4MyChild: Help and Hope for Life

March 15, 2007

Walt Disney World and Special Needs- Special Access Pass and Wheelchair Sticker

Surprisingly, Walt Disney does not fully address problems that special needs kids have while visiting their theme parks. The policy seems to change depending on who you talk to and what manager is on duty. Here are some of there policies as well as some little known info.

They do offer a “Special Access Pass.” The pass works the same as a Fast Pass, where you can go through a much shorter, quicker line with next to no wait. The problem is, most rides don’t have a Fast Pass option, especially those for younger children.
Special Access Passes are NOT available for use during peak seasons. Although, you may be able to challenge and get one.
In some cases special needs kids have been sent through regular lines and made to wait 1- 2 hours to use the rides, and to make matters worse, strollers are not allowed in the lines. This may be impossible for some children with cerebral palsy to bear.

A little known fact, if you go to guest services, you can receive a special sticker to put on your stroller that says “wheelchair” and it will be allowed in the regular line. Why this information is so hard to find I just don’t know. I was recently at Walt Disney World and was astonished at the lack of information.

Do you have any tips or advice for families traveling to Walt Disney World with a special needs child, or a child with cerebral palsy? Please share with us by posting in the comments section!