Good morning all. Three years ago my oldest daughter suffered a ruptered AVM in her brain that has left her with paralysis in leg, ankle and foot which causes her to have mobilty issues. We have not been to WDW since she suffered this injury. So I have a lot of questions. We are taking the kids on a surprise trip at the end of september.
Sorry to hear about her injury.
You can find more information in the disABILITIES FAQs thread, which is near the top of this board or linked in my signature.
The first post in that thread is an index to where to find specific information.
We will need to rent her a wheel chair for our visit. Any reccomendations?
Post 2 of the FAQs thread has more information, including web links and phone numbers to places that rent mobility equipment. Some of the companies listed are ‘Disney Featured Providers’ which are allowed to drop off and pick up from your resort without you bring there. If you rent from a company which is not part of that list, you will need to meet the company representative for drop off and pick up.
If she is an adult or older teen, you might consider renting an
ECV - electric mobility
scooter. Depending on her other deficits, that may or may not be a reasonable choice for her. They do give more independence, but require more concentration, constant awareness and ability to react than being pushed in a wheelchair. People can and do step out in your path without warning and some areas can be challenging to drive in because of crowds, tightness and things like curbs.
If you are traveling by air, you can bring a wheelchair or other mobility device with you at no cost. If you are not bringing one with, contact your airline and ask for wheelchair assistance - they will provide a wheelchair and a skycap to assist you. There is more information about air travel in the disABILITIES FAQs thread.
Also how does the guest services pass work? Do I need to bring documentation for her Dr? Do you need to get one each day at each park? TIA for all of the help.
There is a specific thread about Disability Access Service (
DAS) stuck near the top of this board with complete information. Only the first post is kept up to date; the rest is from just before/after DAS first rolled out.
How does it work?
It allows guests to wait outside of the line if their disability prevents them from waiting in the regular lines. Guests using DAS are given a Return Time to come back to the attraction. The Return Time will be approximately equal to the time you would have waited in the regular line. When coming back, you will enter the Fastpass line (occasionally a different access); there will still be a wait in the Fastpass line, but it will be less than the wait in the regular line.
Guests can only have one active DAS Return Time at a time and DAS can only be used on attractions the person DAS was issued to is going on.
DAS works best when used with Fastpass - you can use DAS together with the 3 Fastpasses that all park guests get.
Do I need documentation?
No. You do not need and they will not look at documentions from the doctor.
DAS is for guests whose disability prevents them from waiting in the regular lines. Guests whose needs are primarily mobility related and met by using a mobility device in line don’t need DAS and it is not not issued to them.
If she has other needs
in addition to mobility, be prepared to explain/have her explain those needs to the CM. Since the accommodation of DAS is being able to wait outside of the lines, concentrate on the needs/problems she has related to waiting in line. It doesn’t have to be a long explanation - just one or two sentences that briefly tell what the issue/problem will be or how it will help you wait outside of the lines. Avoid using medical terminology or jargon - just use common words.
Do I need to get one each day at each park?
No.
Once DAS is issued, it is valid for your entire stay at every one of the theme parks. It is not used for restaurants, buses or the water parks.
