traveling iwth a group of adults with MR

[logan&tylersmama]

Good morning everyone, this is my first time posting to this board - usually i can be found lerking around the scrapbooking/craft areas. ANYWAY--- it seems like i get distracted easily. I am a clincal social worker in CT working for an ARC. This october we are planning on taking a group of adults with MR to DISNEY I thought I read some place that there was a book that disney offers reguarding traveling with people with special needs. Is this true or was i just wishing it was true? Any suggestions on traveling would be great. I am a disney queen - live and breath disney! So I am pretty knowledgeable about everything disney - but htis is my first time traveling with a big group of people who will need some extra supports.
Thanks
Jennifer

 

[KPeveler]

there is a passporter for people with special needs... check out passporter.com

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Just a couple of questions, so we know what we're dealing with: How severly affected are the people in your group, and in what ways? Do you have w/c users in your party? Where are you guys staying? Roughly how many of you are there?

I don't know if you've looked at it yet, but the FAQ near the top of the board has loads of useful information on it, including links to the Disney guides for guest with disabilities.

I'm sure everyone here will be able to answer any questions you've got (or at least, we'll do our best ).

I hope you all have a great time!

 

[luvmyeor]

I own a company that takes special needs adults on vacations. We go to various locations with WDW being visited once a year. Depending on the staff to traveler ratio it can be very difficult keeping track of everyone in the park (it is very easy for someone to become distracted by all the "magic"). I have supplied all of our travelers with pin trading lanyards and a few pins to trade (have gotten pins for about $2 each off a pin board) and I have attached a plastic holder on the hook with an information card in it. On the front of the card I put a nice Disney sticker and then on the back I have something like this : My name is (first name) and I am traveling with ____. We are staying at the (name of resort). If I am lost please call ____'s cell phone (xxx)-xxx-xxxx. We have never had to rely on this yet but it is a little bit of insurance just in case. I know that for some a lanyard is not a good idea but so far we haven't had anyone who had a problem with wearing one. It actually helped them to interact more with the cast members.

All chaperones also carry information cards and pictures of everyone in their group. I have been taking pictures with my digital camera and printing on them 4x6 photo paper that is self-sticking. My travelers come from all over so we may not see them until we pick them up the day we leave. I always have a photo in my main file but I carry one of those portable photo printers so I can take updated photos if needed. These photos did come in handy in 2005. I had just found the sticky paper so everyone's photo needed updated. I took photos and printed them out before we went to the parks our first morning. We always have two groups that hang together in a park in case of an emergency. The chaperone that was with me needed to use the restroom so she took one of the travelers with her while I waited for two travelers (who had independence papers) to come back from Test Track. I waited and waited and thought that the chaperone should have been back from the bathroom. Next thing I know she calls me and sounded like she was dying. (She actually ended up leaving Epcot on a stretcher.) She was very sick in the bathroom and she couldn't get anyone to help her. I went to Test Track and explained that I needed to find my two travelers and why. The cast member was great and asked me for a description---I handed him the two photos and said that they were taken this morning so this is what they are wearing. He was back within minutes and had both ladies with him. He said that the photos were an excellent idea.

If I have a traveler with me that I know is prone to wandering off I just take a picture of them everyday and delete it from my photo card at the end of the day. I figure if we really need to remember what they were wearing then all we have to do is look at the camera.

We've had some people suggest that everyone wears matching shirts but I won't do that. Not everyone is able to verbalize if they would like this so I am not going to "make" them. Besides we would all have to have shirts for 4 days in the parks and that is just crazy. I also think it calls too much attention to our group.

Just a couple of questions, so we know what we're dealing with: How severly affected are the people in your group, and in what ways? Do you have w/c users in your party? Where are you guys staying? Roughly how many of you are there?

I would be glad to share some more things that we have found to work for us if you post answers to the PP questions.

 

[MomOf2DisneyKids]

Good morning everyone, this is my first time posting to this board - usually i can be found lerking around the scrapbooking/craft areas. A

just wavin' hi to another scrapper/swapper!
ps--yes, buy the passporter for special needs!!