As we're getting ready for our big trip in less than 3 weeks :sohappy: I thought I'd take the opportunity to give a thank-you to cast members at WDW, and a share a little information with guests that might not be aware of the program...
I am the proud mom of a 10-year-old Disney fan who has green eyes, a cute, crooked smile, and Autism. Each year we save up for our one big vacation of the year...to Disney World!
On our first trip, we found out about the special assistance pass. The guidelines of the pass have changed over the years, but it has been the only thing that has made the trip possible for my family. For those of you who aren't aware of what the pass does, basically it allows persons with certain disabilities to either use an alternate (handicap) entrance or the fast pass lane at most attractions. Over the years, I have had many people glare at us and give us dirty looks because my son's disability is not a visible one - you can't tell he has Autism by looking at him, especially because he is verbal. I used to feel guilty about using the shorter lines or avoiding the long wait, but then I realized that my son has a struggle every day of his life, and this is the one time he gets a break! He has difficulty with close proximity to people and will sometimes lash out physically or swing his arms about when he is "stimming." Believe me, if we waited in the general admission line and he started flailing his arms about and (accidentally or not) knocked your kid over, you'd have wished we were in the other line! I remember one time we were waiting for the Dumbo ride and people said in a not-so quiet voice "why are THEY in a handicap line?!" Just after that, my son had a meltdown because it wasn't his turn yet and proceeded to bop me right in the nose and scream bloody murder. Maybe they got the picture then?
So my thank you goes out to the cast members who understand our dilemma and go the extra mile to help my son have a special meeting with a character by bringing him up to meet them, or those CMs who don't look at us like we're trying to get around the system when we try to enter the exit of Star Tours. Please remember that my life is a daily battle with finding a school that will take my child, hospitalizations and medications, school meetings about his social and behavioral problems and a never-ending battle just to be accepted. So when you see a child in the disability line or with a little pass in the parent's hand and you can't SEE anything wrong, think of my child. And thank you to those who give us this one break from our daily reality to have a little magic in our lives!
:wave:
I am the proud mom of a 10-year-old Disney fan who has green eyes, a cute, crooked smile, and Autism. Each year we save up for our one big vacation of the year...to Disney World!
On our first trip, we found out about the special assistance pass. The guidelines of the pass have changed over the years, but it has been the only thing that has made the trip possible for my family. For those of you who aren't aware of what the pass does, basically it allows persons with certain disabilities to either use an alternate (handicap) entrance or the fast pass lane at most attractions. Over the years, I have had many people glare at us and give us dirty looks because my son's disability is not a visible one - you can't tell he has Autism by looking at him, especially because he is verbal. I used to feel guilty about using the shorter lines or avoiding the long wait, but then I realized that my son has a struggle every day of his life, and this is the one time he gets a break! He has difficulty with close proximity to people and will sometimes lash out physically or swing his arms about when he is "stimming." Believe me, if we waited in the general admission line and he started flailing his arms about and (accidentally or not) knocked your kid over, you'd have wished we were in the other line! I remember one time we were waiting for the Dumbo ride and people said in a not-so quiet voice "why are THEY in a handicap line?!" Just after that, my son had a meltdown because it wasn't his turn yet and proceeded to bop me right in the nose and scream bloody murder. Maybe they got the picture then?
So my thank you goes out to the cast members who understand our dilemma and go the extra mile to help my son have a special meeting with a character by bringing him up to meet them, or those CMs who don't look at us like we're trying to get around the system when we try to enter the exit of Star Tours. Please remember that my life is a daily battle with finding a school that will take my child, hospitalizations and medications, school meetings about his social and behavioral problems and a never-ending battle just to be accepted. So when you see a child in the disability line or with a little pass in the parent's hand and you can't SEE anything wrong, think of my child. And thank you to those who give us this one break from our daily reality to have a little magic in our lives!
:wave:
