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Community Corner

Life in the Pass Lane

Disney World's accommodations for those with special needs spoils you for life on the outside.

I just returned from taking my daughter on her first trip to Disney World. We had a wonderful, magical time due in no small part to the accommodations made for those with special needs.  

Disney provides a "Guest Assistance Card" based not on any official proof of medical needs or diagnosis, but on your assessment of the accommodations necessary to ensure that your child enjoys their experience.

Upon arriving at Disney World, I beelined it to Guest Relations and rattled off the same laundry list that I’m sure the representative had heard from every parent of a child with autism. 

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First and foremost, children with autism are completely unable to wait in line for anything. Granted, this is not anyone's idea of a good time but, while a typical child might understand that a highly desirable activity is on the other end of said line, a child with autism seems to be unable to make that connection.

They have difficulty understanding elapsed time ("just five more minutes") and the notion of a future payoff is a complete abstraction. Put this together with general anxiety from being in large crowds and tendencies towards sensory overload, and the Magic Kingdom can quickly turn into a nightmare.

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Since it's not possible to clear out the crowds or turn down the volume on that evil "It's a Small World" song that is guaranteed to stick in your head for weeks, the waiting on line part is addressed with the guest pass. It allowed us to bypass the long lines and get into something of an express lane for most of the rides and attractions. Sweet!  

Since it is such a huge perk, I could see the Guest Relations rep sneaking glances at my daughter to ensure that I wasn't just trying to freeload my way into the fast lane. And this probably qualifies as one of the few times in life when you really want your special needs child's special needs on full display.

I've known a couple of other parents of autistic children who have taken advantage of this benefit, and they each had stories to tell of what their child was doing at the precise moment that the Disney rep gave them the once over before bestowing the Golden Ticket upon them.

One of them was standing to the side with her fingers jammed in her ears, while the other rattled off a non sequitur about not wanting to go to the doctor when the rep asked him his name. My daughter was pacing around the perimeter of the room while frantically rotating her hands in circles. That loud thud you heard was the giant APPROVED stamp hitting our guest pass. 

And what a difference it made having that pass. Could we have made the trip without it?  Sure, but not nearly as successfully. I’m guessing we would have gone on exactly one ride before my daughter figured out that she never wanted to wait in another line. We would then have had to either leave or relegate ourselves to less popular rides with little-to-no lines, like the Bambi Shooting Range or Walt Disney’s Hall of Anti-Semites.

The only downside to the Disney guest pass was that it sort of spoils you when you return to life on the outside. When we arrived at the airport for our return flight home, I was incensed that I had to wait in line to check my bag and buy my $5 bottle of carry-on water.

The TSA agents were none too amused when I elbowed my way to the front of the security line, waving my guest pass and demanding special dispensation. Ugh.  I guess coming home from somewhere that calls itself The Happiest Place on Earth is bound to be one hard landing.

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