Disney and Downs

[Captain_Hook]

My nephew has Down's Syndrome and we are trying to convince his parents to do Disney with all the kids. I am trying to anticipate the objections/questions/difficulties that may arise when discussing the possible trip. Has anyone gone to Disney with someone who has Downs? I was wondering how it worked out.... Did you fly or drive? Rent a wheelchair? Go back to the hotel during midday? Skip fireworks?

He will be 16 in Jan and I figured they would need a wheelchair for him. Disney is so exhausting and he is esp sensitive to heat.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[SandrainNC]

Hi! We have taken our son twice (he was almost 4 his first trip and just turned 5 his second). Because he is younger, there really weren't any issues different than probably what other parents of toddlers have (of course, he is my only child at the moment, so maybe it was different and I just have no idea ). We have a little bit harder time explaining why he has to wait in line (like trying to explain it to a 1.5 to 2 year old at the time I think), but because he is little, he had a stroller like all the other toddlers, took naps in the stroller, etc. So to us, there wasn't any special things we had to do that was specifically associated with his having Down syndrome.

All people are different (even those with Down syndrome and other disabilities) so it depends on what your nephew can handle. If you know he is afraid of loud noises, then skipping the fireworks or Fantastmic might be a good idea. If you know he gets tired easily, then definitely get a wheelchair. If he gets hot, try to do some things inside in the air conditioning (if you are going when it is hot).

Oh, and we drove because I dont like airplanes.

I hope someone with an older child can help you a little bit more!

Sandra

 

[Scutapipig]

My son is 10 years old.

We drive and he has no issues with the drive at all. (An occasional motion sickness, but this is rare.) We usually take our portable DVD player, but although we had it with us this time, he didn't use it at all. Frequent breaks on the drive, about every two hours, to get out and run around a bit helped all of us.

Once at Disney, we took the parks at a leisurely pace. My son does not walk fast unless he wants to and we did not use a stroller or wheelchair for him. We didn't try to rush anything and if we noticed him getting flushed from the heat, we took a break inside air conditioning. My son will not normally drink water, but while in the parks, he would drink it regularly without complaint, so I think the body kicks in and accepts things out of the norm if its a physical need. (I hope that made sense.)

He did have some issues with the rides as far as noise and darkness. We brought a very small light-up fan that he wore around his neck to give him a sense of security if the ride was too dark. The funny part is that we thought he would concentrate on the lights instead of the darkness, but instead, he held it out in front of him and used it to ward off the darkness.

We did get a guest assistance card to use so that we had quick access to exits in the event he got overwhelmed by an attraction or ride and we needed to make a hasty exit. He has a tendency to bolt if he's uncomfortable, but we never knew what would actually make him bolt. We did a hasty exit from the Muppets as soon as it started, and we watched the Philharmonic and Voyage of the Little Mermaid from a side corner near the exit. The intensity of the 3-D was not something he enjoyed.

In past years, he would scream like a banshee when he was afraid and I was horrified that it would be a huge bother to those around us on the attractions. This year, he didn't scream, but instead held his little light-up fan in front of him while telling us "Not fair! NOT FAIR!" I'm happy to report that those around us each time he had his bolts and/or meltdowns only looked at us with kindness and I did not notice any annoyed looks.

I really think your nephew will have a wonderful time!

 

[SueM in MN]

Very nice picture, Scutapipig.

The other 2 posters gave very good advice.
The biggest piece of advice is to remember that everyone is different, even if they have the same diagnosis. The more you know about what each attraction is like and how that matches up with what your nephew likes and dislikes, the better a time you will all have. For things like fireworks, the best judge of whether to go or not would probably be how he reacts to loud noises. Even if he has problems, there may be ways to still see the fireworks - like watch from farther away, wear earplugs.

If you haven't yet, check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread. There is information in that thread about different places to rent wheelchairs. There is also a long post in that thread about Guest Assistance Cards (GACs).

 

[slcmom]

Aha. My Tom is 16. We try to do WDW 1x a year because he loves it above every other thing in the world. Frequently he'll pack a suitcase and put it by the front door just in case the opportunity of a trip should suddenly materialize!

Please take your nephew. Disney is the best place in the world for people with special needs. Read through some of these threads. The sweet experiences make me feel weepy.

Tom has been a wanderer, and that has been a big concern in the parks. We travelwith dh who's in a wheelchair, and usually 1-2 grandkids, so my hands are pretty full. My solution is to go to the tent-repair place in town and have them construct for me, out of nylon belting, a leash thing. Tom and I each have a belt, and have a 6-8' strap connecting the 2. I usually put my dgs on a lead as well. Tom knows that wearing the lead is part of the WDW experience. He tugs on it or pulls me along, and we have fun with it.

We get some stares, but nothing too bad. A cast member congratulated him once on "having a leash to keep track of his Mom so she didn't get lost"!

Occasionally we'll get tied up in the leash. Sometimes we've even roped a stranger in, as we've each gone on a different side of him. But we laugh and apologize a lot, and haven't had bad vibes.

Tom adores the scare rides, and is also very happy to go on the tame-r rides with the little grandkids. I put a photo on our hotelroom door in case he gets separated from us. Cast members are incredible. He has gotten away from me once (and dh- who has dementia- got away from me 2x) but the Disney folk are very adept at solving those kinds of problems.

Get the GAC and rent a wheelchair and carry snacks so no one gets to hungry. And have a great time -
Ann

 

[BCV23]

Our 24 yo son with DS has been going to WDW since he was one. He absolutely adores it. Over the years he has been afraid of different things but for the most part enjoys everything...still won't go into one section of AK because he hates Dinosaur so much. Otherwise these days he does everything.

He doesn't use a wheelchair but does get tired. We usually do a park in the am, swim or golf in the pm and after dinner he is often ready to call it a night. He also has Type I diabetes, hypothyroidism and a heart condition so who knows which of these contribute to the fatigue. As a result we do get a GAC for him.

From our January experiences, I don't think you will need to worry about the heat.

We have driven once as a family and flown many times. No problems at all.

I hope you can convince them. WDW is even more magical through the eyes of these special people IMO.

 

[stubb]

hi
my ds is 19 and he loves it, we always find that his speech seems to improve I think he just gets such a thrill from it all. We always go over to guest relations and get an express pass so that you can use fast past, disney will give one for the entire duration but with universal you have to ask every time you visit. Only scary thing that happened was wheb we went to blizzard beach Alex sat up on the summit plummit slide! our hearts were in our mouths.We always take the disabled badge for the car as well. We have to watch him at places like golden coral as he adores food and will just pile his plate up if allowed. Also he always wants to do the lazy river ride alone which worries us as we like to know where he is at all times, usually ask a lifeguard and they will know who we are taking about!

michelle