[Laughaholic]

Post your own tips for using the Special Assistance Pass.

Dianne wrote:

Just wanted to offer some tips that I thought might be useful for others. Our son Matt broke his ankle 4 days before we were to leave for Disney. I managed to do a few things at the last minute before we left to help on the trip. I called the Disney Vacation Club where we made the reservations and inquired about the showers. I really wanted to know if there were hand-held showerheads that could come off so he could take a shower. I thought he could sit in the shower with his leg out so the cast wouldn't get wet. The person I spoke with contacted a special disabilities department while I was on hold. She came back on and said that all that the resort had to do was change the shower head and provide us with a stool. However, when the representative I spoke with again put me on hold to contact the resort, she was told that they would not do that. So-we changed our room to a handcapped accessible room which had a shower-no tub-and the wheelchair could be wheeled in. We used a plastic resin chair from the deck instead so the wheelchair would stay dry. The showerhead did come off in this handicapped room.

In mentioning a wheelchair, I called the resort and was given several phone numbers of outside agencies where we could rent a wheelchair. I called one and was told that it would be 8 dollars per day. They asked what time we were going to be arriving and when we would be leaving. The wheelchair was there waiting for us when we arrived and they came and got the chair after we left. I asked for a wheelchair that would fold up, as Matt didn't want to be strapped in or use the lift on the bus-he could put some weight on his cast to enter the bus. This allowed us to lift it up on the bus, using the back door rather than the front. I also requested to have the right leg rest be able to be raised up and down, as his leg needed to be elevated. The wheelchairs at the parks and hotels do not fold up or have leg rests that elevate.

We found out that we needed to get a special disabilities pass to use the handicapped entrance to some of the exhibits and rides. Sometimes cast members asked for it and others did not. The pass can be used at all of the parks and is good for the entire length of your stay. We got our at the Town Hall in MK. It is supposed to allow only 5 members of your party in the handicapped entrance with the disabled person to be fair to others seeing the attraction. However, we saw many families of up to 17 people entering the hanticapped entrance at one time. I might bring along a doctors note if you do not have something obvious, like a cast. Disney seems to be cutting down on people who rent wheelchairs just to get into the handicapped entrances. I don't blame them, when we saw different family members in the wheelchairs each time we saw a particular family. We were shocked at how many people do this. It's amazing at how a few can ruin things for others.

I would also recommend requesting an early check-in if it is difficult for you to stay at the parks for a long period of time. We, unfortunately, were not granted it at one resort, but we were at another. Take alot of rest periods. We went back to the resort to rest in the afternoons and then went back to the parks later in the evening.

I hope that this helps others who find themselves needing last minute assistance. We found everyone to be very helpful and accomodating. Have a wonderful trip!