Blizzard Beach for handicapped

[PatMcDuck]

OK, here is the situation. My son is 11, Down Syndrome, autism, and walking/gait/balance problems....
His feet in particular are bad(will need surgery in a year or two on them). I say this so you all will understand. Sean loves water parks & water rides. He does not go down alone, unless is is a small slide, and one of us is at the top, the other at the bottom. But at BB, he can do the family ride, and the slides with the 2 man tubes. And of course the "lazy river". The problem is walking to the top. 2 years ago, my husband tried to get on the lift, thru a marked handicapped entrance, while I took the other kids up the trail, carrying extra tubes for them to use too, I might add. The CM running the lift gave my husband a hard time....... even said after looking at Sean "he doesn't LOOK handicapped". I guess this is because Sean was upright? My husband reported the CM, who was pulled from that position for the day.... I am looking to avoid any problem this trip(August). Has anyone else had this situation? Yes, Sean can walk, but at BB he cannot wear his orthodics, and he really needs to walk the least amount possible. As it is, I leave with him by 1:30 or so......

At least as of 2 years ago, there was no procedure at BB for the handicapped. We tried to get some sort of pass like we have done at the parks(where the pass is that Sean can stay in his stroller on the lines, using it as a wheelchair).

I will try and find the name of the person who runs BB, and write a letter explaining the situation. Any other ideas?

 

[LindaDVC]

We were recently at Blizzard Beach and got there at 9am. There was no wait for the chair lift and we were able to ride the family raft, and the other raft rides numerous times before the lines started.

A little after 10 the lines were long -- infact they stopped running the chair lift due to the number of people at the top! We then enjoyed the wave pool, lazy river, and son loved the rope/ice area!

Due to accessiblity issues in the heat -DH went to downtown disney this day rather than join us at BB. He is a power w/c user and has enjoyed watching us in the past but opted not to this trip.

Linda

 

[PatMcDuck]

Yes, if my son was in a wheelchair full time, or in a power chair, I would not take him to BB at all. I felt like he was in this unusual situation of being able to do the slides(he loves them) but not being able to walk up over and over. My husband used to carry him, but he is now 80 pounds, and tall. The irony here is that we are talking about maybe 3-4 trips up the mountain, and we do not "cut" any lines, as the rest of the family with the tubes have to hoof it up and stand on line anyway. (we try and sit Sean down until we get near front)

 

[SueM in MN]

That is terrible. I can think of a lot of reasons that someone who is able to go on the slides might not be able to climb the steps. I'm very sorry to hear that happened to you. They don't do a very good job of publizing that lift either. My DD would not have been able to go on the slides for other reasons, but no one let us know it was available and it is obvious she would need something to get to the top since she is in a wheelchair.
I can think of 2 things to try.
1) Call WDW Resort Special Reservations at (407) 939-7807 (voice) or (407) 939-7670 (TTY). This is not exactly the sort of question that is listed by their number, but this is the only phone number listed to contact in the Guidebooks for Guests with Disabilities. If they can't help, they should be able to route you to someone who can.
2) Try contacting WDW thru their website. WDW website home page. At the bottom of the page, there is a "Contact Us" link. You click there and it asks what area of Disney you wnat to contact.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Thanks for the phone number, I will try it tomorrow.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Just a final followup. I called WDW. They switched me to Blizzard Beach. The CM I got was not helpful. She said she was just the (BB)park information person. I need to speak to guest relations, and they no longer answer their phones. So I need to wait until I arrive at the park, and speak to them then. This is JUST what we did 2 years ago...... I was trying to avoid this. She was very nice, but I really need a manger I guess. I will call again in a few days. So we may have trouble again.

 

[lisapooh]

I would write a letter to guest relations expressing your disappointment that you cannot get information that will help you plan for your special needs child. They need to know that the family with a handicapped person with them need information prior to arriving at the parks in order to make the most of their trip.