MNSSHP wheelchair/special needs costumes

[KPeveler]

I was brainstorming on what to wear as a costume to the MNSSHP this October... This will be my first time at MNSSHP and my first time at WDW in a powerchair. Since my chair will be black and green, I have decided to be a doom buggy for the party this year! I even have a license plate for the chair!

Does anyone else have any ideas for dressing up at Disney? A lot of costumes that work at home won't work when one is getting on and off of rides, or when one has to sit in it for hours! Also, most halloween costumes are cheaply made, and they are often scratchy. I have mild sensory problems, and they drive me crazy... I can only imagine some of the problems others here have, with more pronounced sensory issues...

So, I am collecting great costume ideas for Haloween and MNSSHP for those of us with special needs!

 

[locolala]

Someone could drape white sheets on a chair (not interfereing with wheels or controls) and then make a giant number 9 and put it on the side (sitting on cloud nine.. get it?) or do the clouds and make an angel costume.

 

[SueM in MN]

This is a great idea.
My daughter has been a witch (a Harry Potter type witch). I had made a black robe which didn't interfere much with her comfort or ability to move. Someone else could just wear black regular clothing. She was using her power wheelchair and a attached a hearth broom we had to her swing away armrest with twist ties. That way, it was high enough that it didn't hit her wheels and the armrests could both be swung away for transfers. That was her favorite constume and she has been that for a number of years.

When she was small, she was a mermaid. I made a long skirt with fins attached to the front. Those covered her feet while she sat in the wheelchair. She doesn't walk, but if she did, it would not be that hard in a long skirt. The fins could have been tipped up if she needed to walk.

 

[KPeveler]

ooh, some great ideas!

I decided that my chair would be a doom buggy when i realized i already had the license plate!

I have had a few ideas some through my head, but since I can transfer and ride roller coasters, I needed something that was easy to move in as well as easy to sit in... no easy task!

I am going to go to thrift stores and look for a green dress like they wear in hte haunted mansion and get a little apron and i'll be all set!

keep the good ideas coming!

 

[maroo]

This was Lauren's costume last year at MNSSHP.

We had to modify it...she wore an undershirt under the Tink Costume because it was quite scratchy, but it worked well for her. (Please ignore me, I was the Cat in the Hat.)

We attached her wings to the back of the chair, as you can see here...

It was a cute costume. Lauren would not entertain an idea of using her w/c to be anything w/c specific. I think she just doesn't see herself as someone in a w/c. I am convinced she doesn't think she is disabled at all. She readily admits that she often forgets.

She said something so funny to me the other day...We were going to her school for an enrichment class she is taking and all of the cheerleaders were there practicing and one of her friends asked her what she was doing up at the school. She laughed and said she was there for cheerleading practice. Then in this absolute tone said, "If I was walking I would definitely be a cheerleader!"

 

[KPeveler]

I am fairly new to daily wheelchair use, and i fought getting a pwc for a long time, so I am guess it is easier to accept if I can have fun with it, at least for a while

 

[maroo]

I am fairly new to daily wheelchair use, and i fought getting a pwc for a long time, so I am guess it is easier to accept if I can have fun with it, at least for a while

If it was me...I would be dressing up as a parade float...or Wall-E or something totally fun!!! I hope I did not come across as saying that it is not cool to use the w/c as part of the costume...I would totally do that. Thankfully I don't have to use a wheelchair at this point in my life...but I would totally have fun with it!

Do you know Bill - mrsksomeday's significant other? He uses a powerchair, too and they have a bunch of ideas for costumes and how to dress up using the wheelchair in the costume! She has a pretrip report on the pre-trip report section of the DIS.

Anyway...I hope I did not come across the wrong way in my post about Lauren.

I think Lauren just has been unable to walk all of her life, but her parents have done an incredible job in trying to let her do the same things her friends do...so in her eyes she is not really held back by her disability. She is held back from doing many things (obviously) but for some reason she doesn't see it that way.

We have tried for the last couple of Halloweens to get her 2 friends that also use powerchairs to all get together and dress up in a wheelchair theme, but Lauren always objects.

Anyway...I am sorry if I came across the wrong way in my post.

 

[KPeveler]

Oh no! I wasn't offended in any way or anything! I have just had people imply that to dress up the wheelchair or something like that was to "wallow in your disability" or something silly like that...

I just treat the chair like any other appendage, and I would not imagine getting my top half all dressed up and leave my bottom half bare

I like the parade float idea - I will have to work on that one for next year!!

 

[SueM in MN]

I understood what you meant about Lauren
My DD's youngest memories include a wheelchair since she had had one since before she was 3. She just considers ita part of herself.
We've never done a wheelchair costume, mostly because all the ones I thought of would make it difficult to get in or out of the wheelchair. For a manual wheelchair, you have to contend with the need to teach the tires and for the tires to turn. A power wheelchair frees you up a lot more since there is more opportunity to attach things to the side without interfering with the wheels.

 

[mrsksomeday]

We changed trip dates and won't be going during MNSSHP now, but at one point we were going to put lights all over his wheelchair so he could be a SpectroMagic Float, he was all for it, but then we moved trip dates.

 

[KPeveler]

We changed trip dates and won't be going during MNSSHP now, but at one point we were going to put lights all over his wheelchair so he could be a SpectroMagic Float, he was all for it, but then we moved trip dates.

OOH! Gotta steal that idea one year!!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

I've not read all the replies, so sorry if I repeat anything someone else has said, but here's what I can think of off the top of my head:

Madam Leota - wear black clothes, heavy make-up and a curly wig (or make your hair go big and curly). You could go the whole hog and put a goldfish bowl on your head, but I think that would be going a little too far

Go as one of the hitch-hiking ghosts. Wear slightly battered suit and top hat and try to 'hitch a lift' from passing strangers

The bride in the attic - rather appropriate, as you'll be there for your wedding! Wear a white dress & veil. If possible, you could also get some battery powered red LEDs to make a glowing heart, but you'd need to make sure it was suitable for outdoor use. Otherwise, a red fabric or paper heart would do nicely too.

EDIT: I just thought, whatever you go as from HM, you should wear black lace gloves! You can get some fairly soft lace, and you wouldn't have to wear them all the time if you don't want.

Whatever you go as, have fun!!

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I love the Doom Buggy idea! What about something from Cars? Maybe paint or stick paper numbers to the chair? Like if you have a red chair, put a lightening bolt and Lightening McQueen's number on it..or if you have a blue chair you can do Sally's tattoo decal. If you don't want to do an actual costume, or if you just want to stand out, I know a lot of dollar stores sell the glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces. We used them at the Halloween party on our guide dog. I wrapped a couple necklaces around his harness and we got him his own set of Mickey ears (yes they have his name on them) and said he was a tourist. You can use the necklaces in a similar way and weave them around the handles and through the spokes of the chair. I don't think that would hinder the movement in anyway and you'd be your own little float.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

If you don't want to do an actual costume, or if you just want to stand out, I know a lot of dollar stores sell the glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces.

Oooh! Green glow sticks on your wheelchair would look good and creepy for the party, especially the outside bits!

We changed trip dates and won't be going during MNSSHP now, but at one point we were going to put lights all over his wheelchair so he could be a SpectroMagic Float, he was all for it, but then we moved trip dates.

This is what I'm thinking of doing to my chair when we go to WDW... not for halloween in particular, just generally! I'm planning to get a set of outdoor, solar powered fairy lights I've seen in one of the shops around here, and strap them onto the frame (solar panel on the back, so it can charge up during the day). Hopefully it will have a way of switching them off, or I'll really annoy people in shows and dark rides ! I've also got LED necklaces from my last trip, to put on the wheels

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Just some more random ideas for anyone else looking for a costume (I may decided to use one of these myself, if I go to the party on our trip):

Wicked Witch costume - black and purple dress, and a crown, with the chair done up as a throne (velvet cusion covers, gold foil on the metal bits, etc etc).

Aladdin / Jasmine costume - clothes for whichever one you choose, and drape a small rug over the chair for an instant magic carpet! Ooh, and a cuddly monkey in a fez too!

Pirate - with the chair as a throne, pirate ship, or pile of treasure

Jafar - for people with a walking stick, you can make the stick into Jafar's serpent staff



Any mobility aids could also be jazzed up to go with any costume with black ribbons, Halloween tinsel (Disney sell this in some of their shops), plastic spiders or other, suitably scary things


Look at this!:

Not mine, I just found it with a Google search

 

[Charleyann]

I took my then 9 year old son to MNSSHP. He uses a wheelchair. His Teacher Assistant at school is very creative. I got a big wardrope box and we made it into a pirate ship that went over his wheelchair. It opened in the front with velcor. It was painted with portholes, an anchor and had our last name on it. It was painted brown and made to look like it was made of planks! We made a pirate flag hanging off of it too. My son had on a stripped black shirt, eye patch and pirate hat...It is posted somewhere on the Dis forums.

My son looked like he was on the ship. Ordinary people stopped me to take pictures. Cast members said it was by far the best costume they had seen. It was also first year of "A Million Dreams", My son got a whole lot of Dreams that night!!!!!

Charleyann

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Charleyann, I saw your boy's costume when you posted it before - it was soooo cool!!

It looks like we might be going to one of the parties when we're there in September , so I'm now thinking about my costume.

OK, I'll edit this to add some of the things I was going to type yesterday, but ran out of time!

Some of the ideas I've thought up so far are:

Eglentine from Bedknobs and Broomsticks, with the chair done up as the magic bed. I could even put pictures of the Naboombu fish on the wheels, so they 'swim' along beside the bed when I move

An explorer, in memory of our beloved Adventurers' Club, with the chair done up as an exotic 'throne'

Jessica Rabbit, with the chair as Benny the taxi cab

One of the Meet the Robinsons characters in a time machine - this would take a lot of work, but would look really cool if done properly!

Cinderella in her carriage - this one is a bit too girly for me, but I thought I'd put it here for anyone else who might be looking for something

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Yay! I've just bought a set of solar-powered outdoor fairy lights, to go on my wheelchair! I'm planning to have them tied around the frame for the whole trip, with the little solar panel (about 3" diameter) on the back - that way I can charge the batteries up during the day, then glow all night long ! Also, as well as looking cool, it will help people to notice me a little more, during the evenings (OK, so there will still be plenty of people drift in front of me, but at least they can't claim they didn't see me, when I run them over )Thankfully, though, it does have an off switch, so I won't disturb people in shows, or keep myself awake all night!

 

[maroo]

Yay! I've just bought a set of solar-powered outdoor fairy lights, to go on my wheelchair! I'm planning to have them tied around the frame for the whole trip, with the little solar panel (about 3" diameter) on the back - that way I can charge the batteries up during the day, then glow all night long ! Also, as well as looking cool, it will help people to notice me a little more, during the evenings (OK, so there will still be plenty of people drift in front of me, but at least they can't claim they didn't see me, when I run them over )Thankfully, though, it does have an off switch, so I won't disturb people in shows, or keep myself awake all night!

OH!! Inquiring minds want to know where you got these!!

 

[scottsod]

try this site www.coolhubcaps.com

they sell for about 100

we got my son the wheel of fortune ones he had them on last wdw
trip and got more looks and coments then ever before had tourists taking his picture almost as much as mickey

they could pair up with a costume real nice and leave em on all year

scott