Non visible disabilities

[Hollytigs]

My dd6 has an undiagnosed brain disorder, which means she has some learning difficulties, some mobility problems and some communication problems as well as being registered as partially sighted, but none of this would be immediately obvious by looking at her.

I have decided we will rent a double buggy for her and dd2, even though she can walk, she has never been on her feet for more than a couple of hours in a day, and she has balance problems (i.e. she couldn't step up a curb or over something without holding onto something). I was thinking of getting a GAC, in case that would help with getting her seated near the front at shows as she would not be able to see characters on a stage from the back of the room.

After reading some threads on DISboards I was just a bit worried about other people's reactions to people with non visible problems getting 'special treatment'. Can you reassure me that it will all be fine, and I should go ahead and get a GAC? We went to Disneyland Paris last year, and I was worried about the same thing, but we didn't have any problems at all. What have other people's experiences been with children with similar problems?
TIA.

 

[SueM in MN]

If you have not checked out the disABILITIES FAQs thread, I'd suggest you look there at post #6, which is about GACs (Guest Assistance Cards) and also at post #3, which has some links to past threads that might be helpful to you. Specifically, there are a couple links about visiting WDW with a child with a sight impairment.

It would probably be helpful for you to ask for a GAC that would allow your stroller to be used as a wheelchair. This would mean that she could stay in the stroller for all lines. I should point out though that for most movies/theater type attractions and most shows, the wheelchair seating is in the very back of the theater. Some shows, specifically Beauty and the Beast at the Studio and the Where's Nemo musical at AK, do have seating in the very front row, but that places you slightly below the level of the stage and you need to look up in order to see the action.
Other shows with better front row seating include Festival of the Lion King at AK (all the handicapped seating is in the front there), Indiana Jones at the Studio, Flights of Wonder (at AK).

You may get some people looking at you because you are using a stroller in line, but really, they don't know why you are using it and you know that you would not be able to go anywhere without it. Guess whose opinion matters?

Also, you may want to look into renting a 'special needs stroller' from one of the off-site places instead of renting a double stroller. That would mean carrying your 2 yr old in line (or letting her walk some), but would make it more evident that your older child has special needs. It would also mean that you would only have to stop once at Guest Services to get approval to use the stroller as a wheelchair. (If you rent a double at the parks, you would need to stop every day for a new sticker).
There is information on renting Special Needs strollers in post #2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi,

This thread is relevant to me at the moment due to a topic that has been discussed on another forum.

Our son Joshua is 11 and is Autistic, unable to talk and has learning difficulties.
We have been to Florida many times and on all holiday's have taken our own over-size stroller with us. Mainly for use around the theme parks as for reasons connected with his disABILITY he cannot walk long distances even though technically speaking he is fully mobile.
We now have a child's wheelchair we are taking with us next April.

We find with the GAC that whilst we always get one that where possible we try and encourage Josh to queue for rides if the wait time is relatively short as it enhances his patience.

We have had people including CM's look or comment on Josh either being too big for the stroller or as a reaction to him having a GAC card and appearing to look like he has no disabilities at all.
I can't therefore say that it doesn't happen because it does - all I can say is as parents we know what's best for our children and sometimes you have to ignore other people's looks or comments. It's all to do with 'disability awareness' or 'autism awareness' in our case.
I am sure that when our son gets out of his chair and walks unaided next year we will get some 'reaction', unfortunatley many people do not understand - the comfort is both the fact that many DO understand and the fact there are many just like you - I know exactly how you feel.

It's what we do for our child and the happiness of our children that matter - keep the faith and trust me you will be fine.

 

[stampin_fool]

As a parent to a special needs child (autism) we have dealt with this on each of our trips and for the most part have had no problems. There have been a few instances where other guests have made comments that were very loud and rude and I think that they were wanting us to response so that they could fight with us but we just act as if we don't hear them and just enjoy the magic. Our son is 11 and we will be renting a wheelchair this year as last year DS just fit. I am sure that people were wondering why we were using the stroller as a wheelchair and why we had someone who was older in a stroller but for him it is a safe haven when the stimulation becomes to much. The strollers worked well with the sides and being able to "bury himself" into the back. I am not sure how well the wheelchairs will work but I know that if we don't rent one he will not have the stamina to make it through the parks so I feel let them look and just go on your way. You know what your child needs to make your vacation a success they do not. Don't let their reaction make or break your trip. If someone is really being rude, ask for help from a CM. I have found that they are very wonderful and will help you out.

Ronda

This year we may also get t-shirts or stickers from Autism Speaks that says to please have patience with him because of the autism (can't remember what is says exactly) so hopefully this will make people think before they speak.

 

[brekin67]

My daughter (who does not have a visible disability) used the GAC card this year. We had no problems and did not feel that other guests were unhappy with our line jumping. We did witness a large group with maybe 3 children using the GAC card. One woman who appeared to be the Alpha Female of the group went into a line where s young girl was standing with her family. The Alpha female said the whole group was using a GAC. ( I think the most in the group is maybe 8, could be lower.) Anyway, we tried to be discreet when we used it and she was speaking very loudly to others in the group.) I was upset that she did this since it brought unwanted attention to our family as well. I was going to sit out of one ride and my hubby refused to use the GAC card. I was waiting on a bench and could hear my DD screaming and hitting DH. My DH brought her to me and said to give him the dang card that she cannot wait in the line.
Use the GAC card, you will be glad you did if your family needs it.

 

[merryweather20]

Just to tag onto what Sue said about using the stroller as a wheel-chair. Some of the queues are quite dark and there are others that are still others that are very dim with "mood" lighting. If the darkness would effect your DD's vision she might be more comfortable in her stroller.

 

[wvdislover]

Try not to worry about what other people think (which I know can be hard at times). You'll never see any of them ever again. You deserve to have an enjoyable vacation for your family. The GAC helps you to do that.

 

[mechurchlady]

It is 5 guests per GAC holder. Some CMs will allow more guests depending on their mood, how busy they are and what the ride is. However, if a party of 24 has 4 members with GACs then they could go as 4 groups of 6 people per group.

Some people make business or recipe sized cards that state the person's name and the issues at hand. Like that their son has MS or their daughter is blind. It saves time and clearly explains everything a stranger needs to know. Generally I have not heard a lot of people complaining of rude guests staring or otherwise. The card is a suggestion that not everyone would want.

Tell the CM that your daughter has limited vision and they will try to seat you near the front of a show where she can see. Some shows will put the disabled in the back rows but the GAC will let the CM know she has a vision problem. I agree with the double stroller as then you have one less kid to carry around at the end of the day. I think some offsite places rent out doubles, check FAQs.

Something I learned while cooking is that if you do not tell people then they won't know. Enjoy your trip and focus on your family and fun not on what others might think.

 

[Hollytigs]

Just to tag onto what Sue said about using the stroller as a wheel-chair. Some of the queues are quite dark and there are others that are still others that are very dim with "mood" lighting. If the darkness would effect your DD's vision she might be more comfortable in her stroller.

I hadn't thought of that. It is a very good point.

I will try and just get on with it and have a good time, like you all said! When we went to Disneyland Paris, I had prepared little speeches to give to people (i.e. 'You have my place in the queue then, and I'LL have the child without a brain disorder OK!' ) but I didn't notice anyone staring or anything, so hopefully it's a rare occurence!

I can't wait to go, and we're not going until August! The other day DD6 said to me 'At Disneyworld, me no hold your hand, me hold Mickey Mouse's hand' I'm sure it's going to be great!

 

[ireland_nicole]

I would rent a double stroller from orlandostrollerrentals.com Shannon is lovely, and her customer service was excellent. It would allow you to put the big red "stroller as wheelchair" tag on it (it's like a luggage tag at the airport, so will only come off once). This made our stroller a lot easier to recognize by CM's, etc.

As far as "onlookers" goes, I have to say, that this trip wasn't bad for us. We did get one very "rude" (I like to think just new and a little rigid, Aspergers maybe?) CM; but her manager was close by and after apologizing to us and waving us through, had a "chat" w/ her. Most of the CM's were really lovely to us. They made the trip so magical. One thing that may have helped is that I wore an autism awareness "button" and we often dressed the kids in shirts I made that rumblytumbly on the disigns threads designed for us. One design said, Celebrate Neurodiversity with the autism ribbon inside mouse ears. One said, Seeing the World from a different point of view, and had a stick family with one kid upside down and waving. Anyway, she has a bunch of other designs in her photobucket account for autism/aspergers as well. Plus, my kids were often using their "ear protectors" w/ autism ribbons on them... so I guess we weren't too "invisible" after all. LOL

At the end of the day, you know what is best for your family. I for one am grateful that Disney makes it possible for us to eat in a restaurant even w/ dietary restrictions, and feel a little bit "normal" for a few days. Basically, we couldn't go w/o these helps. They allow us to experience Disney- just like everyone else is able to do. That's the point of ADA, GAC's, etc. To allow everyone to access the experience.

 

[bkfree]

My son , who has autism, is a healthy 9 year old, who has no visible disability to the casual observer.
Luckily ,so far, we have not had to use the GAC but always have it with us. I bought a clear nametag holder on a lanyard at Staples and we put it in that in plain sight.

I also have ordered some "autism" buttons and stickers from www.cafepress.com. The have a huge selection of Autism tshirts, buttons and stickers that are great for wearing at WDW. Just put autism in the search engine on the main page.

I also printed up some business cards that explains his issues. We use these at some restaurants like 50's Prime, where he likes to watch the interaction but is not comfortable being included. I also use these sometimes to hand CM at rides and this has worked out great. Once they try to talk to him, his disability is apparent.

 

[angelegod]

My daughter (who does not have a visible disability) used the GAC card this year. We had no problems and did not feel that other guests were unhappy with our line jumping. We did witness a large group with maybe 3 children using the GAC card. One woman who appeared to be the Alpha Female of the group went into a line where s young girl was standing with her family. The Alpha female said the whole group was using a GAC. ( I think the most in the group is maybe 8, could be lower.) Anyway, we tried to be discreet when we used it and she was speaking very loudly to others in the group.) I was upset that she did this since it brought unwanted attention to our family as well. I was going to sit out of one ride and my hubby refused to use the GAC card. I was waiting on a bench and could hear my DD screaming and hitting DH. My DH brought her to me and said to give him the dang card that she cannot wait in the line.
Use the GAC card, you will be glad you did if your family needs it.

What does the GAC do for you?

 

[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 there gives information about the GAC. Basically it is given to people with "invisible" disabilities (not stamina or mobility related) with certain stamps on to alert Cast Members that certain assistance is needed. It is not intended, nad so states on the card, to bypass lines.

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

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Basically it is given to people with "invisible" disabilities (not stamina or mobility related) with certain stamps on to alert Cast Members that certain assistance is needed.

Thanks - although we always get a GAC card for Joshua we do try not to use it if we feel the wait time on rides is short.

I never knew about these 'stamps' and none of the CM's at Guest Relations have ever mentioned them but it's good to know for our next holiday.

He is mobile but we have a wheelchair as he cannot walk long distances, he cannot talk and has learning difficulties.

 

[disneyohbear]

We just got back from WDW with my nephew who is autistic. For the first time in his 4 trips we used the stroller as a wheelchair sticker\GAC (we also had my father in a EVC with us so we were always going thru a wheelchair entrance so pushing the stroller just became the norm for us vs leaving it to later go back and get it). It definitely improved our trip with him. Before we were having to carry him or hold him when things became overwhelming and we didn't have the stroller but this year with him being 6 and much to heavy for carrying thru long lines we tried the stroller as a wheelchair. We received some looks especially when he hopped out of the stroller and would run over to something but we just ignored them. My sister or her husband (the parents of my nephew) were usually wearing an autism shirt of some kind so that helped. We had one CM say she assumed he would sit in the stroller for the show when he hopped out and sat on the bench. I then explained why we use it cause one never knows which shows would bother him at which point she then cautioned us about some upcoming loud noises that might bother him. That was the only comment we received the whole trip. He even participated in the FOTL which was one of our best moments on the trip.

If he wasn't sitting in the stroller for the show he normally sat in our laps. If we had done this at a more crowded time I would have worried some about having used a handicap space that could have been used by someone else but all our shows had many empty wheelchair spots so I didn't feel we had prevented someone else from seeing the show. We did try to remember to tell each CM at the shows that he could transfer to a seat if they needed the wheelchair slot.

We spent 7 days at the parks and at the end of our trip my nephew still didn't want to come home. He talked so much during our trip that even his mom was amazed at the difference. Full sentences that were unprompted by us. Our favorite was "watch out" when we were in the safari truck at the animal kingdom. He thought another truck was going to hit ours as we pulled out of the handicap loading area.

Go...enjoy your trip and don't worry about what others may or may not think. We didn't and it was our best trip so far with him. We are already trying to decide when to go back cause he enjoys it so much.

 

[lizanne]

I came to this board because my DH had a stroke recently and I was thinking about posting a question. Then I came across this thread.

My first thought was "Who cares what others think. What does it matter what some insensitive person thinks."

Then I started reading some of the replies and realized that I've been one of those insensitive people. I don't know how many times I've looked at an older child in a stroller and thought that either the kid was lazy or the parent was. I have 5 children, all adults now, but the first time we went to WDW they were ages 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10. We never used a stroller and they did just fine. I guess I was fortunate.

While I'm sure there are some people who use a stroller for an older child strickly for their convenience, I will never judge again.

Thank you for enlightening me. Have a wonderful trip.

 

[ireland_nicole]

Hi Lizanne; Welcome! We're always learning, and I for one appreciate your openness. If someone hasn't been touched by Autism, or many other "invisible" disabilities that affect children, they wouldn't think about it. B/C frankly, when my 8 y/o melts down, to the casual observer she does look like a "spoiled brat" probably.

The thing is, because you took the time to read this, and be open, you might look at us and think, huh, maybe there's a reason they're having such an "interesting" day. And if someone next to you made a comment about it, you might even (nicely) say something; and continue to raise awareness. And I appreciate it.

BTW, if there's anything we can help you or your DH with re: planning, let us know.

 

[wvdislover]

Hi Lizanne, thanks so much for your caring comments. I'm so sorry about your DH's stroke...I know that must be so difficult. We wish him lots of quick healing.

 

[pilgrimr]

Our son Joshua now age 6 is autistic, and on our first visit 3 years ago we were very self conscious about others would think when we use the GAC. But after many trips I don't remember any bad comment or event. We like many of you only use it as a last option. My feeling is that you are there to make sure that your family is having a good time. Do what you can to make it enjoyable. As long as you are not rude or obusive towards the system, most people don't mind (they are enjoying their own vacation.)

Now we do use a stroller for him and we even got one to handle him now that he has gotten bigger. We use mainly as we walk through the park. He can walk, but this is more for us to keep him from running off and to help him have a place to himself.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[fakereadhed]

As a mom of two kids with non visible disabilities, I know it can be very frustrating in general because you have to constantly remind others(including school)to have them consider your child's abilities. But I always remind myself of what a blessing it is for them to be able to "pass". Many kids don't get that luxury. It's definitely a double edged sword.

We just got back from a trip with DS who uses stroller as a wheelchair for low tone which isn't visible. He is very big for his age(4)and looks pretty silly in a stroller, w/paci and blanky for sensory issues. The good news is that we used the stroller only about 50% in the queues this trip as he is getting stronger. We got zero comments this time and CMs were very friendly as well. I had many comments from strangers and eye rolls from CMs last year when he was 3. I would like to think that it is due to more public awareness, but maybe it's just because they can take pictures with their cameraphone and comment on their blog now. If you see a photo of a stressed mom(traveled w/MIL)and a lazy kid who looks to be 7 with a binky that would be us!