With fall break approaching, my parents wanted to do something. We hadn’t done a big family trip for awhile because of the size of my family. Sitting in the van for hours is hard on my body. Plus dad couldn’t drive all day long anymore. My sister had tickets for Disneyland and was going to join her friends, but her plan fell through. Mom and dad decided to make it a family vacation. I haven’t been to Disneyland for over ten years. A lot has changed since then.  

My first thought was all about getting me out of my chair into the ride then turning around to do the opposite. Multiple times a day. Years ago, I was light weight. Now my parents barely carry me more than five feet. Plus it’s hard on my physical body. There are a few wheelchair accessible rides. I am grateful that they made them accessible! My family likes riding at a fast pace. I can only handle a certain speed. It takes three people to transfer me. With the amount of lifting, my parents and I decided to do just one day instead of three. We made a list of rides to do that day. My big sister knows a lot about disneyland. Where to go and what to do. We wouldn’t have done it without her. 

The first two rides were rough. Barely hold still. We had forgotten that there is no paddling on the seats. I am nothing, but bones. Sitting on any hard surface hurts my body. For the rest of the days, we put my seat cushion and a jacket behind my back when riding. I was able to enjoy the other rides. The one item we should have bought is the hardback seat. Easy to take it around. Through their service, we were able to schedule certain rides. So we didn’t have to check out which ride had the shortest line. They were flexible when we were running late. Plus I was able to take five people with me. Those were so helpful. They let me go to their first aid department for personal business.

I appreciate their efforts of making sure that all people with disabilities are comfortable! Spending a day at Disneyland with my family was one of the highlights of the year!