Deaf blind child

[pmessy]

Hi All,

I am new to this forum only found you guys today so a big hi from Ireland! This Aug my husband I will be taking our deaf blind daughter to orlando for what we hope will be a trip of a lifetime for our very special little girl! So we are looking for any advice you guys can give us to make it a pleasent, stress free and most of all a fun filled holiday! So a little about our DD....she is 15 but small for her age looks about 12. Completely blind no vision at all, moderate hearing loss but has no speech mainly due to developmental delay ( we adopted our DD from a Russian orphanage when she was 8...conditions dire). DD has limited sign in that she can sign some of her basic needs e.g. what food she wants of if she needs a drink or a nap. So communication is a big issue and a worry for our planned trip in that we will not be able to explain to her why we are waiting in a queue for a ride for example. Also DD is very tactile and her "hands" are her eyes so she will want to touch everything around her just to see what is going on. This can be a problem if standing in queue with a lot of people as some people dont understand when she touches(very gently) to see who or what is in front or behind her.
Would love to hear from people with suggestions as to what rides or areas of the theme parks you think our DD would really enjoy. She loves high fast rides by the way which frighten the living daylights out of me!!
Looking forward to hearing from you
Trish

 

[Talking Hands]

Hi All,

I am new to this forum only found you guys today so a big hi from Ireland! This Aug my husband I will be taking our deaf blind daughter to orlando for what we hope will be a trip of a lifetime for our very special little girl! So we are looking for any advice you guys can give us to make it a pleasent, stress free and most of all a fun filled holiday! So a little about our DD....she is 15 but small for her age looks about 12. Completely blind no vision at all, moderate hearing loss but has no speech mainly due to developmental delay ( we adopted our DD from a Russian orphanage when she was 8...conditions dire). DD has limited sign in that she can sign some of her basic needs e.g. what food she wants of if she needs a drink or a nap. So communication is a big issue and a worry for our planned trip in that we will not be able to explain to her why we are waiting in a queue for a ride for example. Also DD is very tactile and her "hands" are her eyes so she will want to touch everything around her just to see what is going on. This can be a problem if standing in queue with a lot of people as some people dont understand when she touches(very gently) to see who or what is in front or behind her.
Would love to hear from people with suggestions as to what rides or areas of the theme parks you think our DD would really enjoy. She loves high fast rides by the way which frighten the living daylights out of me!!
Looking forward to hearing from you
Trish

Does she use tactile signing? Is she using hearing aids? What sign language is she using? We use American Sign Language here but some of the interpreters know a bit of BSL.

 

[pmessy]

Her sign language is a bit all over the place! Its a combination of Irish Sign language, tactile sign and her own made up signs....it works for her! We really are on a learning curve with the signing and just this year we have started work with a sign language tutor who is coming to the house once a month to teach us signs that we then pass on the DD....slow process but we are getting there! And yes she does wear digital hearing aids and they make a big difference

 

[Talking Hands]

Her sign language is a bit all over the place! Its a combination of Irish Sign language, tactile sign and her own made up signs....it works for her! We really are on a learning curve with the signing and just this year we have started work with a sign language tutor who is coming to the house once a month to teach us signs that we then pass on the DD....slow process but we are getting there! And yes she does wear digital hearing aids and they make a big difference

Disney has assistive listening devices that are available through Guest Services at each park. They require a fully refundable deposit to use. With characters just explain the the character or handler the situation and they will take time with her. Also at Guest Services ask for a GAC so she can sit in the front at shows.

 

[pmessy]

Thanks for that will check out the listening devices when we get there. At this stage we haven`t decided yet if we will take her to any of the shows. We have taken her to conerts etc here at home some have been a great experience but at some of them we had to nearly pin her to her seat as she just wanted to be up on the stage "feeling the music" if you know what I mean! So the plan at this stage is to check out the shows and see the ones that we think she will sit in her seat and enjoy.

 

[eternaldisneyfan]

Disney is great at accommodations. One thing I recommend is the Journey into the Imagination pavilion at Epcot. There are several hands on activities. Same thing with Innoventions at Magic Kingdom.

 

[Sandy321]

in addition to Talking Hands gread advice (we've used them for our hard of hearing son) I searched allears and found this link for advice for blind travelers...

http://allears.net/pl/visual.htm

WELCOME to the boards, and Have fun at Disney!!

 

[Ava]

If she loves thrill rides, do not miss Rock 'n Rollercoaster at DHS. It's a great coaster (one of my favorites), and they play pretty loud rock music in each car so she may be able to hear/feel the music just like everyone else.

 

[pmessy]

Thanks a million for all your words of advice. Roll on August am SO looking forward to the trip and seeing how DD reacts to it all .... am sure she will have the trip of her life!

 

[ireland_nicole]

I would say the Nemo shows at AK wuld be great for her too; the disabled seating is in the back as it is for most shows, so if she needs to stand up it won't be a problem. She'd probably like space and splash mountain in MK and expedition everest at AK; if she likes drops she might enjoy Tower of Terror at DHS. My kiddoes have autism, not visual issues, but a good friend works at the local school for the deaf and is a trainer and advocate for families with deaf/blindness. I'll ask her for suggestions, too.

OT, what county do you live in? My husband and I moved to Austin, TX from Co. Cork 2 years ago.

 

[pmessy]

Thanks Nicole any infor you can pass on would be great. What part of Cork did you come from? Im living in Mallow.

 

[ireland_nicole]

That is too funny! We lived in Carrigaline. My DH is a Dub, though. But my kiddos wear only Red and White... I'll post soon about some advice my friend gave re: deaf/blind issues and helps at WDW.

 

[rjthkids]

Our daughter is not deaf/blind, but she is blind and developmentally delayed and I *so* understand the "hands are my eyes." She constantly grabs and gropes everything and everyone. If music is on she's pressing her face to the speakers. If some one brushes by, she's checking them out. The worst was when she was "butt level" height. She would just reach out her hands and *poof*! suddenly some poor adult was getting their butt grabbed! Thankfully she's a little taller now!

We're going to WDW with her in January of 2010, so I'll be interested to read your trip report!

 

[pmessy]

Small world eh Nicole!! Tell the kids to keep wearing the red and white...up the rebels and all that!
I so remember the "butt level" height...it was a total nightmare but we had some very funny incidents as well! While DD is classified deaf/blind she does have some hearing and not bad when her hearing aids are in and she SO loves music! Its always "fun" trying to get her to walk past a speaker as she almost wants to climb inside it to find the music! Thats why we sometimes have problems taking her to live shows as she wants to be on the stage as close to the music as possible not seating in her seat in the theatre!