Accessibility — disability passes, questions, tips

[Terkina]

I found out that you have to call to get a hotelroom suitable for a wheelchair user.  Will you get the same discounts when you call that you get if you order over the internet?

[SwipatronSparks]

prices for disney like everywhere else change all of the time so you might find the prices are different slightly to what you first looked at, but yes you get the same discounts etc. over the phone as you do online

[Terkina]

Thanks for the help

[dom]

Well we booked anyway - forgot I'd asked this question here...  Am very worried now as if its like It's a small world in Florida it will be too dark for him.... so that leaves one ride!?!  Buzz also sounds dark so hoping that the light effects make up for it.  Begining to think that Euro Disney is not remotely suitable for a blind child that can't sit independently.  Florida is not an option for him for a number of reasons.

"On the rides, which require a transfer, the passanger has to sid independently. I only know two rides, where your son could sit in his wheelchair. That is Buzz Lightyear and It's a small world. On the most of the rides in DLP it is not allowed to take kids on the lap. WDW is much more wheelchairfriendly, they got more rides with special "seats" for wheelchair rider."

[scampbunny]

dont wanna spark a big debate, but what do ppl think bout pregnant ppl getting the disabled easy access pass??
i only ask as for ppl that DO have a disability have to show proof and it isnt 'easy' to get this, and yet a pregnant person can get this for sumthin that they 'caused' iykwim.

i wud give anything to go to disney and my ds to be normal and not need the pass, but hes not, and we need this to help make the trip enjoyable for him, for his brother and for others (so they are not subject to his behaviour), and yet sum1 who is pregnant can get this so easy..

is this right??  and if this post is wrong - please remove & apologies.....

as, whilst am here, disabilities at mnsshp??  does the pass work the same, do we need it then, or is it relatively quiet???  didnt wanna start a new thread for that, unless it needs it??

thanks

[Tubbyherman]

As a parent of a disabled child I have to say that I will be quite shocked if you can get an Easy Access Pass just for being pregnant. Whatever next, will pregnant ladies be issued with Blue Badges for parking as well?

The Easy Access Pass is an absolute god send for my family and is one of the reasons we go annually to DLRP. My daughter is autistic and not able to queue for any great length of time. We usually visit out of season, and try and use the pass as little as possible. So if we're able to get on in a couple of rides time we will make her wait. This isn't always an enjoyable experience for us or those queuing around us but I believe it's important she is made to wait on occassions.

We visited the resort once when I was 28 weeks pregnant and I never contemplated asking for an Easy Access Pass for me, I was only pregnant not physically or mentally unable to queue. Please, please tell me people aren't being issued them simply for carrying a child?

[RiverRogue]

We visited the resort once when I was 28 weeks pregnant and I never contemplated asking for an Easy Access Pass for me, I was only pregnant not physically or mentally unable to queue. Please, please tell me people aren't being issued them simply for carrying a child?

Yes, they are. However, there are distinctions -- the pass is for one person and is valid only on attractions which pregnant women are allowed to ride... which pretty much rules out most attractions that actually have long queues.

[scampbunny]

We visited the resort once when I was 28 weeks pregnant and I never contemplated asking for an Easy Access Pass for me, I was only pregnant not physically or mentally unable to queue. Please, please tell me people aren't being issued them simply for carrying a child?

Yes, they are. However, there are distinctions -- the pass is for one person and is valid only on attractions which pregnant women are allowed to ride... which pretty much rules out most attractions that actually have long queues.

but i also heard that they can be used to fastrak character meets and get into the disabled areas for the parades??

i dont really agree to it, as i feel it is taking 'sumthin' away from those ppl who need the pass.....  as pp says, we cudnt do disney without it, as ds when he sees sumthin, he wants it, and cannot understand about queuing and waiting, and gets very distressed, and also the disabled areas at parades are full enuf with disabled ppl without havin pg ppl taking up space - iykwim....

[dom]

The biggest problem we had was the total lack of co-ordination between the ride cast members on slightly busier days - we would be let in the exit unstrap child from wheelchair, lift him out and struggle over to the ride carrying him only to find that all the cars were taken, or we were shoved out of the way by some exceptionally rude French guests.  When the pass worked well it was great, when it didn't however.....

Saw lots of pregnant women but none in the disabled viewing spots or with an easy access pass.

[never2old]

Since I'll be about 5 months pregnant on our next trip to DLP, I've been doing some research into the easy access card. It's my first pregnancy and I don't know how I'll be feeling in a few weeks, but right now I have terrible nausea, I'm exhausted all the time, and to be honest, I couldn't face one day in the park!

I've seen it with some of my friends, they were feeling great. Others, not so much. A good friend of mine had terrible back pains and couldn't stand up for too long. So if there is way for pregnant women to spend less time standing up in line, I think it's a great thing. Of course pregnancy is not a disability, but it can really limit the physical capacities!

Ideally, I wouldn't have chosen to go to Disney being pregnant. But not everyone can choose when they get pregnant. I'd been trying for a few years, and after a year or two of not planning anything ahead just in case, I got tired of putting my life on hold. So we booked a trip to DLP (and we're going with my sister in law and her family, her girls have never been before), and now that I'm pregnant I couldn't be more happy. Maybe if it had been just my husband and I going, I would have considered cancelling the trip (even though pregnancy it's not a valid reason for cancelling your trip, I checked). But we're going with our family, and to be honest, I'm really looking forward to going to Disneyland. Even though I can't go on most of my favourite rides (and in case you didn't know, the pass does not work on most of the rides... for example it cannot be used on ANY of the Fantasyland dark rides, they do not recommend any of them for pregnant women!)

I hope that when we next month to DLP I'll be feeling great and that standing up for hours won't be a problem. But if I'm not, I guarantee you, I'll be asking for that card, and I'll be making all the use I can of it!

[disneymom]

In France it is normal to treat pregnant women the same as disabled. In supermarkets they have lines for pregnant and disabled. If sombody like that comes they are allowed to just pass.

Disneymom

[claire2281]

Grateful for a little help here.

My friend and I are thinking of going in December only issue is, she's not long had major surgery on her knee and is currently in months of rehab. When we went in the summer pre-op, she managed to get around during the day but had to have her brace on all evening and was popping pain killers like crazy.  When she got back her physio was very cross with her!

I don't want to be taking the pee but I do think getting an Easy Access Card would be very beneficial for us. She won't need it if the queue is a shortish one, but on the longer ones it's awful for her to have to stand and slowly walk around for that long. Her consultant has agreed that she shouldn't be queueing, but what would she need from him in order to qualify for a card from Disney? I've read what's on the site but it's a little vague - would a letter from her consultant saying she couldn't queue due to this recent operation be enough?

Honestly, it would be easier if we didn't need this but it was bad enough for her in summer and that was before they started rebuilding bits of her knee with bits from her hamstring!

[HildeKitten]

@ never2old: frankly I think that a pregnant woman should be able to get an easy access/disability pass if her pregnancy causes her issues.  If you need it then you need it.  

@claire: I have been to Disney with a friend who suffers from a knee problem causing her to be unable to queue for long times without being in terrible pains afterwards.  And she has been able to get a pass for the day we were there.  Your friend will need a note from her GP, and preferably from a specialist too if at all possible (but the GP should do).  All the note needs to say what's wrong with her and that it causes her to be inable to queue for prolongued times.

It really sounds like she needs the pass to enjoy her trip without loads of suffering and pain so please don't feel bad about going to guest relations with a GP note asking for one!

Also, a friend of mine has an issue with one of his ankles, whenever he's at the park and can't stand and walk properly anymore he goes to get a wheelchair.  I've not been with him so I don't know whether he has to rent one or how it works exactly, I'm just saying that if needs be, she can get one or a pair of crutches, from what I heard from my friend they're really not difficult at all about things like that.

[Terkina]

You can rent a wheelchair in the parks.

[i love main st]

hi...just wondering if any of you can help us out...
we are off in 13 days and my mum,her partner and his granchild are coming with us...
my mum has 2 types of arthiritis,whice is under control but still causes her to walk alot slower,and is not very agile..anjina..so canot really atemp slopes when walking...and has just found out she now has deep vein thrombosis  :shock: ...it has been a nightmare of a couple of weeks..the doctors say if they can keep her blood under control that she can still come  [-o<..was advised on here to get a disabillity pass which sounds great...
anyway my questions are...
1.on phantom manor ,small world, basically rides with incliens can we take the wheelchair up the ramps with us or are there special ways for her to go..
 if there are special ways can she wait for the rest of us to get to her before she rides so we can all ride together...
 thanks for any advise...claire