Any tips for taking Down Syndrome SIL to WDW?

[100acreHiker]

Hi All!
We're finally taking DH's sister (38 yrs old) who has Down Syndrome to WDW this December (first week). We are Disney lovers and this will be our 5th trip as a family (we have two boys).
My SIL is a pretty capable woman, but obviously has limitations with mobility, stamina, and she is also quite heavy. She doesn't love chaos and crowds, but she has traveled quite a bit with my husband's parents (NYC, Hawaii, and Europe when she was younger). I'm on the fence about the DAS. Anyone take their adult Down Syndrome children or family members to WDW and care to share their experiences, advice and tips? I am so excited to take her to Akershus and show her all around, but I know it will be exhausting for her, too!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Have you read the sticky regarding the DAS at the top of this forum? If not, I'd recommend starting there:

http://disboards.com/threads/wdw-di...15-digital-das-on-tickets-magicbands.3178976/

The DAS won't help with mobility and stamina. For those concerns, you might need to consider a wheelchair, or at least shorter park days with more breaks. The DAS can only help with crowds in the attraction queues. The good thing is the first week of December has historically been a less crowded time to visit and it should have cooler temperatures which would definitely be better for someone with stamina issues as compared to the hot summer months. With 4 prior trips under your belt, I think your best bet is coming up with a good touring plan to minimize crowds and wait times.

 

[gap2368]

I would get a wheel chair so she can sit when need too there is a lot of walking and people with DS do tend to have a problem with stamina, if you feel a wheel chair will not be enough then go and talk to GR about a DAS card but you will need to explain the needs that has to do with inside the lines and that a wheel chair dose not cover. Have a great trip

 

[DisneyOma]

Hi All!
We're finally taking DH's sister (38 yrs old) who has Down Syndrome to WDW this December (first week). We are Disney lovers and this will be our 5th trip as a family (we have two boys).
My SIL is a pretty capable woman, but obviously has limitations with mobility, stamina, and she is also quite heavy. She doesn't love chaos and crowds, but she has traveled quite a bit with my husband's parents (NYC, Hawaii, and Europe when she was younger). I'm on the fence about the DAS. Anyone take their adult Down Syndrome children or family members to WDW and care to share their experiences, advice and tips? I am so excited to take her to Akershus and show her all around, but I know it will be exhausting for her, too!

The DAS isn't for any specific diagnosis, so having Down Syndrome doesn't automatically mean you need to get her a DAS. The DAS is designed for use at attractions with FP+ for people who cannot handle a standard queue and have no other options for managing their situation - meaning using a wheelchair, ECV, or some other mobility device will not settle the issue.

I suggest talking with your husband's parents and see how they handled her mobility and stamina issues on those travels. Also try to be very familiar with any health issues she may have, and have all necessary medical info with you.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

We took my brother, who has Prader Willi to WDW when he was 47. Mentally and physically Prader Willi has a lot in common with DS. He is short, overweight, not a lot of lean muscle, prone to temper tantrums. Mentally he is like a 5 or 6 year old on a good day. This was back when they had the GAC. We got it and never used it.

A big thing with my brother was keeping him hydrated, and keeping him on a regular eating schedule of balanced meals. He is very susceptible to blood sugar dips and spikes. We took walking at his pace and didn't need a wheelchair. We just took lots of breaks and didn't do super long park days. We also did mandatory bathroom stops for all of us, so that he wouldn't get to preoccupied to remember to go.

He was overwhelmed with the mental stimulation when the trip started. Our first ride was test track, and he cried because he had never been on anything so wonderful. This trip was for him, so we let him linger and soak in whatever sights and sounds he wanted to.

My advice is to prep everyone in your travel party that this trip will have a different pace as you help your SIL enjoy what might be her only trip. Enjoy seeing it through her eyes, and have a magical time!

 

[100acreHiker]

We took my brother, who has Prader Willi to WDW when he was 47. Mentally and physically Prader Willi has a lot in common with DS. He is short, overweight, not a lot of lean muscle, prone to temper tantrums. Mentally he is like a 5 or 6 year old on a good day. This was back when they had the GAC. We got it and never used it.

A big thing with my brother was keeping him hydrated, and keeping him on a regular eating schedule of balanced meals. He is very susceptible to blood sugar dips and spikes. We took walking at his pace and didn't need a wheelchair. We just took lots of breaks and didn't do super long park days. We also did mandatory bathroom stops for all of us, so that he wouldn't get to preoccupied to remember to go.

He was overwhelmed with the mental stimulation when the trip started. Our first ride was test track, and he cried because he had never been on anything so wonderful. This trip was for him, so we let him linger and soak in whatever sights and sounds he wanted to.

My advice is to prep everyone in your travel party that this trip will have a different pace as you help your SIL enjoy what might be her only trip. Enjoy seeing it through her eyes, and have a magical time!

Thank you for sharing your experience and advice. I do realize that this trip is going to go at a slower pace, and hopefully we'll enjoy WDW in a new way because of it. We are a larger party, so my guess is that we are going to take turns touring with my SIL, because while my two sons (8 &11) understand and value their aunt and her specialness, they are definitely going to want to take off every now and then and do some of the faster rides. I do not think we will be able to convince my SIL to use a wheelchair when she never needs one in everyday life. It will just be slower! I am concerned that it will take her so long to walk from attraction to attraction that between that and waiting in line, she won't get much done.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Thank you for sharing your experience and advice. I do realize that this trip is going to go at a slower pace, and hopefully we'll enjoy WDW in a new way because of it. We are larger party, so my guess is that we are going to take turns touring with my SIL, because while my two sons (8 &11) understand and value their aunt and her specialness, they are definitely going to want to take off every now and then and do some of the faster rides. I do not think we will be able to convince my SIL to use a wheelchair when she never needs one in everyday life. It will just be slower! I am concerned that it will take her so long to walk from attraction to attraction that between that and waiting in line, she won't get much done.

She might not get much done, but she probably won't realize it unless someone else in the party makes a big deal about it.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I have a 31 year old daughter with Down syndrome. We have been going to Disney since she was a baby. She is very active in many special Olympic sports so once she outgrew her stroller we just had her walk. She walks very slowly and complains constantly. After a few trips of this I convinced my husband to get her a wheelchair. She said no at first but we insisted on it or we said we wouldn't go. So you may want to insist on it. The crowds can be large and when she was walking we almost lost her a couple of times.

The wheel chair has changed our lives so much. While she always says no at first, once she is in it, She is so much happier and we are so much happier! She is pretty high functioning in many ways but the wheel chair is a godsend. We can go for as long as we are able and she just goes along for the ride. We often take her best friend who does not have DS but is mentally challenged. She can walk forever so no need for two chairs.

There are still some rides that have a wheelchair entrance so be sure to look for them. But most of time you just get in the regular line and push her thru the line.

My daughter has to eat three meals a day. When she has breakfast she asks about lunch and so on. While we could skip meals easily we can't do that to her. So we eat in our room for breakfast and if we are going to parks, eat lunch there and then come back to room before going out to a nice dinner.

We are dvc members so we always have at least a one bedroom with a full kitchen and washer dryer. Also we don't go to parks much any more. Out of 10 days we go one day and hit several parks. Otherwise we hang around pool, go to a movie at Disney springs in a rainy day, go to baseball games during spring training, etc.
Our daughter loves all that. She loves going out to dinner at a nice signature restaurant. Raglan road is great because of the entertainment.

We often get her and her friend a salad and an appetizer each for dinner rather than getting them each a large and expensive entree. Also because they are old enough they often share a beer or a glass of wine.

We are taking my daughters boy friend this year. He has never been. He too is disabled although doesn't have DS. It will be exciting to see him experience the parks for the first. Because of our dvc membership we have two bedroom suites so there is no question of them sharing a room.

 

[DisneyOma]

I am concerned that it will take her so long to walk from attraction to attraction that between that and waiting in line, she won't get much done.

Whether she uses a DAS or not, there's still going to be that wait, especially if you do not want her walking between attractions too much. While the DAS limits the waiting in the queue, it still has a wait period attached to it. If walking to another attraction is too much, she would probably benefit from a place to sit, but WDW has removed many of the benches in the parks. Could you tell her a wheelchair is really just a portable seat so she can sit when she needs to?

 

[100acreHiker]

The wheelchair is less an issue of me convincing her as it is me convincing her parents, who believe the walking is good for her and don't like to make exceptions for her. They have NO idea how big Disney is, and they aren't Disney people and I am confident they will be in for a surprise.

 

[gap2368]

The wheelchair is less an issue of me convincing her as it is me convincing her parents, who believe the walking is good for her and don't like to make exceptions for her. They have NO idea how big Disney is, and they aren't Disney people and I am confident they will be in for a surprise.

I would start the day with out one and then when they relise how big Disney bring up the idea of a wheel chair she dose not have to sit in it all the time you can leave it somewhere close by or she could push it and use it as a walker. Is there someone else that could be fier from a wheel chair where they could share one.