New situation :)

[wdw_nutz]

Hi everyone,

I have a range of illnesses which cause me to use an ECV any time I need to walk or stand for a couple of mins. I'm off to Disney in Sept, but this post isn't about me because I've done WDW loads of times in an ECV and don't have any needs other than mobility, particularly.

However I'm travelling with someone who has never been to Disney before and who struggles with problems I don't know Disney's procedures for. She suffers from bi-polar disorder, with acute anxiety. So she's susceptible to over-stimulation and often finds loud and crowded spaces overwhelming. Her anxiety can be anything from a mild feeling of alarm to full-blown panic attacks, and if the bi-polar kicks off she can experience symptoms similar to Tourette's with vocalisations and ticks.

So... What can I do to help her manage her symptoms in WDW? I've chosen the quietest dates I could think of (12th Sept - 25th), booked a studio at Kidani which I believe is quieter than some... I've scheduled plenty of down days and early nights and booked meals in quiet restaurants such as Grand Floridian Cafe. It's more the attractions and shows/night time events I'm concerned about - I knew the old fastpass system well and could have utilised it to help her avoid some tricky situations but now I haven't got a clue how to help prevent her symptoms being triggered. Is there anything else that's changed since 2011 that I need to know?!

Any advice will be gratefully received, thanks in advance! Diane

 

[lanejudy]

You'll want to take advantage of scheduling your FP+ for each day. Once those are used, you can get more from a kiosk in the park.

Most helpful will be for her to remember any calming techniques she has. I read a suggestion once to put these on notecards so she can pull out the notecards to read when she starts to get anxious. This is a link to WDW's Guide for Guests with Cognitive Disabilities, page 35-36 lists some quieter places in each park if needed to take a break for a bit. https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...bilities-services/wdw_cognitive_guide_rev.pdf

I suggest you check-out the WDW Disabilities Access Service Card sticky near the top of this forum. That is the program which replaced the GAC. It may or may not be helpful. It won't remove the crowds or the noises or the stimulation and she will still need to wait the length of standby and use the FP+ line.

You might also suggest she check-out some YouTube videos so she has a better idea of what each ride involves and whether she thinks a particular ride or queue might be problematic for her.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[wdw_nutz]

Thank you so much for these suggestions, they are all very useful. I hope she loves it as much as I do! X

 

[Yoshiandi]

Is she on medication that she can take if she feels a panic attack coming on or to take ahead of time to lessen the stress from being around all that noise/crowd stimuli?

I would make sure she has something with her as a back up and that you can read her cues to get her out of the situation quickly.

Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[sarahtar]

Noise-cancelling headphones might help if she's overwhelmed by all the sound.