Visual impairment

[wallawallakids]

Hello,
I am not sure if I should be posting this here or not but I was hoping some of you could perhaps help me. My youngest son (who is 6) recently has lost most of his vision due to Coats Disease. This has progressed fairly rapidly and is new in the last year. As a family we are still learning the ways to best help him in his day to day life. We are heading to Disneyland this February and I am sort of a mess about it. I am nervous about him in crowds and I am worried that he just will not be able to see enough for him to have fun.

He also wears a patch for his amblyopia for 8 hours a day so he has no peripheral vision or depth perception. I called guest services but they said all they can do is give us braille maps which we do not need.

My concern is how to engage him while there and keep him safe while we are there? Of course we will be watching him like a hawk but I am still worried he will bump into things, or people into him. Also, if we see a show or parade, would you suggest I just get there extra, extra, extra early in hopes we can get a front row so he can maybe see some of it? I just want him to be able to enjoy this vacation as much as his siblings. It has obviously been a really hard year on him with lots of visits to the doctor and surgeries.

Am I over thinking it?

Any suggestions from anyone else who has been in this situation would be so appreciated. Thank you!

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I'd get him a wheelchair, or if he's small enough use a stroller. You said that this is pretty recent, so I'm assuming he hasn't learned how to navigate with his new issues or he hasn't learned well enough to do it in a large crowded unfamiliar place. He certainly wouldn't have to stay in it the whole day, you could walk through lines with him, or through gift shops, around your resort. I just think this would solve the problem of getting through crowds over long distances and would be easier for everyone involved. I used to go to Disney with someone who was legally blind, had a guide dog, and was partially deaf. He was used to getting around with a dog and the dog knew to follow me if I walked ahead of them. It was still a pain to get around the crowds. For shows you can ask the CMs there to help you get a seat that works, and for parades you do the best you can. I would try to figure out what he can best see and focus on stuff like that.

 

[alizesmom]

To engage him. I would concentrate on attractions that involve his others senses. You can also describe things to him since he has a history of being able to see. The one thing I would be careful with is things that cause sudden loud sounds. Our vision often prepares us for these things while he may need a verbal cue.

 

[wallawallakids]

Thank you so much for your suggestions. I hadn't thought of the wheelchair and that actually might work. He won't think it is too babyish and object like he would with a stroller and we can keep him safe while getting from one place to another.

Also, thank you so much about warning me, in regards to the loud sounds. I hadn't even considered that being a problem, but I can see him reacting badly to something like that. Thank you again, both of you, for your suggestions.

 

[ttintagel]

As an adult with visual impairment, I'm probably not in tune with a child's needs, but I'm told that the new procedure is to just tell the first CM you see at an attraction and see what they feel like doing to assist.

You used to be able to get at Guest Assistance Card that said you needed to be seated in the front for show-type attractions, but they've done away with that since my last trip, and you have to just ask the CM if you can sit up front and hope they let you, out of the goodness of their hearts.

Same goes for rides that load with a moving walkway like the Little Mermaid, Spaceship Earth, or the Haunted Mansion - you can ask them to slow down the walkway to give you extra time to get into the ride vehicle. 99% of the time they will, but you may run into a CM who can't be bothered (especially at the Haunted Mansion). The only rides where they physically can't slow the belt down are the Peoplemover and Peter Pan;s Flight.

Like a lot of people in the world, most WDW CM's I've encountered don't seem to have any real concept of the wide spectrum that lies between "normal vision" and "totally blind." Luckily, your son will have you there to help him.

 

[Wishes Count]

I can't speak for DL but at WDW we have audio descriptions of attractions. He would have a small device with headphones attached. You can get one at guest relations for a $25 deposit

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