Guest guest Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 There is a lot of information out there on WDW. TDI (Telecommunications for the Deaf Inc.) Did a travel issue of their magazine back in 2002 that included two articles on the park. (One by me) Unfortunately those don't seem to be on line. I'm sure the would send you a copy if you asked. I would send you one of mine, but it is apparently long gone. Two things you are going to find out. First, the volume problem is that everything is actually too loud. We were constantly turning down the HA because it was getting overwhelmed. It was very difficult to get him to hear us over the loudspeakers or music in many areas in the park. Second the parks in Orlando are filled with devices that spray a water mist over the paths to keep people cool, a great idea unless you are walking around with a child with a couple of thousand dollars worth of non-waterproof technology in his ears. Oh, yeah, they are far more effective if you give them a heads up call ahead and let them know what you would like to see. In general, I found the people there to be caring but without a real understanding of what we needed. They kept telling us proudly about how many interpreters were available, and the captions on many of the programs, neither was particularly helpful for our young, oral child. Maybe our groussing did some good and things have gotten better. > > > mom to Richie (4, moderate SNHL wears BTE) and Saring (4, normal hearing) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 There is a lot of information out there on WDW. TDI (Telecommunications for the Deaf Inc.) Did a travel issue of their magazine back in 2002 that included two articles on the park. (One by me) Unfortunately those don't seem to be on line. I'm sure the would send you a copy if you asked. I would send you one of mine, but it is apparently long gone. Two things you are going to find out. First, the volume problem is that everything is actually too loud. We were constantly turning down the HA because it was getting overwhelmed. It was very difficult to get him to hear us over the loudspeakers or music in many areas in the park. Second the parks in Orlando are filled with devices that spray a water mist over the paths to keep people cool, a great idea unless you are walking around with a child with a couple of thousand dollars worth of non-waterproof technology in his ears. Oh, yeah, they are far more effective if you give them a heads up call ahead and let them know what you would like to see. In general, I found the people there to be caring but without a real understanding of what we needed. They kept telling us proudly about how many interpreters were available, and the captions on many of the programs, neither was particularly helpful for our young, oral child. Maybe our groussing did some good and things have gotten better. > > > mom to Richie (4, moderate SNHL wears BTE) and Saring (4, normal hearing) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 Hi , We just went to Disneyworld 2 weeks ago. My daughter is 6 and has severe SNHL. The device they provide has a neck loop with a little square receiver. There are headphones that plug into the receiver. I have to say, that although the device seemed great to me, refused to even try it. She seemed fine at all the shows - I think they were all pretty loud. I did offer her the listening device several times throughout the day and she said she was OK. Although I didn't test it with that specific device, most headphones I have seen will work really well with hearing aids if you set the aids to the telecoil setting. It cuts out the feedback, but it also doesn't allow the child to hear what you're saying to them - they only get input from the headphones....just a thought that might be useful :-) The man at the guest relations booth also gave us a card that allowed us to sit in the front row for any of the shows so could lip read if necessary. (if I remember correctly, the guest relations booth was outside the park, I just can't remember if I stopped there before getting on the monorail so keep an eye out for it before you enter the park) We just had to show the card at the entrance of the attractions. We didn't even really need to use that much - she did great without all the special attention. As for advice for taking 2 4 year olds to Disney, my advice would be to bring strollers. I know a lot of kids that age are growing out of them by 4 (we never use ours anymore), but that was a life saver! Even spent a good portion of time in the stroller because she was tired from all the walking. It was a great way for us to keep going without having a meltdown. Oh, we also brought lots of snacks and juice boxes to keep the kids happy so we didn't have to search for a vendor every 20 minutes! :-) Since it was still relatively cool (we went in April) we didn't hit any water issues. We had a really great time and the kids loved it! I hope all this helps. Cheryl Mom to - 6, severe SNHL and , almost 4, hearing > > We are going to be taking a vacation to Walt Disney World in a few weeks. > My son has moderate SNHL and wears BTE hearing aides. He is currently four. > I found this information for guests with hearing disabilities. > > http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/common/Plain?id=PlainHearingDPage > > Has anyone been to WDW with their hard of hearing child and used the > assistive listening devices? Were they necessary or was the volume pretty > loud without the devices? Were they headphones or did they work directly > with the hearing aides like an FM? Any insites or suggestions are > appreciated. Even general suggestions for visting WDW with two four year > olds will be appreciated. > > My son has worn his hearing aides since he was 3 months and does very well > with them. Even after four years there are so many things that I am still > clueless about. I really appreciate this site and all of the information > that everyone has. > > Thanks so much, > > > mom to Richie (4, moderate SNHL wears BTE) and Saring (4, normal hearing) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 Hi , We just went to Disneyworld 2 weeks ago. My daughter is 6 and has severe SNHL. The device they provide has a neck loop with a little square receiver. There are headphones that plug into the receiver. I have to say, that although the device seemed great to me, refused to even try it. She seemed fine at all the shows - I think they were all pretty loud. I did offer her the listening device several times throughout the day and she said she was OK. Although I didn't test it with that specific device, most headphones I have seen will work really well with hearing aids if you set the aids to the telecoil setting. It cuts out the feedback, but it also doesn't allow the child to hear what you're saying to them - they only get input from the headphones....just a thought that might be useful :-) The man at the guest relations booth also gave us a card that allowed us to sit in the front row for any of the shows so could lip read if necessary. (if I remember correctly, the guest relations booth was outside the park, I just can't remember if I stopped there before getting on the monorail so keep an eye out for it before you enter the park) We just had to show the card at the entrance of the attractions. We didn't even really need to use that much - she did great without all the special attention. As for advice for taking 2 4 year olds to Disney, my advice would be to bring strollers. I know a lot of kids that age are growing out of them by 4 (we never use ours anymore), but that was a life saver! Even spent a good portion of time in the stroller because she was tired from all the walking. It was a great way for us to keep going without having a meltdown. Oh, we also brought lots of snacks and juice boxes to keep the kids happy so we didn't have to search for a vendor every 20 minutes! :-) Since it was still relatively cool (we went in April) we didn't hit any water issues. We had a really great time and the kids loved it! I hope all this helps. Cheryl Mom to - 6, severe SNHL and , almost 4, hearing > > We are going to be taking a vacation to Walt Disney World in a few weeks. > My son has moderate SNHL and wears BTE hearing aides. He is currently four. > I found this information for guests with hearing disabilities. > > http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/common/Plain?id=PlainHearingDPage > > Has anyone been to WDW with their hard of hearing child and used the > assistive listening devices? Were they necessary or was the volume pretty > loud without the devices? Were they headphones or did they work directly > with the hearing aides like an FM? Any insites or suggestions are > appreciated. Even general suggestions for visting WDW with two four year > olds will be appreciated. > > My son has worn his hearing aides since he was 3 months and does very well > with them. Even after four years there are so many things that I am still > clueless about. I really appreciate this site and all of the information > that everyone has. > > Thanks so much, > > > mom to Richie (4, moderate SNHL wears BTE) and Saring (4, normal hearing) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 Hey, We live north of Orlando and frequently visit both the Disney parks and Universal Studios. (I think Caleb's first visit was when he was 5 moths old :-) ) I have to agree with 's comments. It is loud at all the parks. Although, Caleb has never been bothered to the point of wanting to take off his aids. We have tried getting the listening devices that they offer, but they don't seem to make a difference for him. Since Caleb can't read fluently (he's getting there though :-) ), we haven't yet tried the captioning options, but I think we might soon. We own a personal FM, which we got last year, and that has been the greatest help for any noisy enviroment including the parks. And yes...beware of the misting machines. Also, take the " wet zone area " signs seriously when viewing a show. We have had Caleb's aids short out a few times. Hooray for the Dry & Store! Mom to , 8, hearing, and Caleb, 6, bilateral SNHL flnate wrote: > There is a lot of information out there on WDW. TDI > (Telecommunications for the Deaf Inc.) Did a travel issue of their > magazine back in 2002 that included two articles on the park. (One by > me) Unfortunately those don't seem to be on line. I'm sure the would > send you a copy if you asked. I would send you one of mine, but it is > apparently long gone. > > Two things you are going to find out. First, the volume problem is > that everything is actually too loud. We were constantly turning down > the HA because it was getting overwhelmed. It was very difficult to > get him to hear us over the loudspeakers or music in many areas in the > park. Second the parks in Orlando are filled with devices that spray > a water mist over the paths to keep people cool, a great idea unless > you are walking around with a child with a couple of thousand dollars > worth of non-waterproof technology in his ears. Oh, yeah, they are > far more effective if you give them a heads up call ahead and let them > know what you would like to see. > > In general, I found the people there to be caring but without a real > understanding of what we needed. They kept telling us proudly about > how many interpreters were available, and the captions on many of the > programs, neither was particularly helpful for our young, oral child. > Maybe our groussing did some good and things have gotten better. > > > > > > > > mom to Richie (4, moderate SNHL wears BTE) and Saring (4, normal > hearing) > > > > > > > > > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each > post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject > to copyright restrictions. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 Hey, We live north of Orlando and frequently visit both the Disney parks and Universal Studios. (I think Caleb's first visit was when he was 5 moths old :-) ) I have to agree with 's comments. It is loud at all the parks. Although, Caleb has never been bothered to the point of wanting to take off his aids. We have tried getting the listening devices that they offer, but they don't seem to make a difference for him. Since Caleb can't read fluently (he's getting there though :-) ), we haven't yet tried the captioning options, but I think we might soon. We own a personal FM, which we got last year, and that has been the greatest help for any noisy enviroment including the parks. And yes...beware of the misting machines. Also, take the " wet zone area " signs seriously when viewing a show. We have had Caleb's aids short out a few times. Hooray for the Dry & Store! Mom to , 8, hearing, and Caleb, 6, bilateral SNHL flnate wrote: > There is a lot of information out there on WDW. TDI > (Telecommunications for the Deaf Inc.) Did a travel issue of their > magazine back in 2002 that included two articles on the park. (One by > me) Unfortunately those don't seem to be on line. I'm sure the would > send you a copy if you asked. I would send you one of mine, but it is > apparently long gone. > > Two things you are going to find out. First, the volume problem is > that everything is actually too loud. We were constantly turning down > the HA because it was getting overwhelmed. It was very difficult to > get him to hear us over the loudspeakers or music in many areas in the > park. Second the parks in Orlando are filled with devices that spray > a water mist over the paths to keep people cool, a great idea unless > you are walking around with a child with a couple of thousand dollars > worth of non-waterproof technology in his ears. Oh, yeah, they are > far more effective if you give them a heads up call ahead and let them > know what you would like to see. > > In general, I found the people there to be caring but without a real > understanding of what we needed. They kept telling us proudly about > how many interpreters were available, and the captions on many of the > programs, neither was particularly helpful for our young, oral child. > Maybe our groussing did some good and things have gotten better. > > > > > > > > mom to Richie (4, moderate SNHL wears BTE) and Saring (4, normal > hearing) > > > > > > > > > All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each > post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject > to copyright restrictions. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 We went to WDW last summer when my daughter just turned 6. Two 4 year olds will be a little different…. but this is what we did. Deanna used her hearing aids all the time as she usually does. She didn’t seem to need the assisted listening devices as most of the shows were loud. (Deanna’s hearing is mild to severe). We brought the dry and store with us for the rain and for the mist at the park. We even bought the personal water bottles with fans to mist us and it didn’t harm her hearing aids (she covered them with her hands and we sprayed her). Definitely rent the stroller. It’s well worth the cost. She would take breaks as it’s a lot of walking and also to carry our stuff. We all used lightweight backpacks. Deanna’s was a small unstructured material one that she carried a hat for the sun but also to protect her aids when it rained, sunglasses, ID and a walkie talkie. We all had walkie talkies. I carried a small waterproof case to put her aids in for the water rides because on some of them you get completely drenched. One funny story, she wanted to go on the pirate ride. Well it was scary, not a fast moving ride but lots of skeletons and screams. So she simply turned off her hearing aids and hid her face on me through the rest of the ride. She was so happy that she didn’t have to hear all the scary sounds. Have a great time! Tara Deanna, 6 mild to severe Dygert wrote: We are going to be taking a vacation to Walt Disney World in a few weeks. My son has moderate SNHL and wears BTE hearing aides. He is currently four. I found this information for guests with hearing disabilities. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/common/Plain?id=PlainHearingDPage Has anyone been to WDW with their hard of hearing child and used the assistive listening devices? Were they necessary or was the volume pretty loud without the devices? Were they headphones or did they work directly with the hearing aides like an FM? Any insites or suggestions are appreciated. Even general suggestions for visting WDW with two four year olds will be appreciated. --------------------------------- New Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC and save big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 We went to WDW last summer when my daughter just turned 6. Two 4 year olds will be a little different…. but this is what we did. Deanna used her hearing aids all the time as she usually does. She didn’t seem to need the assisted listening devices as most of the shows were loud. (Deanna’s hearing is mild to severe). We brought the dry and store with us for the rain and for the mist at the park. We even bought the personal water bottles with fans to mist us and it didn’t harm her hearing aids (she covered them with her hands and we sprayed her). Definitely rent the stroller. It’s well worth the cost. She would take breaks as it’s a lot of walking and also to carry our stuff. We all used lightweight backpacks. Deanna’s was a small unstructured material one that she carried a hat for the sun but also to protect her aids when it rained, sunglasses, ID and a walkie talkie. We all had walkie talkies. I carried a small waterproof case to put her aids in for the water rides because on some of them you get completely drenched. One funny story, she wanted to go on the pirate ride. Well it was scary, not a fast moving ride but lots of skeletons and screams. So she simply turned off her hearing aids and hid her face on me through the rest of the ride. She was so happy that she didn’t have to hear all the scary sounds. Have a great time! Tara Deanna, 6 mild to severe Dygert wrote: We are going to be taking a vacation to Walt Disney World in a few weeks. My son has moderate SNHL and wears BTE hearing aides. He is currently four. I found this information for guests with hearing disabilities. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/common/Plain?id=PlainHearingDPage Has anyone been to WDW with their hard of hearing child and used the assistive listening devices? Were they necessary or was the volume pretty loud without the devices? Were they headphones or did they work directly with the hearing aides like an FM? Any insites or suggestions are appreciated. Even general suggestions for visting WDW with two four year olds will be appreciated. --------------------------------- New Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC and save big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 Thanks everyone for the suggestions. They really help. You guys are great -----Original Message----- We went to WDW last summer when my daughter just turned 6. Two 4 year olds will be a little different…. but this is what we did. Deanna used her hearing aids all the time as she usually does. She didn’t seem to need the assisted listening devices as most of the shows were loud. (Deanna’s hearing is mild to severe). We brought the dry and store with us for the rain and for the mist at the park. We even bought the personal water bottles with fans to mist us and it didn’t harm her hearing aids (she covered them with her hands and we sprayed her). Definitely rent the stroller. It’s well worth the cost. She would take breaks as it’s a lot of walking and also to carry our stuff. We all used lightweight backpacks. Deanna’s was a small unstructured material one that she carried a hat for the sun but also to protect her aids when it rained, sunglasses, ID and a walkie talkie. We all had walkie talkies. I carried a small waterproof case to put her aids in for the water rides because on some of them you get completely drenched. One funny story, she wanted to go on the pirate ride. Well it was scary, not a fast moving ride but lots of skeletons and screams. So she simply turned off her hearing aids and hid her face on me through the rest of the ride. She was so happy that she didn’t have to hear all the scary sounds. Have a great time! Tara Deanna, 6 mild to severe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 Thanks everyone for the suggestions. They really help. You guys are great -----Original Message----- We went to WDW last summer when my daughter just turned 6. Two 4 year olds will be a little different…. but this is what we did. Deanna used her hearing aids all the time as she usually does. She didn’t seem to need the assisted listening devices as most of the shows were loud. (Deanna’s hearing is mild to severe). We brought the dry and store with us for the rain and for the mist at the park. We even bought the personal water bottles with fans to mist us and it didn’t harm her hearing aids (she covered them with her hands and we sprayed her). Definitely rent the stroller. It’s well worth the cost. She would take breaks as it’s a lot of walking and also to carry our stuff. We all used lightweight backpacks. Deanna’s was a small unstructured material one that she carried a hat for the sun but also to protect her aids when it rained, sunglasses, ID and a walkie talkie. We all had walkie talkies. I carried a small waterproof case to put her aids in for the water rides because on some of them you get completely drenched. One funny story, she wanted to go on the pirate ride. Well it was scary, not a fast moving ride but lots of skeletons and screams. So she simply turned off her hearing aids and hid her face on me through the rest of the ride. She was so happy that she didn’t have to hear all the scary sounds. Have a great time! Tara Deanna, 6 mild to severe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 Our experiences at DisneyWorld for our now 5-year-old daughter were less then stellar. I took our stethoset to test what she was hearing, as she was 3 and 4 for our two trips...2004 and 2005. In our personal experience, we did not succeed with any listening device in any park. As in...they literally did not work. I tried each device available in MGM, and several in the other parks. (They have a seemingly endless variety.) I worked (or tried to!) with cast members at venues, with no luck. I worked with Guest Services (or tried to), and had no luck. I even emailed to the director of disability services ahead of time, and while we were there. For example, at Lion King, we didn't get the show, but rather the cast members' radios through their transmitters. I spent hours at MGM, running back and forth to Guest Services, trying different devices. Don't get me wrong....I LOVE Disney. I know now, though, to not expect any technology support or hearing assistance support while we are there. I think they are simply not used to children with hearing loss, and their first recommendation are the devices that require reading. Those they can test and understand. Hearing aids are a bit of a stretch. I even had a Guest Services cast member encourage me to complain to Disney, because, in her words, " the ALD devices never work " . So, yes, get a Guest Assistance Card (GAC) at Guest Services in the first park you go to. It will be good in all parks during your stay, and will allow you to be close enough for your child to do some speech-reading at some of the shows. And here's a mini-tip...my daughter is well-trained that water is bad for hearing aids. At Micky's Fantasmic at MGM, there is lots of waterspray that is blown into the audience by the wind. She was very upset that her aids might get wet. A hat with a brim would have made her feel much better! Amy (a long-time lurker) > > > > We are going to be taking a vacation to Walt Disney World in a few > weeks. > > My son has moderate SNHL and wears BTE hearing aides. He is > currently four. > > I found this information for guests with hearing disabilities. > > > > http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/common/Plain? id=PlainHearingDPage > > > > Has anyone been to WDW with their hard of hearing child and used the > > assistive listening devices? Were they necessary or was the volume > pretty > > loud without the devices? Were they headphones or did they work > directly > > with the hearing aides like an FM? Any insites or suggestions are > > appreciated. Even general suggestions for visting WDW with two four > year > > olds will be appreciated. > > > > My son has worn his hearing aides since he was 3 months and does > very well > > with them. Even after four years there are so many things that I am > still > > clueless about. I really appreciate this site and all of the > information > > that everyone has. > > > > Thanks so much, > > > > > > mom to Richie (4, moderate SNHL wears BTE) and Saring (4, normal > hearing) > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 Our experiences at DisneyWorld for our now 5-year-old daughter were less then stellar. I took our stethoset to test what she was hearing, as she was 3 and 4 for our two trips...2004 and 2005. In our personal experience, we did not succeed with any listening device in any park. As in...they literally did not work. I tried each device available in MGM, and several in the other parks. (They have a seemingly endless variety.) I worked (or tried to!) with cast members at venues, with no luck. I worked with Guest Services (or tried to), and had no luck. I even emailed to the director of disability services ahead of time, and while we were there. For example, at Lion King, we didn't get the show, but rather the cast members' radios through their transmitters. I spent hours at MGM, running back and forth to Guest Services, trying different devices. Don't get me wrong....I LOVE Disney. I know now, though, to not expect any technology support or hearing assistance support while we are there. I think they are simply not used to children with hearing loss, and their first recommendation are the devices that require reading. Those they can test and understand. Hearing aids are a bit of a stretch. I even had a Guest Services cast member encourage me to complain to Disney, because, in her words, " the ALD devices never work " . So, yes, get a Guest Assistance Card (GAC) at Guest Services in the first park you go to. It will be good in all parks during your stay, and will allow you to be close enough for your child to do some speech-reading at some of the shows. And here's a mini-tip...my daughter is well-trained that water is bad for hearing aids. At Micky's Fantasmic at MGM, there is lots of waterspray that is blown into the audience by the wind. She was very upset that her aids might get wet. A hat with a brim would have made her feel much better! Amy (a long-time lurker) > > > > We are going to be taking a vacation to Walt Disney World in a few > weeks. > > My son has moderate SNHL and wears BTE hearing aides. He is > currently four. > > I found this information for guests with hearing disabilities. > > > > http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/common/Plain? id=PlainHearingDPage > > > > Has anyone been to WDW with their hard of hearing child and used the > > assistive listening devices? Were they necessary or was the volume > pretty > > loud without the devices? Were they headphones or did they work > directly > > with the hearing aides like an FM? Any insites or suggestions are > > appreciated. Even general suggestions for visting WDW with two four > year > > olds will be appreciated. > > > > My son has worn his hearing aides since he was 3 months and does > very well > > with them. Even after four years there are so many things that I am > still > > clueless about. I really appreciate this site and all of the > information > > that everyone has. > > > > Thanks so much, > > > > > > mom to Richie (4, moderate SNHL wears BTE) and Saring (4, normal > hearing) > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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