Back in February of this year, we took a week-long trip to Disneyworld for Kassie’s 30th birthday! It was a real treat, because Sloan experienced all of the exciting Disney magic that we love so dearly. (Kassie especially, after her work as a cast member back in 2017.)
Of course, traveling with a kid like Sloan – who has disabilities and medical needs we need to navigate – comes with its own unique set of experiences and preparation. In this prep, I found myself worrying about approaching Disney characters without giving them a chance to know Sloan is DeafBlind and communicates in a tactile way. It just seemed like there had to be a better option than walking up and explaining her communication needs to characters at every. single. meet-and-greet.
So – out of those thoughts came the idea of a stroller sign.
The sign, below, was plastered all over Sloan’s stroller. It only attracted one weird park visitor who asked us if he could pray for her (blerg. uh, no?) – but, otherwise, it helped make our Disney experience WAY more magical across the board! This simple sign supported me, Kassie, and Sloan the entire time – giving us a chance to relax while cast members and characters alike knew to communicate with Sloan in tactile ways as they approached us. It made the cast members more accessible and available in communicating with Sloan, too. It was a win for sure, and we’ll do it again next time.
So pictured below you can find a copy of the sign I made (a simple Canva template) and some photos of our Disney trip overall – including glimpses of the sign throughout.
Enjoy!
