Blind Child

MickeyWanaBe

I love Big Bang!
Joined
Nov 29, 2004
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My mom's close friend is planning a family Disney trip with her children and grandchildren and she has turned to me for some help planning her trip. So I am turning to you for help on this one.

Her DGD is 6 and has been blind since birth. They are wanting to do a Disney cruise come spring and one day at a park. What information do I need or can I get for traveling with a blind child. For a while they didn't even think she had light preception, but has had stemcell treatments this past summer and she continues to improve! She can now track objects and differienate colors.

Also she wants to know what park to visit. Which park would you recommend for a blind child and why?

Grandma & Grandpa are in their mid 50's
Children (3 DDs & their spouces) are in their 30's and 40's
Grandchildren (5 total) range in age from just turned 1 to 14

Thanks in advance!
 
Welcome to disABILITIES :wave:

I think a good starting point for you would be post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. In the alphabetical subject list, there are links to several threads about touring with someone who is blind.

For the park, I guess my choice would be MK. Most of the attractions there have lots of music and motion. The are some attractions, like the roller coasters, that have extreme motion, but most are more gentle.
 
I agree with Sue on MK because you have the princesses who will chat with her and the kiddie rides and lots of things that are kid oriented. Lots of characters to meet and greet. If I had only one park to visit that would be it and if I had time then AK would be second.

Animal Kingdom has the Conservation Station that you take a train to. It has a petting zoo and the CMs will let her pet some animals inside the station like I got to play with millipedes. They are very good with the disabled guests and especially kids. There is the kiddie ride at Chester and Hester's and the dinosaur digging spot. Some shows and meet and greets also.

The studios have a playground, some meet and greets, Ariel show but not as much as MK. Epcot has kid things to do but I would say third on my list of places to take a kid and studios being fourth.
 
Hey...maybe I can offer some suggestions! (Or more likely just confuse you as much as I am confused!) I am totally blind and am planning my first Disney trip. All of the parks have alot to offer to visually impaired guests. I personally feel that for a child Epcot would be a very poor choice. I'll go through my notes and park plans and come back with a more informative reply with specifics. But in general....things that you experience with multiple senses are the best! I love things with music, moving rides (that don't require walking ramps!) and things that don't require much description. Sometimes it is easier to enjoy something without people telling you about all the things that you don't see. Just enjoy what you can, and not have to mentally process all the descriptions! Anyway, I'll get back to you soon. My trip is next month and I'll have MUCH more information then....your trip isn't until spring, right? I would be happy to get you a non-visual trip report! Best of luck for your princess' improving vision!! Hugs to her!
 

Any more updates or suggestions for a blind child?

Has anyone used the audio guide things Disney provides? What are they called? Would this be something a 6 year old would benefit from?

Any informatioon on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thnaks again!
 
Any more updates or suggestions for a blind child?

Has anyone used the audio guide things Disney provides? What are they called? Would this be something a 6 year old would benefit from?

Any informatioon on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thnaks again!
I have not heard the audio guides, but from what I have read about them, they are not something a 6 yr old would enjoy. They are apparently more for an adult who might be traveling alone - sort of a description of what is around you. I think a child would enjoy descriptions from the adult in their party instead.
 
Maybe either you or your friend can get the Passporters book called "Open Mouse for Walt Disney World"? This book talks about doing Disney World and the Disney Cruise with different disabilities. It is very informative.
 
If it was me I would call Disney and I am sure that they will be able guide you to easiest and funniest things for this little girl, Disney is wonderful with all extras for disabilites so I am sure they can help. Have a great time
 
Really, I would suggest almost any of the attractions you'd take any 6 year old to. Obviously there will be some things that are harder for her to follow without the visuals, but she should still be able to enjoy most of what Disney has to offer, even if she needs a bit of a running commentary from time to time.

A few I can think of off the top of my head are:

:) Country Bear Jamboree - good music, good fun :goodvibes

:) Goofy's Barnstormer - gentle rollercoaster ride, aimed at kids

:) It's a Small World - though she may not be able to see the individual dolls, there's lots of colour, music and movement for her to enjoy

:) Great Movie Ride - though it might not seem an obvious choice, the story is well narrated, so she could follow what's going on

:) The Pixar Block Party parade in DHS - If this is the same as the DLR one, then it parks up, plays music and gets everyone dancing. Get her up front if possible, and she can dance with the other kids and the Pixar characters

:) Character Meet and Greets - they are all wonderful with kids with disabilities, and she'll be able to hug and talk to her favourite characters

:) Water parks - the creeks, family raft rides, wave-pools and kiddie playgrounds could all be enjoyed by her

:) Fireworks, light parades etc - this depends on how good her sight is by the time they go, but it will give her bright lights, lots of colours and good contrast to follow. Also, the narrations and music are lovely on all of these.

:) Shows like Bug's Life / Philharmagic / Star Tours - though she wouldn't be able to see all the visual effects, these shows have other sense-inputs too, especially Star Tours!

:) BBBT - if she's a girly girl, a princess makeover might be fun, to give her a little special treatment. She may not see herself, but she can feel her hair and (if they go for the whole thing) dress, and every little princess enjoys being the centre of attention for a while princess:

They might want to avoid some of the darker rides, such as Dinosaur, as they could be hard for her to follow (and Dinosaur might be a bit too scary for a 6 year old anyway). Swiss Family Robinson Tree-House might not be great for her, as it's a lot of walking up and down steps, for a fairly visual attraction.

Basically, I think the best thing to do would be to have them read the descriptions of each attraction, talk them through what it involves, and see what they think she would enjoy - just as you would with any kid!

Also, reccomend that they spend time just enjoying Disney itself - eat Mickey bars, stroke the cuddly toys in the stores, listen to the background music, inhale deeply whilst walking past the bakery on Main Street (or better still, don't walk past - walk in!), play in the water fountains (make sure they have a change of clothes for her, as you don't dry quickly in the humidity), and all the other little things that we all dream about when we're not at WDW :goodvibes

They might want to look into getting a Guest Assistance Card (GAC) to allow them to use a stroller as a wheelchair. This would mean they could take the stroller into lines, to help her negotiate the queues. Though some lines she'd probably be fine in, she may have trouble in lines that are very dark, crowded or have tight turns. They wouldn't need to take the stroller into every line, if they didn't want to; only the ones she might need some help on. A GAC might also be able to help them avoid moving walkways, if this will be an issue for her. For more info on the GAC, see the disABILITIES FAQ.

DON'T try to do commando tourism! This is really hard with any small children, especially on your first trip, but it would be even harder on her as she might need to be given a little more time to enjoy things properly.

OK, I've rambled through most of my lunch-break, so I'll leave it there for now. Wish your friends a wonderful holiday from us, and I'm sure they'll have a whale of a time! :grouphug:
 
They might want to look into getting a Guest Assistance Card (GAC) to allow them to use a stroller as a wheelchair. This would mean they could take the stroller into lines, to help her negotiate the queues. Though some lines she'd probably be fine in, she may have trouble in lines that are very dark, crowded or have tight turns. They wouldn't need to take the stroller into every line, if they didn't want to; only the ones she might need some help on. A GAC might also be able to help them avoid moving walkways, if this will be an issue for her. For more info on the GAC, see the disABILITIES FAQ.

Thank you all so much for all the information. My family and I have been to Disney so many times everyone comes to us when they are planning their trips. This one has unique obstacles that we have never encountered. I knew I could count on the helpful people on the Dis to help me out. :thumbsup2

I especially want to thank OneLittleSpark for this information. They do have a stroller for her and I am sure this will be a very useful piece of information for them. Some of the queues are entertaining visually or dark and I think just being able to have a place for her to sit will help. I had no idea that they could use the card to take the stroller through the lines. Thank you, thank you, thank you. :goodvibes

I am sure she will LOVE Spectromagic! This is the first year she has ever seen Christmas lights and she would just stand in front of the tree and stare at it.

She loves music! Anytime she hears music she starts to dance. I am sure she will love Country Bears. I had actually not consider it until I read this post. I forgot about all the great music. (That's why I came here... ;) )
 
THE "Stroller as a wheelchair" allows the stroller to be taken any place that a wheelchair is allowed to go including at least one pavillion in Epcot.
http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/
That site lists streetmosphere and other stuff that is not on the maps.
If she loves music then maybe a hot dog and Coke while parked at Casey's Corner would be fun. They have a piano player there.

Epcot has lots of bands and events. Hoop de doo is another fun musical spot. Epcot used to have and I think it still does have interactive stuff she might like.

NAP ATTACK:laundy:
Good luck on the trip
hugs and chocolates
Laurie
 
Not to hijack... but... I live about "1000 miles NW of WDW...Only 15.5 hours away" and there is a little girl in a town very close to me who had a stemcell transplant last summer... they have done several articles in the newspaper about her... including about how now she can differentiate colors and track objects... I am having a bit of a Twilight Zone moment...
 
Thank you all so much for all the information. My family and I have been to Disney so many times everyone comes to us when they are planning their trips. This one has unique obstacles that we have never encountered. I knew I could count on the helpful people on the Dis to help me out. :thumbsup2

I especially want to thank OneLittleSpark for this information. They do have a stroller for her and I am sure this will be a very useful piece of information for them. Some of the queues are entertaining visually or dark and I think just being able to have a place for her to sit will help. I had no idea that they could use the card to take the stroller through the lines. Thank you, thank you, thank you. :goodvibes

I am sure she will LOVE Spectromagic! This is the first year she has ever seen Christmas lights and she would just stand in front of the tree and stare at it.

She loves music! Anytime she hears music she starts to dance. I am sure she will love Country Bears. I had actually not consider it until I read this post. I forgot about all the great music. (That's why I came here... ;) )

:goodvibes Glad I could help! The GAC isn't a widely publicised thing, as some people may try to take advantage of the system (not that it gets you to the front of the lines, but I'm sure plenty of people would think it would), and I only found out about it from hanging out here!

If she likes music, they should take her to Cosmic Ray's, so she can bop along to Sunny Eclipse and the Space Angels (this is one of the few places where I won't get a funny look for knowing his name off the top of my head! :rotfl:) Apparently when I was little, I always used to dance along, and whenever you go in there, there's a row of kids dancing up front.

She's getting towards the top edge of the age bracket, but she might enjoy the Playhouse Disney show at MGM (OK, so I know it's DHS now, but I still call PORS 'Dixie Landings :lmao:) - lots of music, bright colours and everybody dancing!

There are a lot of dinner shows in Disney, that could be good fun for her. I've not been to them yet, but HDDR, the Luaus at the Poly, Mickey's BBQ etc are supposed to be good fun (I've heard mixed reviews of the last one, but someone else here should be able to give you more).

Depending on how her vision is when they go, she might enjoy the day time parades as well as the night time ones. She wouldn't see all the detail, but they are all bright and colourful, with loads of music and character interaction.

If they decide to go to any of the parades / night-time shows, they might benifit from using the GAC to allow them to sit in the wheelchair viewing areas. This will allow her to get a proper look at all the floats, without others blocking her view (I'm guessing that she will be better at watching things if she doesn't have to keep moving to look around people). These areas can fill up quickly, so they'll want to get there early. All these areas are marked on the regular guest maps. At MK, I reccommend the one in Liberty Square, as it's shady, cool and has a wall for her parents to sit on. :thumbsup2

One thing to think of, she may get furstrated and worn out quicker than sighted kids might. Being at stroller / wheelchair height can get pretty hot and claustrophobic in Disney crowds, and if she can't really see what is going on, she might get stressed. Just make sure they take loads of breaks in the air-con (as you would with any young kids), have water in the stroller and maybe give her something to keep her entertained in between rides. If she's into lights, one of the light-up toys / necklaces from the night shows might be good.

I'll probably think of a load more things later, so will probably be popping back again to add more stuff!
 
Not to hijack... but... I live about "1000 miles NW of WDW...Only 15.5 hours away" and there is a little girl in a town very close to me who had a stemcell transplant last summer... they have done several articles in the newspaper about her... including about how now she can differentiate colors and track objects... I am having a bit of a Twilight Zone moment...

:goodvibes
 














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