Caption devices and interpreting in WDW

[lmullahey]

Hello everyone!

I will be going on my honeymoon July 2019 with my then husband.We will be going to both Disney and Universal He is deaf and uses sign language to communicate. I noticed the ASL interpreting schedule provided by Disney and honestly I was not very pleased with it. It is more than a little annoying that they only offer interpreters in certain parks on specific days. Universal is much more accommodating in that they offer interpreted shows every day at designated times. Has anyone had experience with the interpreting in Disney and can give me feedback? How do we book our reservations/fast passes etc. when the interpreting schedule is only released a few weeks prior?

The other questions I have is in regards to caption devices. Some rides offer handheld captions, or reflective captions. I heard from one of the cast members in guest services that the devices actually do not work well, but have never tried them on my own. Last time I was there, my fiancee was not with me. Does anyone have experience with them and can tell me if they work effectively?

Thank you!

 

[SueM in MN]

The things I have heard about the handheld captioning devices have included dead/weak batteries and devices that were not set up correctly at Guest Relations. I’ve also heard of the script on the handheld device not always having an up to date script after attractions were renovated.
This link talks about how it should work, if working correctly: https://disneysynclink.com/disney-access/

For the reflective captioning, the only issues I have heard are positioning related. The captioning is projected in reverse on a device at the back of the theater and is reflected onto a plexiglass screen in front of the guest. For it to work, the guest using it needs to be in the correct position in the theater and the plexiglass screen needs to be positioned correctly. That can take some trial and error adjustment.

The captioning on screens in preshows works well. In the way past, guests had to request captioning be turned on, but I have not seen any in years that didn’t have at least one screen with captioning on.

Link to the Dis site page about services for guests with disabilities related to hearing: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/disabhearing.htm

Link to official Disney site: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/hearing-disabilities-services/