DCL and Special Needs

[DebWills]

HI Folks,

My name is Deb Wills and along with Debra Martin Koma, we are co-authoring a new book called Passporter WDW Your Special Needs. The book will include many many different categories including (but not limited to) Autism, ADD/ADHD, mobility, vision, hearing, size, diet, chronic fatigue, service animals, fears, and more.

Right now we are working on the Cruise portion of the book and I'd love to hear about your experiences on the Disney Magic or Wonder from a disABILITIES or Special Needs perspective.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts,

Deb

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi Deb

I sent you an e-mail

Mike

 

[kazzie]

Deb,

I think that yours is a brilliant idea

I would absolutely love to do a Disney cruise but my DH flatly refuses because of my son's special needs.He wouldn't be able to relax taking him somewhere we couldn't 'get away' from!

It's too late for me now, but perhaps a book and information like this could have changed his mind,or even just reassured him enough to go on a Disney cruise.

 

[DebWills]

Thanks Karen.

What kinds of things would you have wanted to know? What information would have helped you decided whether to do the cruise or not?

Deb

 

[SandrainNC]

Hi Deb! We are not planning a cruise right now but will want to do so in the future. My main concern about taking my son (almost 4 years old with Down syndrome) on a cruise would be if he were to get sick. I would be concerned whether the doctor or nurse (not sure which they have) would know what to do for him. I also had a friend of mine who's husband got sick on a cruise (not Disney) and they wanted him to go to a hospital at one of the ports (I think it was Panama or something). I don't know how Disney handles such things and would be very interested in how emergencies are handled and what qualifications the doctors or nurses have that are on board.

Thanks!

I love All Ears by the way!!

Sandra

 

[SueM in MN]

My family has not been on a cruise, so I can't add any personal info.
You might want to do a search on this board and also on the Cruise line board. There have been a lot of threads in the past dealing with special needs on cruises.
Some of posters I know have been on cruises have not been around this board much lately (or have been quiet).

 

[mbb]

...poster here, but REALLY wants to

Our two boys have autism...

We'd like to know about line ups - what do you have to line up for, how often(we're Cdn, and I think you have to "reclear" during the cruise?) Is there a GAC idea for this kind of thing?, about the Kids clubs (they go to the ones at WDW) food choices, emergencies at sea as Sandra said...wheelchair storage, or ECV recharging...just how crowded do the pools get - for kids with sensory issues, this could be big

I know we have more questions...

What a great idea



ps...a big thanks for your work...your website has helped immensely with picture stories and preparation for our whole family

 

[DebWills]

you all are asking! We will try and address as many as possible.

Pete has ok'd me posting the link to the book on the Passporter Site, so here goes for those of you wanting more information:

http://www.passporter.com/wdw/specialneeds/

Deb (book@allearsnet.com)

 

[SueOKW]

we need books like this! There was a time we were fearful we'd have to do it ourselves, so there are already some outlines and comments within history here .. this board is a wealth of knowledge on all things DIS and disabilities...


I've shyed away from cruises because my CP kid -

may get overly hot on the beach..... what other activities are there while people are on the beach?

may want to go to the beach, how do we get him down to the water (I've heard tell of special chairs)

may want some special activity just for disabled kids... (that would be something, wouldn't it??)

and then:

How wheelchair friendly is the ship? is there enough room in the cabin to store a chair?

As above - what to do if he gets sick?


good luck Deb.

 

[wide awake]

DebWills...sent you a pm.


MBB...have cruised twice with our ASD son...feel free to PM me with any questions...as to your post...the only time we had to line up was to get on the ship.

 

[kazzie]

Hi Deb,

To be honest my DH will not consider a cruise at all,not just a Disney cruise so I'm not sure what information would have made him feel confident enough to do one.

It is about having my DS in a 'confined' space with the possibility of a meltdown and not being able to say to each other--It's OK we'll never see these people again

Good luck as I think it will be very helpful for many people

 

[RobinsonFamily]

Hi Deb

We went on the Disney Cruise with my brother's family 4 years ago. Our daughter is deaf and was 10-years-old at the time.

We were very unhappy with Disney's accommodations for deaf children on the cruise to the point where I filed a complaint with the Department of Justice. I am not confrontational and we are big Disney fans.

First of all, we had to switch our sailing dates because Disney would only provide an interpreter on limited, predetermined cruises. We were able to do this without too much difficulty. This was a minor inconvenience for us.

Disney implied that there would be interpreters or staff that could communicate in American Sign Language working in our daughter's children's club. I requested it in writing, well in advance, as many of you know is required by the ADA law. The children's programming was a big draw for us. Our daughter is very social and is the kind of kid that would have loved to be involved in all the activities. Unfortunately her participation was very much limited. They offered to move her to the teen group because one of the staff there knew a little bit of sign, but I wasn't comfortable with my then 10-year-old socializing with teens. The children's program staff were wonderful, but they they didn't know how to communicate with her.

The shows and the safety drill were interpreted and the interpreter was of the highest caliber.

At the time, Disney negotiated a contract each year with an interpreting services company, but did not include interpreting the children's activities in that contract. This is when the sailing dates were also decided on. They would not provide interpreters on cruises other than those dates.

Had I known in advance that there would be limited accessiblity for my daughter to the children's program, we could have prepared our daughter, adjusted our expectations or chosen not to go on the cruise, but because I was misled we didn't have an opportunity to do so.

I called guest services upon our return and got a blanket apology and assurances that they would be changing nothing. We were very disappointed.

We have used Disney's interpreter services at Disney World in Orlando and have been very satisfied and impressed, but know that it took a lawsuit for Disney to provide those services.

This was our experience. Different families with different children may have better experiences. Some deaf children have decent enough oral skills and would not need an interpreter; some older deaf children can be included through writing. In my opinion Disney should have interpreted the club activities, and certainly should not have told me they would be interpreted if they were not.

I sure hope that things have improved since then.

Tina