Advice Please - severely disabled brother and disabled parents

[Katie85]

Hello all, I am hoping to visit last week of Feb and the first week in march in 2017 (forward planning!) I have a severely disabled brother who is also epileptic and my parents are also disabled.
We need to go when the weather is cooler and the parks aren't mega busy so everyone can get about easily. I am aware that spring break starts from mid Feb - has anyone been during this time? If so show busy was it really?
I have been a few times before, the last time being September 2013, I have only ever visited in September, I know that this is a good time to go regarding park crowds being lower, but it's far to hot for my parents and brother.

Please could you help me with advice on the following :

Weather during these two weeks, temperature etc (last week in feb/first week in march)

Rides that are safe for epileptics to go on

Things not to miss for first timers who are disabled (mum,dad and brother have never been)

General advice for those who are mentally and physical disabled and those with mobility difficulties

Thank you very much in advance - I know I am asking several questions but I have spent hours searching and can't find specific answers.

Thanks again, Katie

 

[mamabunny]

Hi Katie! Welcome! I hope you will find all the answers you seek here.

Hello all, I am hoping to visit last week of Feb and the first week in march in 2017 (forward planning!) I have a severely disabled brother who is also epileptic and my parents are also disabled.
We need to go when the weather is cooler and the parks aren't mega busy so everyone can get about easily. I am aware that spring break starts from mid Feb - has anyone been during this time? If so show busy was it really?
I have been a few times before, the last time being September 2013, I have only ever visited in September, I know that this is a good time to go regarding park crowds being lower, but it's far to hot for my parents and brother.

Please could you help me with advice on the following :

Weather during these two weeks, temperature etc (last week in feb/first week in march)

Rides that are safe for epileptics to go on

Things not to miss for first timers who are disabled (mum,dad and brother have never been)

General advice for those who are mentally and physical disabled and those with mobility difficulties

Thank you very much in advance - I know I am asking several questions but I have spent hours searching and can't find specific answers.

Thanks again, Katie

We have been at the parks every February/March for quite some time now. Our daughter's birthday is in February, so we return year after year to celebrate! This time frame sees WDW host a great many cheerleading groups, and a lot of student and/or family tours from South America. This past February (2015) we saw a single tour group of students that numbered nearly two hundred walking four abreast through Epcot! We knew it was a single group because they had a flag bearer at both the front and rear of the group! It really was an impressive sight.

Late Feb/early March is cheerleader season (well, year round may be cheerleader season now, come to think of it) and probably the worst thing about that is simply large groups of adolescent girls that are often roaming around everywhere. It's just more crowded than it used to be several years ago.

The weather in Orlando at this time of year can be very nice and warm in the daytime, but definitely chilly at night. If it rains, it will be a cold rain. When the sun goes down, the temperature drops rapidly. Consult Google for average daytime and nighttime temps at this time of year.

Towards the top right of this page, there is a box with a magnifying glass in it, and the word "Search...". Use that to search for "epilepsy". You'll find many discussions about rides and shows for those with epilepsy. In fact, the second result is an excellent place for you to start.

Things for first-timers not to miss? Really, it depends on the person. Don't worry about their disabilities; Disney World is by and far one of the easiest places to vacation for people who have issues of any sort. Start by using Disney's website to see what kinds of things might be of interest to your family. Make a list, or better yet, use MDE (My Disney Experience) to plan your trip. You know better than anyone here what will interest your family members. Again, you can search Google for YouTube videos of different rides and attractions to give you an idea of what they are about. I can tell you what I always do when I go to WDW, but my list is way different now than it was the first time I went... in 1972.

Please be aware that while WDW is very "friendly" for those of us who are differently-abled, mobility issues are addressed via the use of either personal assistive devices, or rental equipment. WDW does not provide wheelchairs or ECVs for "free". You can rent an ECV at each theme park and Downtown Disney/Disney Springs at a cost of $50/day per person. (There is also a security deposit at each location) Most people who rent an ECV or wheelchair do so from an "outside" vendor because it is cheaper, and they can use the equipment at the Resort hotel. There is information here on renting - again, use the search function at the top of the page, or scroll through a few pages and you will see MANY posts about using and renting an ECV for the first time.

This thread here on the DISboards: Advice needed - Traveling to WDW... has a wealth of current information that a family member is collecting about taking her brother to WDW for the first time. (it's currently on page 2, so you might have missed it) That's a good starting place for you. There are MANY other posts in this forum about people using ECVs and wheelchairs at WDW - you should be able to find them quite easily just by looking at the titles of the posts, and hovering your mouse over the link to the post to see a bit of what's inside.

Any time you search - this forum, with Google, or any other search function - remember that if you are not getting the results you want, try changing the way you ask the search function for information. For example, searching for "help for a family member with epilepsy" will return very different results than simply searching for the "epilepsy" here.

Again, I hope that you find all the answers you seek - and that you and your family have a very Magical trip!

 

[Katie85]

Hello mamabunny, thank you for all of your advice and answers I will have an in depth look on this site for some more tips regarding the rides and epilepsy.

Do you find the parks very busy during feb/March or arent they too bad? Can you remember the rough wait times for the rides?

Thank you so much

Katie

 

[Toffeewoffy]

The week before Presidents Day weekend tends to be very quiet, and it is our preferred time to go (my birthday is Valentines Day). The weekend of Presidents Day and the Monday will be mentally busy as the world and his family head for Disney, so if you can avoid that time, do so.

It doesn't rain much at that time of year, but can be very cold. The last few years it's been more cold than hot, with temperatures barely hitting the 70s some days. However, this year we went in March (as it was DD's 21st birthday), and we had one half-day of rain and temperature into the mid 80s nearly every day. It wasn't horrendously busy - just very, very hot. Be aware that parks like Epcot have little or no shade for great stretches of walkways.

 

[Katie85]

Hello Toffeewoffy, Thank you very much for your help I will make note of the lack of shade at epcot.

Thanks again,
Katie

 

[lanejudy]

We have been the last full week of February running into the first few days of March since that is school vacation week here. I wouldn't consider it to be "light" but neither would I say super crowded; comfortable crowd-wise for us. Early February is lighter crowds; as mentioned starting the weekend of Presidents' Day it gets quite crowded, and most of that week of Presidents' Day is busy -- that is a typical school vacation week for many in New England and parts of New York. By the last week of the month it tapers off a bit, though not as much as early February.

Being from a cold climate, we love that time of year -- it's warm enough to feel like summer to us, but not the hot hot hot of a real Florida summer. We've had days we were the only ones in the pool, days we wear shorts and others are in jeans and sweatshirts. So weather-wise, I'd say comfort level may depend on what you are used to. It's definitely a break from our cold winter up north!

If you haven't found it already, the disABILITIES FAQ thread has good information about various rides and warnings, etc. I do not believe there are any attractions at WDW which specifically have a warning about epilepsy. While there are some flashing lights, my understanding is the speed and frequency is variable which doesn't cause seizures. You can check out YouTube for any attractions that might cause you concern.

I recommend your parents rent ECVs if they have mobility challenges. That will allow them to be guaranteed a place to sit and rest any time they need to do so. Plan slower days, don't expect to do everything. And try to stick to a "regular" daily schedule for meals, naps, bedtime, etc. Too many long days and late nights with atypical eating just catches up to you. Feel free to ask any questions as you are planning.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[ErinTwinmom]

So I went a little over a year ago with three disabled adults using various mobility devices and twin 4 year-old's with autism in strollers tagged as wheelchairs. And I get to the hotel and my mom has changed my room request. At first I'm pissed. I wanted to be near the pool for the kids. Later I found out that she was a genius. She had moved us to by the first bus stop which allowed us to get three mobility devices on the same bus before all the spots were full.

 

[DisneyOma]

I thought there were warnings posted in many places about the attractions at WDW - the WDW website, the MDE app, and at the actual entrance to the attraction - maybe on the maps as well?

OP, try making an MDE account and searching the ride info there.