I am raveling with my blind sister and need help with special needs accomodations

[rascalsmommy]

My sister's family will be traveling with ours in Sept. and we are currently booked at CSR. My sister is blind. The last time our families stayed there, our room was as far away from the bus stop, pool, restaurants as possible. We were also placed on the second floor of the building. We asked to change rooms, but were told that they were "completely booked" and could not accomodate the request. That resort stay really took a toll on my sister after the week. She is usually very independent, but because the resort is so large, it makes her nervous to walk around the resort alone - she is afraid of getting confused and lost. Both our families LOVE the actual resort - the Pepper Market & pool and would rather not switch hotels. I called the Resort Special Assistance line to inquire about getting her a room close to the ammenities. They told me they cannot secure a room for her, but can only make a room request because she does not have a physical impairment requiring a wheelchair, etc. (It is only a request - it may or may not be granted) I was really surprised. Do you all have any suggestions of how to handle the situation? Is there really no options at the resorts for the visually impaired?

Thanks for any help!

 

[SueM in MN]

They told me they cannot secure a room for her, but can only make a room request because she does not have a physical impairment requiring a wheelchair, etc. (It is only a request - it may or may not be granted) I was really surprised. Do you all have any suggestions of how to handle the situation? Is there really no options at the resorts for the visually impaired?

Thanks for any help!

They have rooms that have special features for people with mobility disabilities and they also have some rooms with permanent features for people with hearing impairments (as well as kits that can be added to rooms to make them accessible). There really are not any specific accomodations for people who are visually impaired, so they don't have any rooms that are 'reserved' for people with visual impairment. Also, the rooms for people with mobility or hearing impairment are scattered throughout the resort, so even needing a wheelchair accessible room doesn't guarantee that it will be close to anything. Location, even for those rooms is a request that might not be granted.
From my understanding, Special Reservations acts more as a clearinghouse to make sure that the rooms with special features are available for people who need those features.

I'd suggest you figure out what request is the most important to you and make that your first request. CMs who work as room assigners have posted many times that they assume whatever is listed first is the most important, so they try to at least fill that. Also, look at the map before you get there (there are some posted on the Resorts pages at www.wdwinfo.com ) so that when you do check in, you have some idea of where you want to be. Then ask during check in whether they have any rooms available that meet your needs.

Good luck.

 

[dclfun]

I was thinking too that if you request to be close to the food court/aka Pepper Market for medical reasons- then note the visual impairment and use of a white cane , that might get their attention more. Sometimes people request to be close to the food courts for convenience but in your sister's case it's more important for her safety and security. You might also want to fax in the request to CS about 5 days before you leave so the room assigner would understand also the reason for the request. ---Kathy

 

[LWQuestie]

I have traveled to WDW many times with my mom, who is totally blind and travels with a guide dog. She is a very independant person (commutes daily from the suburbs to downtown Boston). WDW is so huge and convolutedly laid out that she wouldn't ever consider walking around on her own.