What Makes Disney so Accommodating?
We have all heard that Walt Disney World is the most accommodating place for those with special needs, right? While that is mostly true, I want to explain a bit about why and give some additional resources for other theme/amusement parks that you might find helpful when planning your next trip!
What tools does Walt Disney World use to make a vacation there easier for those with Down syndrome?
Disability Access Services (DAS)
This is a program put in place to assist those individuals who have difficulty waiting in a traditional queue. It's essentially a virtual queue that allows you to do something else while waiting for your time to ride. You can register for this in advance inside your My Disney Experience account, or you can register when you arrive at the parks. The advantage to doing it in advance is that you then get to schedule 2 DAS Advance selections before you even arrive at the parks! These are like "bonus" rides that you won't have to select while you are in the parks.
Food allergy assistance
I'm not sure I have ever been anywhere that is as attentive to our family's dietary needs as Walt Disney World. Most of their table service restaurants are wonderful about making items specific to our food allergies and intolerances. The quick service restaurants even have special allergy friendly menus as well. If there are dietary needs that are extreme, or if you feel like you need to plan in advance, they have a special department in charge of this as well. For common allergies (peanut, gluten, dairy, etc), they can mostly be handled directly at the restaurant with the chef.
Mobility concerns
If you, or your loved one, has a hard time walking or standing for extended time periods, you can rent a wheelchair or a stroller right in the parks! Or, if you have a younger one that is still in their stroller, you can get it tagged as a wheelchair at Guest Services. This allows the stroller to go all places that wheelchairs only are allowed. There are buildings and queues that do not allow strollers to go, but when you have the wheelchair tag, you are allowed. This can make life a lot easier on you so you don't have to carry around a heavy child, and they are safe and happy in their stroller.
Other Parks
Walt Disney World is not the only place that makes accommodations! Universal Orlando, Universal Hollywood, and even Six Flags Over Georgia are all using systems that include something called an accessibility card. This is through IBCCES (the same credentialing company where I became a Certified Autism Travel Professional) and is a fairly easy process! You can visit https://accessibilitycard.org/ to get started.
I hope this helps ease your nerves about taking the family on a magical or thrill-seeking vacation!
