The first time we went to Walt Disney World with our son Ian, we approached the trip with trepidation. We didn’t know how Ian was going to manage in a park as big as Disney. We didn’t know how he was going to do with rides. We didn’t know how accepting Disney was going to be about a child who is not only deaf but has cerebral palsy. We should not have worried.
That first trip (and many others following) have led my wife and I to conclude that Disney is, with proper planning, one of the friendliest places to go for a family with a child with a disability. Cheap it isn’t, but based on personal experience and many conversations with other families who have a child with a disability as a member, I really have not heard any ‘horror stories’. Disney and its staff seem to go out of their way to watch for, assist if needed, and do everything in their power to give children with disabilities and their families as good an experience as they possibly can.
Now, if you are going to Disney, you do need to do a little pre-planning. For instance, when you enter the Magic Kingdom or any of the other parks, go to the guest services office. They can assist you with information about navigating the park and making sure other park employees can identify that there is a special need involved. This can allow access through handicapped entrances to rides and shows and cut down on wait times for the child and the child’s family. Sometimes this alone can help make an experience so much better for a child with a disability. Disney also interprets some shows at different times of the week. Guest services can help identify those kinds of things as well. Do NOT expect wheelchairs to be available without a reservation! They do go fast.
If you are staying at one of the park hotels, make sure that the disability is noted on the reservation. The person can often advise on which hotels are the best fits for certain disabilities. For instance, the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s pool entry is a sloping, zero barrier pool, as opposed to the standard pool ledge. Take the time to talk to a Disney reservation agent about your concerns when booking. They will do what they can to assist you and flag any issues on the reservation so the hotel will know in advance.
I want to reiterate, if you are going to Disney, do some advance planning. The parks are huge. Don’t try and do it all in one day. Take breaks, especially in the summer, as Orlando can be stifling hot. It will keep the exhaustion and stress levels down, and make for a much more pleasant experience. Get a guide book before you go. Read it!
As a family, I can say that we have many, many very fond memories of our visits. The one that always sticks with me, however, is the first time we went, and then 4 year old Ian, still using a posterior walker at the time, broadsided Winnie the Pooh at a dead run. I thought he had taken Winnie out, as Winnie swayed on the verge of going down. All Ian was trying to do way hug Winnie, who was Ian’s favorite character at the time. Winnie’s response, and that of the handler, set the tone and let us know that it was all going to work out. The handler, having finished stabilizing Winnie, was laughing. Ian was still hugging on to Winnie. Winnie turned to Ian, threw his arms out, bent, and hugged him back.
And Ian’s two parents, who had spent months worried about how this was all going to work, just about lost it right there with the realization that all was going to be right with the world for a little while.
