New to this board...

[adctd2WDW]

I have a DD that is hearing impaired and we will be visiting WDW May 22-26. She is 13 and has not been to the World since she was 5.
This may sound like a silly question, but I would like advice from other parents if possible. Should she take her hearing aids out before every ride so that they don't accidentally fall out and get lost? I am leaning towards yes, but then she will not be able to hear as well. They are BTE aids. I am sure I will follow my instincts on this one. I just wanted to maybe get others' experiences. Also, she does not know sign language as she is not completely deaf and does hear moderately well with her aids. However, she does lip read quite proficiently and prefers to watch TV or movies with on screen text. I have seen that she can get a handheld captioning device at guest relations for some attractions and a reflective captioning device as well. Are these really 2 separate devices? I see that they work at different attractions, so we should carry both around. Are they heavy or bulky?
Also, we will be going to Chef Mickey's and I want her to be able to enjoy the song there. Will I be able to get words on paper?
One ride in particular comes to mind.... Kilamanjaro Safaris. (And Jungle Cruise as well). She would understand this a lot better if she could sit where she can see the guide. Should I just ask a CM near the front of the line?


Now, next issue... flying. We will be flying Southwest Airlines. This may sound a little obsessive, but I worry. I know they do not have assigned seating, so if we arrive at the airport early enough shouldn't I be able to request a seat within the first two rows so that when the steward(ess) is explaining things my daughter will be able to see her or him?

Ok, maybe these are all silly questions. She has had many other health issues in the past and I am over protective I guess. I also know that, yes, she has some degree of hearing. BUT, if she is in a large, crowded, noisy place she gets overwhelmed and starts getting frustrated. It is hard for her to "focus" on particular sounds.
I want this trip to be wonderful for her, as it should be.
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated and if you have read this far....THANK YOU!!!

 

[mechurchlady]

The others will be along later.

I believe you could go to the Southwest Airlines site and choose your seat ahead of time. It that is not possible then go to the boarding area and tell the staff your request if preassignment of seats is not possible.

Get the GAC/Guest Assistance Card for your daughter for hearing. Show the card to the CM greeter and they can offer you some scripts, reflective captioning with the words on a device and if necessary down front seating so she can hear shows better.

You are a mom so of course you are over protective. She is not blind so she should be able to read lips from a lot farther than you think.

The CM might put you i the front row but it depends on the CM driving and if he will try to turn his head a bit so she can see his face. Some CMs bend over backwards and others are tired or whatever and cannot accomodate your request. It is worth a try anyhow. There is no set script as they improvise along the route but do have to include things like pointing out the critters.

 

[bookwormde]

Welcome,

For SW if you believe her disability is a safety issue on the flight you can request a disability preboard pass at the customer service counter in the concourse and you will be allowed to board and get settled together before the main group of passengers loads.

My suggestion would be to get your boarding passes on line at exactly 24 before the departure time, If you get an “A” pass you will have no problem getting a seat together near the front of the cabin. I would let the flight attendants know of your child’s limitations so they may be sure to face her when giving safety instructions, if she uses visual cues to help her understand what is being said and so the attendant will speak clearly. It is also helpful to know in case of an emergency so the attendants will know to confirm auditory communicating with her. Be aware that you may not be allowed to sit in the “exit” isle seats due to your daughter’s limitations in understanding commands.

As for WDW, just let the CMs know what your child’s needs are and the vast majorities are very accommodating. If explaining multiple times is uncomfortable then read the stickey threads at the to of the page about the GAC card

There is a brand new device that WDW has released which might be helful and there is a thread about it that will give you as much information as we have so far, it looks very useful

Here is the link

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2150784

bookwormde

 

[adctd2WDW]

Thank you for this information. What helps Hannah the most is closed captioning. It helps her to focus. We will definently take advantage of this. I am sure she will be very pleased to know this is offered. We tend to not go to movies because her brother thinks they are too loud and they are just too expensive.
I am very grateful for the help.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

So far you have gotten some very good advice. Within the next day or two Talking Hands will probably chime in with a lot more very useful information.

Most important is to find out the interpreting schedule. Each day one of the Parks has ASL Interpreters signing the shows. There will be a section reserved near the front where hearing impaired people and their family can sit for a good view of the interpreter and the show both. You will really have to set your touring plan to this schedule so she can get the most out of it.

 

[peemagg]

Something that came to mind about her hearing aids is could you get some of those elastic headbands, you know the cloth ones that are like sweatbands, and have her put those on to hold the hearing aid in place?

 

[nevadadis]

My son has hearing aids and we have never lost them on any rides although there are a few ideas for that if you are worried. One is some web sites for hearing impairement sell little string/clips so that you put a little loop around each aid and clip the clip to the back of your shirt. It is kind of like glasses holders people use but made for hearing aids. I can't remeber the websites since my son has not used the clips since he was younger. You do need to be a little careful on water rides and on those I usually take his aids off at the start of the ride and tuck them somewhere to stay dry or a ziplock in my pocket on a really wet ride. If her aids are usually not falling off during a typical day they should not fall off at a ride. His hearing loss is mild but he is not able to read due to developmental issues so I don't know about the closed captioning. I do know at certain times we will ask about seating (when eating out etc..) and we have never had a problem with people being helpful. Good Luck and have a great time.

 

[Etoile]

A bit late for me to reply, since the OP just came home (how was your trip?!), but I wanted to mention that deafness does qualify for preboarding on Southwest. I am on the Gallaudet University College Bowl team, and we flew down to New Orleans on Southwest for the 2008 conference of the National Association of the Deaf. There were at least 30 deaf people on board our flight, and you should have seen the preboard line! I think the hearing people were quite flustered, they must have never seen the likes of it!

 

[TillyMarigold]

If you've already gone, then you know this, but in case anyone comes along who has the same question ...

The reflective captioning device is kept at each attraction that has it and the Cast Members at that attraction will set it up for you . It's essentially a screen that will reflect text that is actually scrolling along the back wall of the attraction in reverse (mirrored)--the text is part of the attraction itself and is always there, it's just not visible unless you're looking for it. The reflector looks a little like those teleprompters that politicians use, it looks like clear dark plastic from the other side. Most attractions that use it (shows) have only specific seats that it works really well for.

Some attractions that do not have built in captioning will instead have a hand-held captioning device you get at Guest Relations--this one works because the attraction itself sends a signal to the device that tells it what text to display (text is part of the device, not the attraction). This is used more for things like rides where the guest is moving around.

 

[Etoile]

Reflective Captioning is the same as "Rear Window" Captioning (RWC) that is used at many movie theaters around the country.

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't have any real good pictures of the reflective captioning devices, but here is one where you can at least get a pretty good idea. This picture was taken after Fantasmic at the Studio.

The screens are on adjustable posts that can be moved by the user to get the best view after the CM has done the initial setup.