dlp with a special needs buggy

[iluvmababyz]

hi, my dd2 was diagnosed with core autism in november and will be 3 1/2 on our next trip in october.

she refuses to walk in public and so has her special needs buggy which we couldnt be without as she is far too heavy to carry and she feels safe in it.

my question is as she will be a lot older on our next trip and probably too big for a highchair in restaurants, will she be able to stay in her buggy as she would get really distressed if she was out of it. we are able to do this in restaurants here and was hoping it would be the same for her in disney.

also if theres any general advice for having a special needs child is disney, it would really help. dd is non verbal and has very little understanding. i am aware of some type of pass she would be able to get so she doesnt have to queue for rides. there will be 4 of us travelling. myself, dh and our 2 daughters.

thanks in advance

 

[Donald Ducks wife]

My son is autistic too, and he also had a special needs pushchair. Staying in the pushchair is no problem, he has done it a good few times.
If you have any questions about anything, feel free to pm me xx

 

[Aliceacc]

I have pretty much no experience with autism, but here's a link that may help:
http://allears.net/pl/dis_aut.htm

Also, this forum has a DISabilities board:
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20 I imagine someone there can address your questions.

 

[iluvmababyz]

Thank you so much for your replies

 

[MinnieVanMom]

I read your post and flashed back to the day we lost our son to autism. He went to bed one child and woke up...gone. We used ABA and now have a verbal, high functioning child, but it was hard work for many years.

We have a Liberty by Advance Mobility. We are on our second one. When he was little we used the Maclaren. But as you know they grow up so fast. The stroller we have now is for SN and for up to 100 US pounds. I have sat in it and I weigh closer to 115 lbs and it was fine.

DS would just refuse to walk and there was no way he was going to move. Also the sun shield is a nice protecter from all the visual stimuli of the park and a barrier from other people.

Of course you can bring your push chair into the restaurant, just pull the hostess aside and explain why you need it.

I would strongly suggest you get a letter from your Dr. and bring that along with your daughter to city hall and get a Guest Assistance Card, GAC or the equivalent which they have at DLP. It will help with making the park and her experience better.

I feel your pain and offer you hope. Please feel free to PM at any time. Welcome to the club that no one should belong to.

 

[caspdex]

When you park your buggy for rides etc, be sure and put a lock and chain on it, some expensive buggys have gone walkabout. It is a rare occurence, but better to be aware.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

When you park your buggy for rides etc, be sure and put a lock and chain on it, some expensive buggys have gone walkabout. It is a rare occurence, but better to be aware.

Good point, our SN stroller with all the extras ran over $1,000 USD new. I never worried about it in WDW Florida. I will have to remember to get a lock for at DLP if we use it again. DS is now so much better and hasn't used his Liberty in the past two trips. I keep hanging on to it for WDW.

 

[owensdad]

Doing anything in the buggy won't be an issue, my son has a very specialised wheelchair which is his only mode of transport so he's in it all day and we never have any trouble at DLP, definately go to City Hall and get the GA card, it will make a huge difference to your trip, its good advice about locking up the buggy too, ive never thought of this before as my son is always in his chair, I definitely wouldn't want his chair going missing as it cost £4k.

 

[addverbaan]

Just to re-confirm about locking it up. I read on another forum that someone had their childs special needs pushchair stolen from dLP a few months ago! such a sad post too read and made my blood boil!

 

[iluvmababyz]

thanks again for the replies - im watching a buggy lock on ebay. i also read that trip report, people can be so cruel.

 

[tennisfan]

thanks again for the replies - im watching a buggy lock on ebay. i also read that trip report, people can be so cruel.

You could just buy a simple bike lock which may work out cheaper

 

[MinnieVanMom]

We have a retractable wire lock for our skis/snowboards and I am going to go and attach it to the stroller now. I really didn't know that theft was such a problem at DLP.

We have taken DS Liberty to WDW at least 20 times and yet have never had an issue but I have heard of strollers being stolen there too.

 

[Brummig]

There's opportunistic theft at DLP like anywhere else. I've seen lots of buggies with lots of shopping and stuff piled on them just left around, easy targets I guess.

Our ds has autism, but is verbal and mobile. We have been to DLP several times. There is a guide on the DLP website for guests with disabilities which you can download. Agree the GA card is invaluable. In the main we have found DLP staff really helpful, and DS has had some wonderful experiences. There are always a couple of things that you think could work a little better, but I think that generally they really work hard to accomodate us, but you have to remember there are a lot of visitors with disabilities at the park.

 

[MickeysFavouriteGirl]

We're using a bike lock on this trip, our first trip needing a buggy! Also I've decided we're not buying anything in the day, only as we leave the park or in the village so we don't have bags in the basket while the pram is unattended.