAC for her severe autisim/deafness?

Do all shows/ rides have an ASL interpreter or Closed captioning??

Thanks!

 

[Talking Hands]

Originally posted by Walt's#onefan
Hi! I have more questios. Allie(my DD) uses a PANDA chair. Any one with first hand experiance on using one of those in the parks?
How do you go about making a ressie for abarrier free room with roll-in shower/handbars?
What about a rented fridge to hold meds/formula for g-tube?
In the first aid station is there a fridge to put meds?
Should I get a GAC for her severe autisim/deafness?
Do all shows/ rides have an ASL interpreter or Closed captioning??
Thanks!

Call for reservations and they will connect you with special needs and they can set up what you need barrier free, roll in shower, frig for the meds/formula.

You can store things in a the frig at first aid in all the parks. They will label it.

If being in lines is an issue get the GAC.

There is sign language interpreting of shows on a schedule. You can get the schedule from Guest services at any park. MK:M & TH
EPCOT: T & F, MGM: W & SUN, AK: SAT

MK interpreted shows and rides. Cinderella Surprise Celebration at the Castle Courtyard, Belle's Storytime, Jungle Cruise, Diamond Horseshoe, Riverboat Ride, 3pm Parade and Merlin (Mon only)
EPCOT: Living Seas Lock Out Chamber and Manatees, Listen to the Land Ride, Innoventions, and the show at England
MGM: Indiana Jones, Animation Tour, Backlot Tour, Millionaire, Star and Cars PArade and Beauty and the Beast
AK; Festival of the Lion King, Pocahantas, Tarzan, Flights of Wonder, Rafiki Animal Watch, Jammin Jungle Parade

Also if you plan on going to Hoop Dee Doo or the Luau interpreters can be arranged.

Captioning is available at many of the shows like Little Mermaid. It is reflective captioning. Probably not useful for your daughter at her age. Also for rides there is a PDA that has the scripts. Again probably not useful

Everything is really visually interesting so even without the words she should be able to enjoy things.

 

[tigger2on]

We took my DD to WDW for the 4 day land/ 3 day sea cruise in 2001 when she was 4. We used her Panda and it worked well. We still ude the canopy with her wheelchair too! Make sure you go to Guest services and get a GAC to let you use it as a wheelchair because it looks so much like a stroller.
Advice... don't take your tray if you don't need it. It was too difficult to get her on and off rides with thetray. I forgot it many times and even lost it once in the airport!
I also wish it folded better for transport in the rental. We now use the Convaid strollers because they are lightweight, compact and comfortable for my daughter.
Feel free to ask any other questions

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's the phone number for WDW Resort Special Reservations:
(407) 939-7807
(407) 939-7670 [TTY]
They are the department that deals with special requests (like roll in showers, refrigerators for medical needs, etc) for resort reservations. You can cal them directly or you will likely be transferred there when making your reservation.
Here is a
link to the official Disney website page about touring the parks with mobility disabilities. At the top of the page, there are links to information about visual and hearing disabilites. You will also find a link to each park that contains an electronic version of the guidebook for Guests with Disabilities that Nancy mentioned. She will be able to stay in her Panda chair for shows (live theater shows or movies/audioanimatronic). Some rides do have wheelchair cars, but they are set up for standard wheelchairs, so I'm not sure whether or not she will be able to stay in her Panda chair for those. Some of them (Kilimonjari Safari and Catastrophe Canyon) require the chair to be fastened down with tie down straps for safety, so her chair will only be able to go on those if it is able to be tied down. Others (like Small World, Energy Adventure, Great Movie Ride and the ride in Mexico) have ride cars where a wheelchair just parks in the ride car. She may be able to stay seated for those; it will depend on how high or low she sits in her chair.
For boat and monorail transportation, wheelchairs are just pushed on, so you should have no trouble. For buses, if her Panda is transported to school with her in it and you know where the safe tie-down spots are, you should be able to load the Panda chair with her in it (I'm not sure if the Panda is a chair used for transprt or not).
This website has a lot of good information on touring WW with children with autism and related conditions. And here's a link to a past thread on this forum with hints for dealing with children with autism at WDW.

 

[Walt's#onefan]

more ??????'s

Since she is feed through a feeding tube do I have to pay for her at the Character meals?

Can you get a GAC for more then one reason?
Someone said to get a gac to allow her to use PANDA chair as wc since it looks so much like a stroller, and b/c of her Autism she can't wait in lines fromore then 15 mins or she has a melt-down, and when epople get close to her compacted tightly in a que she feels people are invading her space thus a meltdown.

Are disabled kids accomedated at kids activites?

When she visits with characters can I tell the greeter to let the charcter know not to hug her/touch because of her sensory issues?

 

[Walt's#onefan]

Another ? peple who have taken their disabled kid to wdw in aPANDA what is a safe tie down spot? Also do I need a Dr.'s note to get a GAC, and does Allie need to be present when I get it? Where do you get it?

 

[SueM in MN]

Another ? peple who have taken their disabled kid to wdw in aPANDA what is a safe tie down spot?

There might not be any since it may not be designed to be used during transport. You should have gottn an instruction book with it whcih would have information. Otherwise, contact the place you got it from. If there are safe tiedown points they will know and will also know if any adjustments need to be made because of equipment added to her chair.

Since she is feed through a feeding tube do I have to pay for her at the Character meals?

They may or may not. Some people have posted that they were not charged at all since their child wasn't eating. Some were charged an "entertainment fee" which is less. We count my DD as an adult for character meals because of her age, but the server usually only charges us for a child because she is small and most of the food she eats is from the children's buffet.

Also do I need a Dr.'s note to get a GAC, and does Allie need to be present when I get it?

The person with a disability does need to be present because the card is being issued to them.
You don't need a Dr.'s note to request a GAC. Some people take one because it makes them more comfortable to have one, but according to the ADA, you cannot be required to provide one as proof of a disability.

Where do you get it?

You can go to Guest Services in any of the parks (GS is in near the entrance at each park).

Can you get a GAC for more then one reason?
Someone said to get a gac to allow her to use PANDA chair as wc since it looks so much like a stroller, and b/c of her Autism she can't wait in lines fromore then 15 mins or she has a melt-down, and when epople get close to her compacted tightly in a que she feels people are invading her space thus a meltdown.

You can get a GAC for more than one reason. The GAC is a tool to let the CMs know what sorts of assistance you need. They have different stamps that they can add to the GAC to add more information to meet your needs. You need to be able to explain what sorts of difficulties your child's condition is likely to cause; that will help the CM know what sorts of information to add to the GAC (your explanation above would be helpful to the CMs). The GAC is not meant to provide immediate access to rides/attractions, but is meant to provide an environment (like maybe a quieter place to wait) that will allow you to enjoy the parks.

Are disabled kids accomedated at kids activites?

We have nver used any of the kids activities, but many other people have posted that they have. When making the arrangements for the activity, explain your child's needs and they will let you know what they can do to accomidate them. Sometimes it's things like you need to be in the area for them to page you if the child needs a diaper change or has a problem. Some kids need a person to accompany them. It all depends on the needs of the child.

When she visits with characters can I tell the greeter to let the charcter know not to hug her/touch because of her sensory issues?

Let the CM who is with the character and the character know - you don't need a long explanation, just "She doesn't like being touched". The characters are wonderful with special needs kids, very patient and they approach slowly so that they kids can get used to them. Some parents are surprised that their kids who don't like being touched will let the characteres touch them because they are so very gentle.