Leo's Adventures in Disneyland, 2019 Edition

The Monsters, Inc ride is a perennial fave.
[image: Leo in front of a "We're Monsters, Inc."
poster featuring four monsters posing jovially.]

It's been eight years since Leo's first successful trip to Disneyland, when we discovered that, for him, the Land of Mouse really is The Happiest Place on Earth. We now try to make annual pilgrimages, because Leo deserves to be happy and when we can make that happen, we do.

Here's how the latest trip went, and how we made it happen—because unfortunately, visiting Disneyland is also expensive AF. Note: this go 'round it was just me and Leo. Seymour and Iz were in New Zealand (Iz is doing a college semester abroad*) and J and Leo have some competing access things going on just now. J drove down with us, but spent the night at a local friend's and went to the park with them separately. We did meet up with J and crew once to check in.

One of the most pricey parts of Disneyland is the tickets. Leo wants to see both parks, not just one, as he has has a two-park circuit that we follow for optimal joy. That means $$$ for a park-hopper pass. Luckily, we live in California, and our regional center has a program called Community Involvement (CI) that provides discounted Disneyland tickets. If you live in California and you or your child are regional center clients, ask about this! (We were lucky; our social worker told us about the tickets, but just because yours hasn't doesn't meant it's not an option. Ask!) The CI dates available are limited and subject to blackouts, but the savings are significant—and allow provide discounts for a limited number of accompanying family members.

More routine/joy: we stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel. This is important, because being a hotel guest means access to a "Magic Hour" for hotel and other select pass holders, before the parks open to the general public, and during which lines are extra not-crowded. However this meant we had to pay for the hotel room. For this, I am beyond grateful to Leo's grandparents and other family members who understand how much going to Disneyland means to Leo, and gave him cash for his birthday and Christmas that we were able to use for the hotel room—because otherwise and even during "low season," room prices at this place verge on imaginary. (Though the same Magic Hour benefits hold for guests of the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier hotels, which are slightly less astronomically priced, Leo's routine for as long as he's been going has been the Grand Californian.)

[image: Selfie of me and Leo in a hotel hot tub.]

Staying at the hotel meant using the hot tub and pool the night before. This is important. Because we always use the hot tub and pool when we go to Disneyland, and Routine is Life. We both like pools and hot tubs.

We have most things Disney figured out. The one unpredictable factor is lining up to enter the park in the morning. We need to be there relatively early because if we have to wait in a long line at Town Hall to get Leo set up for Disability Access Service, then that cuts into his Magic Hour relaxing rides time. However, if we end up being surrounded by kids who are crying or whining (which is an act of the goddesses and no one's fault), that is distressing to Leo and we can't stay in line.

As always, we gave the park entry waiting line a solid try. And after a few minutes, we were surrounded by crying kids. I tried not to panic, and asked the people standing behind us if they would hold our spot, which they kindly did. I then took Leo around the side of the entry kiosks to talk to a gate agent, and told them about our pickle. Much to my relief, they were able to help us out. We might not need this accommodation next time, but it is good to know that the staff will make those kinds of accommodations if requested.

FU Straw Ban
[image: Leo waiting to ride Star Tours, looking hip with
3D glasses, nonchalant attitude, and mouth-held straw.]

We were the first people in line at the Disneyland Town Hall, and Leo's Disability Access Service (DAS) pass—which is tied to the entrance ticket you bring everywhere with you—was activted forthwith. So many exhalations.

The current version of the pass (there have been several iterations over the past few years) meets Leo's needs beautifully. If you've not used the DAS before: it makes it possible for people like Leo who have a hard time waiting in lines to have the shortest line experience possible. This doesn't mean jumping lines, though; you get assigned a "return time" for the FastPass or disabled access line entrances that is roughly equivalent to the ride's current standby (regular folks, non-FastPass) waiting) time. This means that if the wait time for Pirates of the Caribbean is 45 minutes, you get to spend those 45 minutes doing something that is not waiting in line, like going to the Tiki Room—and then you can come back to the FastPass entrance any time after your DAS-appointed return time.

(Apparently you can also use the DAS in conjunction with the regular FastPass service, but that is more planning and executive function juggling than my head had space for, and we were perfectly happy using the DAS alone.)

[image: Photo of a MedAlert safety bracelet
clipped onto Leo's pants' belt loop.]

A final logistics note: As Leo has, on occasion, followed his enthusiasm more quickly than I could keep up with him, I wanted to ensure he had a visible form of ID with my phone number and his MedicAlert info on it (even though, as I learned, The Mouse has eyes everywhere and escaped kids get returned to parents surprisingly quickly). We used Safety Tats for a while, but they aren't that obvious, especially during cold weather which means long sleeves, and they also don't have enough information for some of Leo's medical considerations. Leo is also not a fan of safety bracelets or other medical ID tags. But I figured out that if I use a metal binder ring to attach a metal safety bracelet to his belt loop, he is not only OK with that but considers the bracelet chain an excellent fidget. Another win-win.

[video description: Leo rubbing his hand along the wavy
metal guardrail at the Nemo submarine ride line.]

Overall, a lovely time was had. Though it was a holiday week, it was a Tuesday, plus the park wasn't as crowded as the IsItPacked Disneyland Crowd Forecast foretold. Leo got to ride all his rides, several more than once. We found more spots of joy, like the stim-worthy wavy metal railguards along the lines at the Finding Nemo submarine ride. We also found many spots of quiet and regrouping and rest, such as the circumnavigating Disneyland Train that lets you ride indefinitely. These were important, as were the Benches Everywhere (though New Orleans Square could still use more benches). 

The only real bummer was the brightness. The weather report said it was going to be overcast, so I didn't bring hats. Which meant that once we found ourselves squinting (a situation that leads to horrible headaches for our young hero), hats needed to be purchased. And there is no getting a non-merch-branded hat in Disneyland; I looked. So I ended up, reluctantly, with a Darth Vader trucker hat while my companion scored a "P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney" baseball cap that was the least obnoxious option. (I am old and grumpy and getting tired of branding and merch everything everywhere all the time. Except for at the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride. That was cool.)

The Guardians of the Galaxy ride has so many Easter eggs!
[image: Leo next to a painting of The Collector and The Master
laughing while playing a game at a table.]

A final happy result: Leo spent the months leading up to our visit watching Disney park ride-throughs from parks all over the world. As we made him a bunch of his own ride videos while were were there, and made them part of his YouTube channel, he can now watch videos of himself riding rides at Disneylang on our YouTube-connected TV as easily as he can watch his favorite Netflix shows and DVDs. Sometimes I really do love living in the future:

[image: Selfie of me and J in front of the Vasquez Rocks.]

It gets better coda: Road trips have sometimes been hard with our youngest two. It is a mark of how much they have both matured that when the main freeway pass between the central valley and Los Angeles got shut down due to snow, and we ended up sitting on the freeway for four hours and were eventually turned around and had to to do a three-hour detour and did not reach our destination until 1:30 AM, they were both good sports about it and the situation was totally manageable. It is a mark of how my approach to life has changed that as long as my kids were not having a hard time, I was cool with whatever needed to be done, and am just glad it all worked out, and did not have a panic attack or meltdown. Plus when we woke up, we discovered we were five minutes away from one of the most iconic Star Trek locations in the Southland. It's hard to be mad about geekery opportunities.

 ----

[image: Photo of Seymour's hand holding up his gold wedding
ring next to the volcano that was the film version of Mt. Doom.]

*When I studied abroad in Ghana nearly 30 years ago, making a phone call to my parents was only possible at the airport, and I had to arrange the phone via mail weeks in advance—because that's how long the mail took. In contrast, Iz can and does text us all day long, time differences allowing (she is three hours behind me, but in tomorrow's time). I much prefer the contemporary situation, now that I'm in the parent position. Also: She and Seymour found the one true ring!

The Way the World Should Look: Magical Bridge Playground Comes to Redwood City

Last week my town held the groundbreaking ceremony for its own Magical Bridge playground. This is a big deal, not just for Leo and our family, but for every local with a disability who has ever felt unwelcome at, or been unable to access, the casual, fun neighborhood playgrounds and parks experience that most other residents take for granted. This is inclusion done right.

If you're not familiar with Magical Bridge, you probably will be in the near future: The Magical Bridge Foundation is creating and deploying all-abilities-and-ages playgrounds right here in Silicon Valley. And when all goes according to plan, their ideals and examples and playgrounds will take over the world! (If you want to be part of this master plan, the best option right now is to help bringing Magical Bridge playgrounds to Sunnyvale and Morgan Hill.)

Since my crew and I are locals, the Magical Bridge power duo of founder Olenka Villareal and co-founder Jill Asher asked me to be one of the folks who gave short speeches during the ceremony. Here's what I had to say:

"Hi, I’m Shannon Des Roches Rosa. I’ve lived in Redwood City since 1994, and I’ve never wanted to live anyplace else in this region. My husband and I have three kids, all of whom went to Redwood City schools, and participated in the coin drives that helped make our Magical Bridge playground happen.

Actually giving this very speech. Photo © Elaine Park
[image: Me at a podium in a park, talking with my hands.]

My middle child, Leo, was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. And, as he got older, it became really obvious that the parks that he loved, like Maddux Park—where his big sister has a tile with a print of her baby-sized foot in the wall, and Stafford Park, and all the other wonderful parks in Redwood City were no longer as welcoming as they used to be.

Leo at Magical Bridge in Palo Alto, with Jill (L) and Olenka (R)
[image: Leo happily sitting in a spinning playround pod, between two
blonde white women wearing blue Magical Bridge t-shirts.]

"It’s hard, when your kids are different, or you’re different: sometimes other people are uncomfortable around you. And nobody wants to be around people who make you feel bad. So after a while, we started to spend more time at home, or would only go to parks and playgrounds when we knew no one else would be there. My son is a high-support mostly non-speaking guy, but he is amazing—and amazingly physical, and he always wants to hang out, run around, and play. So imagine my surprise and delight in finding out about Magical Bridge.

My kids Leo and J. playing together (!) at Magical Bridge Palo Alto
[image: Small white girl pushing a conical merry-go-round on which
her brother is lying down. Both kids seen from behind.]

"The first time I visited the Magical Bridge Playground in Palo Alto with my kids, I almost couldn’t believe that a place like it existed. And that’s not just about its accessibility: It’s not about the fact that everybody can play; it’s about the everybody does play. It’s the fact that, when I’m there, there are kids who don’t have obvious disabilities like my son does—but they will talk to him. They will take turns with him. And sometimes, we’ll realize that a few of them are part of our autism community, because they’ll want to talk about every single category of Pokemon for five straight minutes—and that’s great, too!

Leo at the Magical Bridge 2017 Halloween Party. We would *never*
go to a playground this busy, if it wasn't Magical Bridge
[image: Leo, wearing an orange-and-black Fred Flintstone costume,
seen from behind, swinging on a disc swing, at a crowded playground.]

"So I’m really excited about having a Magical Bridge Playground here in Redwood City because inclusion really matters. Because my son, and all of our friends with disabilities, whether they’re here today or not—they are human beings. With hopes, dreams, fears, and likes (my son is 17 years old; he likes Deadpool), just like you.

"But the fact that, so often, other people let disability get in the way of recognizing our shared humanity—that’s a problem. And that’s not something that happens when you have a place like Magical Bridge in Palo Alto already is, and Magical Bridge in Redwood City is going to be: It’s not about pity, it’s not about charity; it’s about making the world look the way it’s supposed to look—for everybody. And that’s why I just can’t wait until we have Magical Bridge here in our own backyard.

"Thank you so much, Olenka and Jill."

[video description: The Magical Bridge Redwood City speech-givers, doing ceremonial ground-breaking
by wearing hard hats and happily shoveling some dirt, in unison.]

How iPads & Apps Can Help Autistic People Like Leo - As of September 2013

This is an outline for a three-hour iPads and Apps workshop I recently gave for the excellent San Francisco organization Support for Families of Children With Disabilities. The outline's backbone is consistent with many of my past presentations, while updated in several areas because things move fast in the iDevices and apps worlds. Case in point: the presentation was a few days before iOS 7 was released. (All I'll say about iOS 7 is that making things more subtle is not a great idea for visual people -- Leo is still having trouble opening his iPad, because he can't locate the swipe area. So while iOS 7 may be prettier, it's also less accessible.)

Oh, and I've also updated and verified all the apps & prices in our Recommended Apps Spreadsheet.

If you missed this workshop, I've got a couple other iPad workshops coming up, one local and one in the UK. And if you have any questions about the info below -- seeing as it is fairly bare bones -- do leave a comment.

Yes, iPads and Apps
Really Can Help Individuals With Special Needs
Support for Families \ September 14, 2013

Shannon Des Roches Rosa | www.thinkingautismguide.com | www.squidalicious.com

Leo tolerating post office lines and tedium,
thanks to his iPad.

Tablets: Tools, Not Miracles

• My autistic son was instantly able to learn and entertain himself independently [though, ahem, less so with iOS 7 redesign]
• However, tablets are not for everyone. Evaluate tables and apps before buying
• Tablets encourage presuming competence by enabling visual and alternative communication and learning
• Competence expressed and recognized increases self-confidence

Benefits: Accessibility and Convenience

•  No cursor analogy – direct touch screen
• Fine motor ease – stylus/mouse not required (and switch accessories now available)
• So very portable (but invest in a good case)
• Can replace backpacks – and cupboards -- of activities
• App content is not static, contents updates are often free
• Siri encourages independence and articulation (iPad 3+ only)

Benefits: Learning

• So much more than an AAC device!
  (Non-dedicated device status = issue, less so with Guided Access)
• Apps are organized, accessible, predictable framework
• Apps break learning down into discrete chunks, topic areas
• Learn without needing to read, including read-aloud books
•  Learn independently or with support (but monitoring important, with any kid)
• Incidental learning opportunities

Benefits: Social and Play

• iPads are cool, they attract other kids – including siblings
• Can support social skills, formally and informally
• Custom story apps allow preparing for transitions, routines, meeting new people –
  or re-experiencing said scenarios
• Face-blindness (common with autistics): labeling and other photo-content apps can enable associating names and characteristics with people
•  Independent leisure time: Learning activities, games, videos

Best Practices

• Evaluate thoroughly before buying: Tablets are expensive, apps are expensive
• Get professional evaluation for AAC apps
• Different systems work for different users
• If long-term AAC use is expected, do not want to re-learn communication system
• Get fully informed before upgrading, e.g., iOS 6 deleted YouTube app,

Overuse and Abuse?

• What about study: “Autistic Kids Obsess Over Screen Technology”? [1]
• Autistic adults say “Yes, we’re visual and very focused, why not explore how to harness these traits productively.”
• Savvy kids can be experts, help other kids, mentor them.
• For 1:1 kids, independent is good, not bad!
• Valid concern for those who need support to manage screen time

When iPads Are Not in Your Budget

• Go through insurance, school district – write into IEP
• AAC evaluation
• SLP recommendation
• Research (longitudinal studies are ongoing)
• Fundraise: Community/Online – it works! (Small commissions charged)
• GiveForward.org, Crowdrise.com, GoFundMe.com
• iPad Donation Charities – watch out for scams

iPad Protection – Insurance, AppleCare, Loss

• All iPads come with 90 days of phone support and one year limited warranty
• Insurance (3^rd party): Protects against damage and physical loss
• AppleCare: Service, support for technical issues, up to two years
• iTunes remembers purchases, will let you re-download for free

iPad Protection – Cases, Covers, Other Accessories

• Cases: Protection vs. Convenience
• All-Purpose Cases: ZooGue, Targus, InCase, Shutterfly (custom photo)
• Keyboard: Logitech, Targus, Zagg, Brookstone (can be bulky)
• Protective: Otterbox Defender, GumDrop Military, Trident Kraken, Griffin Survivor

Apps Demonstrated

Free: iAdvocate • Draw With Stars • MyScript Calculator • 30/30 • EveryTrail • NeoPaul
Customizable: Kid in Story •WordSLaPps • Popplet • Write My Name

Also: Dr. Seuss’s ABC • Toca Band • Puzzle Pop • Stack the Countries • TeachMe Kindergarten

---

[1] http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/01/26/autistic-kids-obsess-over-screen-technology/34118.html

Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo: Expanding, Accommodating

As you may know, the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo is planning to remodel, expand, and transform in the very near future. They are seeking input from local families in general, and families with members with special needs specifically, to ensure that the new Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo will not only be accessible but fun for all visitors.

SEPTAR, the Special Education PTA of Redwood City, is hosting a Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo discussion and presentation this Thursday, Jan 21, at 7 PM (more info below). As always, there will be really great company, refreshments, and hot coffee. We hope to see you there!

SEPTAR Meeting

Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:00pm

750 Bradford Redwood City, CA 94063

Please join us Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 7:00pm for a presentation and discussion

with Tina Keegan from the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo.

The museum is hoping to make their exhibits and facility accessible and inclusive, and they want OUR input.

Free childcare is available.

Thank you-

Jennifer Byde Myers
President, SEPTAR

SEPTAR is the Special Education Parent Teacher Association for Redwood City. We bring families and educators together to meet the special education needs of children in Redwood City.

******

donate to the Special Education PTA, Redwood City www.septar.org