Hi guys! I have chosen to explore accessibility options available for families who love to travel as much as I do with my family. Since no one in my family has a disability, this has never been something that I have put much thought to. When it was mentioned as a choice of topic, I began wondering how families with children with disabilities travel. Do they choose certain vacation spots because they know they are friendly for those with disabilities? The first place I chose to explore was Walt Disney World. It is my families favorite vacation spot. I have been there numerous times and I haven't paid much attention to the facilities and accommodations made for those travel with a person with a disability. Obviously, the first place I chose to look was on WDW's site to find some answers. I discovered that they have a large number of accommodations for persons with disabilities. Below is the link for "Disney's Disability Info" website.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/disabgeneral.htm
The site was very organized. It had choices at the top that would lead you straight to the accommodations made for specific disabilities. I thought this was a great idea so that you didn't have to scroll through information that doesn't apply to you personally. Once you click on the link, it takes you to a new webpage that then breaks down that specific disability into more specific parts so you can find what will be available for you. I chose to explore within the "hearing" category. Once in there I clicked on "handheld captioning" since that caught my eye. They offer electronic handheld devices for persons who are hearing impaired. "The Handheld Captioning units receive infrared signals from transmitters located at the rides/attractions. These transmitters prompt the unit (similar to a Personal Data Assistant - PDA) to display the illuminated text. Once it's activated at Guest Relations, it will automatically turn on when receiving a signal." It lists every park that they are available at and what you use them for within that park. That seems like an awesome idea. That way you are able to participate in all of the activities and not miss something simply because it is verbalized. This is something I may not have ever thought of.
What an interesting topic! We are getting ready to visit Disney this summer, and though we do not have any specific needs that need to be met, my respect for this theme park has increased even more. I am WOWed at the accommodations this park makes. I started looking at other sites about accommodations for children with disabilities, and came across this site: http://www.albrechts.com/donna/Editors/amusementparks.pdf
ReplyDeleteIt gives good tips for parents as they are researching the ideal place to take their child to allow them to have an amazing time just like the next child. Thank you for sharing, Amanda :)
Amanda I think this is a great topic! Until a few years ago I had never considered how having a family member with a disability can affect traveling or vacationing. Every child deserves to visit Disney World and I found the list of accommodations on WDW's site very helpful and interesting. When my sister had her strokes it was amazing how much more attention I paid to how accessible (or unfortunately, how inaccessible) many places were. Looking for a vacation home suddenly included how long of a walk it was to the beach, if the house had stairs or a ramp, if the house had hand rails, and if the showers and bathrooms were easy to get into and out of. Thanks to ADA many schools, restaurants, malls, and other public places have ramps and easy to open doors that help people with physical disabilities, but I feel that there still needs to be more done for individuals and families with disabilities. As stressful as having a child or family member with a disability is, it is important that they are able to enjoy nice relaxing vacations. I'm excited to see what else you find on this topic. It might be interesting to research vacations rentals or beach accommodations for children and families dealing with disabilities.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys for your feedback! It's interesting to hear other people's perspective on this. Especially from someone who now has to think about a family member in this way. I can't wait to check out the link you gave me Monica. There's so much more to consider now than ever.
ReplyDeleteHey Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you decided to address this topic. I have always wondered how families with special needs children were accomodated at Amusement parks or even a place like the children's museum. I look forward to blogging with you!
You know, I was just thinking about this and there were handicap lines when we took Sammy to Kings Island back in the 80's. We didn't use them! I just talked to Tom and we really don't know why we didn't. I guess sometimes we don't even think about Sammy that way. We always just treated him like everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI haven't thought about that aspect of it. How does the family feel having to ask for or use these accommodations? To you and your family he is just like everybody else. You become accustomed to the disability because what else can you do. Thanks for the comments Lish!
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