stargardt's macular degeneration Question

[luckycharms288@yahoo]

We leave for disney in two weeks and my Boyfriend is considerd legally blind, is on Disabilty and dosent have a drive liense since he cant see. He has A eye disese that is heritary in his family called stargardt's macular degeneration. The sun hurts his eyes and gives him really bad headaches and sunglasses also gives him a headache and hurts his eyes. We are wanting to know if he could get a pass for the handicap line so he wont have to stand there and have the sun hurt his eyes. Or is this not considerd a big deal to Disney in infact it really is. We have the proff to prove that he really does have this and we could get his eye doctor to write something to Disney saying he shouldent just be standing under the sun waiting. Thanks

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information. Post #6 discusses the Guest Assistance Card, which he will need. What he will need is let the person at Guest Relations know that he needs to avoid prolonged sunlight; a note is neither needed or requested. And there are no handicap lines; the GAC is not designed to allow bypassing of regular lines.

And if he has a cane that will let CMs for shows know that he will need seating at the front of a show.

Or, if you want an easier route to the FAQs, click on the link in my signature.

 

[pudge the fish]

I don't think standing or waiting in lines will be the problem- most lines are inside or under tarps/canopys- with a few exceptions.
(thinking Nemo)

I think Just walking around the parks will be enough trouble with the sun.

The parks are BIG and it takes a few to walk to each area- like in MK you have to walk to Frontierland from fantasyland - there's Sun.
to get from Star tours to TOT there is a walk and Sun.
there isn't a lot of shade in the parks to walk under to get out of the sun.

I mean it's a mile plus around world showcase- not much shade & lots of sun.

Now it should be cloudy every afternoon but normally it's pretty Sunny every day, early in the day.

maybe a visor or ball cap to keep sun out of his eyes??

 

[dclfun]

I'm just curious- how do sunglasses hurt his eyes? Are there any prescription sunglasses that don't allow as much sun to get in ( as regular sunglasses) designed differently or a different color lense that could be helpful? I agree that standing in lines won't be the problem- it's the rest of the day that will as it's still very sunny right now in Florida. Can he speak with his opthalmologist for suggestions?---Kathy

 

[Belle94]

You should nave no problem getting a GAC. I am also legally blind and both WDW along with DL trips have been great. I take my cane and I have found the CMs to be very accommodating.

Best of luck on your up coming trip.

 

[Libbyt]

Just trying to brainstorm some creative solutions........would it help for him to ride in a wheelchair so that someone else could push him and he could rest his eyes while out in the sun as much as possible? Does it help to take analgesics preventatively - to ward off the headache? Definitely plan to take advantage of EMH's - early morning and evenings - the evenings especially might be much more pleasant for you all. I'm sure you all know much more than the rest of us about sunglasses/hats/other techniques for keeping light out, just trying to think of some other ideas!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

As others have said, the lines are not normally too sunny, unless they run beyond their normal length (i.e. out of the protection of a covered area or building). Some rides have alternative waiting areas you can use with a GAC, but not all of them do. Also, most rides now have 'mainstream queueing' for wheelchair users, which means we go through the same line as everyone else, then get pulled off to board elsewhere.

I hope this doesn't sound silly, but would he be able to negotiate the parks with his eyes covered, if he had a cane and a person to guide him? I'm just thinking that patching his eyes while he's outside might help prevent him pain, and let him enjoy the parks for longer. When he's inside he could take the patches off, if he felt more comfortable that way. You could put some kind of cooling eye-mask under the patches, to stop him getting too hot and irritated (dressings of any kind can get very itchy in the Florida heat).

 

[My2Angels]

My daughters, both of them, have albinism. They have no pigment in their eyes and are extremely sensitive to the sun. They are also legally blind. We always take a note from their doctor and get a guest services pass without any problem. The pass states "provide a shaded wait area" and "allow to sit in front row of theaters and rides". We rarely use the handicap line because most rides provide a shaded wait area. The only ones that affect us are the race cars, dumbo and those type rides. You should not have a problem.