Since we have seen far too many disappointing, upsetting, sad, and even offensive (at times) threads recently centering around disability, scooters, wheelchairs, GACs, and Disney, I thought perhaps we should create a thread of happy, wondering, or once-in-a-lifetime experiences Disney has created for disabled or ill guests be being so accessible and accommodating.
I know once a CM told a story of a young autistic girl, previously non-verbal, who spoke for the very first time in Turtle Talk with Crush, and the CMs at the attraction cleared out the theatre and allowed the girl a while of speaking with Crush, all by herself, while her mother bawled (happily) at the entrance of the theatre...
I know all of us here have great stories we could tell of the magic Disney has created for all of us.
This thread is NOT going to be a debate of Disney policy, it will not be a debate of any kind. I was just hoping to make clear to everyone that while there are negative people and situations out there, Disney is a magical place for us all!
So, what are your favorite stories of the pixie dust Disney created for you/your child/your family member that could never happen anywhere else?
Here is mine: Before I required a wheelchair at Disney, I was watching the Dapper Dans sing while standing next to a young girl in a wheelchair on a Make A Wish trip (she was wearing a button). She was wearing a hat, adn did not seem to have hair under it, so my best guess was that she was fighting cancer. Well the Dapper Dans went and kneeled next to her and sang "When you Wish Upon A Star" just for her. Needless to say, she was absolutely glowing (my guess is she was about 6 or 7 years old), and everyone in the crowd was bawling. It was then I realized just how magical Disney could really be!
Again, PLEASE do not make this a commentary on other park's possibly-lacking policies, or what Disney does wrong, or anything negative. I want to have a place to point the next time someone says something negative about disability at disney, and be able to say "look at all those wonderful stories!"
I know once a CM told a story of a young autistic girl, previously non-verbal, who spoke for the very first time in Turtle Talk with Crush, and the CMs at the attraction cleared out the theatre and allowed the girl a while of speaking with Crush, all by herself, while her mother bawled (happily) at the entrance of the theatre...
I know all of us here have great stories we could tell of the magic Disney has created for all of us.
This thread is NOT going to be a debate of Disney policy, it will not be a debate of any kind. I was just hoping to make clear to everyone that while there are negative people and situations out there, Disney is a magical place for us all!
So, what are your favorite stories of the pixie dust Disney created for you/your child/your family member that could never happen anywhere else?
Here is mine: Before I required a wheelchair at Disney, I was watching the Dapper Dans sing while standing next to a young girl in a wheelchair on a Make A Wish trip (she was wearing a button). She was wearing a hat, adn did not seem to have hair under it, so my best guess was that she was fighting cancer. Well the Dapper Dans went and kneeled next to her and sang "When you Wish Upon A Star" just for her. Needless to say, she was absolutely glowing (my guess is she was about 6 or 7 years old), and everyone in the crowd was bawling. It was then I realized just how magical Disney could really be!
Again, PLEASE do not make this a commentary on other park's possibly-lacking policies, or what Disney does wrong, or anything negative. I want to have a place to point the next time someone says something negative about disability at disney, and be able to say "look at all those wonderful stories!"