Some Help Please...2 kids with mulitiple disablities

[keetmommy]

We are headed to Disney in May ....I have 3 dd...oldest will be 12...she deserves this trip so much as we have had a tough year and she has been great...My dd8, is non-verbal, has HIGH anxiety with crowds, she LOVES turtles...she also has some Cognative Issues... then there is my DD5, she has a genetic disorder NF1 which has caused her many problems. One being she has a bad tibia and wears an AFO, she will need a stroller because she wont be able to walk all day. Then she has an inoperable brain tumor on her optic chasim which have cause hydrocephalus, so she has a shunt, this also has caused her vision to be at 20/200. So what I need to know is how to make this trip a trip to remember, DD5 may need chemo at some point as they cant operate. And we have dealt with 5 hospitalizations in the last 5 months....So what accomidations will we be able to get with a GAC and is there anything else we can do to make it easier on them...

Thanks
Amie

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES.
If you haven't looked at the disABILITIES FAQs thread yet, check out the section about GACs. I think that should help to answer you questions.
Accomodations are given based on the needs the person has - in your case, being able to bring a stroller into line and have it treated like a wheelchair may be most helpful. Some people have also requested the GAC ask for seating near the front because of vision - reports people posted have been variable on how it worked. Some felt it was helpful, some felt it was easier just to tell the CM they needed close up seating.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Hi there. Will it just be you and the three girls, or do you have any other adults going with you? The reason I ask is that your 8 year old daughter may also benefit from using a stroller. This is partly to conserve her energy, but also to give her a 'safe place' to go to when she feels overwhelmed, and to put a barrier between her and the crowds. You may also want to read some of the recent threads on traveling the parks with children with autism, as she may benefit from some of the tips given there.

Another thing that might help you, would be to use some crowd avoidance strategies. I've heard a lot of positive things about Tour Guide Mike on these boards; apparently the book is very good for crowd busting. You may also want to look for one of the books aimed at doing Disney with disabilities, though I think enough people here have read such books, and better yet, done it themselves, to give you all the tips you need!

I think the main thing is just to pace yourselves, go slowly and take time to enjoy the trip. Let your girls be your guides as to when to have a sit down, when to go back to the hotel and when to run around like mad things! A lot of people here like to hit the parks first thing when it's quite quiet, leave some time late morning to go back to the hotel, have a dip in the pool, a nap or some down time watching TV, then head back to the parks for the evening. Not only does this give you a rest, it also avoids some of the worst heat and crowds.

Couple more questions: Are you staying on property, or off? Can you think of any particular problems you think you might have? I'm sure everyone here will give you a load of information, but if you can foresee any particular 'trouble areas', we can give you some hints on avoiding disaster!

Good luck and have a wonderful trip, it sounds like you could all do with some magic!

 

[Mason7AK]

We also have more than one child with disabilities. We have found that the "stroller as a wheelchair" helps tremendously. Also our DD7 has cortical vision impairment. We usually get the GAC stamped to allow nearer seating, but have found that the only show that really helps with is the new Nemo musical in AK. The other shows, it really hasn't made that much difference to her enjoyment of the show. She tends to "listen" more than "look" as she is very auditory - with the exception of Nemo Musical and the Little Mermaid Show at MGM - I think because they both have such bright colors and lots of florescent colors, so she sees them much better.
Hope you have a GREAT trip! I understand about your older daughter deserving the trip - I have an older daughter too (15) who has been so wonderful with our younger special needs kiddos - I always try to do something special just for her on our trips. Our trip in December I took just her to the MVMCP. She really enjoyed the one on one time with mom! DH stayed at the resort with the little ones that night. Maybe you can take your older DD to the Pirate and Princess Party!
Angela

 

[keetmommy]

To answer your questions
1- We have been given a week at Orange Lake from a wonderful family member, so we are staying there.
2. DH will be there too...so we have 2 adult sets of hands...

3.- We will be driving from Wi so we will bring our large jogging stroller but may have to look into renting one for middle dd too.

4.-I think the only parks we will do are Mk and seaworld and then we may just enjoy the area...my kids have never seen the ocean so that is a must.

I am looking to make this very magical. We had thought about doing make a wish for our youngest, but now isn't the time, but the last year of her life has been awful and she has taken it all in stride....Does anyone know if the MK has anything with HSM--she LOVES Troy....

 

[OneLittleSpark]

I think the HSM stuff was at MGM (now Hollywood) Studios, but I'll check. You might also want to go to EPCOT, even if only to do the the living sees for the turtle stuff. Turtle Talk with Crush is a wonderful interactive show!

EDIT: yup, there is some HSM stuff at MGM, here's a link to the Disney page about it.

If going back to the resort to take a break won't be practical, you can always use the First Aid rooms to let one or more of the kids have a short lie down (up to about an hour at most). Otherwise, having an ice-cream or watching a show in the air-conditioning can be a good way to calm down and cool down. The water parks are also great fun, if you have the time and tickets to do them.