Suggestions for hand issues

Using rubber bands is a great idea and I will definitely be getting myself a one handed tray.

Everyone here has been so helpful.
How do all of you deal with people staring, or avoiding eye contact or making comments...? There have been times when I really should have used a wheelchair or another assistive device, but I can’t bring myself to do it I am too self-conscious and embarrassed - And if I don’t and I fall on someone (which has happened 😞 ) or drop something, I just want to crawl under the nearest rock. It’s lose-lose.

First of all - I want you to take a deep breath, and repeat after me:


There is NOTHING "wrong" with me.
"Normal" is a setting on the washing machine, and nothing more.
NO ONE IS PERFECT, (including me!) and that's OK.

Got it?

Listen, there may - I won't blow sunshine up your kilt - there *may* be someone who decides to stare, or who watches you struggle, or who might even make a ridiculous comment. And here is what you need to know about that: First of all, there are thousands of people who go to WDW every year who literally turn off their brains when they arrive. They get there, and it's like they abandon all etiquette, all pretense of civility, and all of what their Mama taught 'em.

There's not a ding dang thing you can do about that. Just ignore 'em, and go on, and have fun. Because I promise you, they are the one with the problem, not you! *You* are at Disney World, having a good time! *They* are the ones who are taking time out of their vacation to be a jerk.

Then, there are those folks (a smaller subset, and you can usually tell the difference, but not always) who literally have never seen someone in public with a disability. My "American Privilege" is such that for many years I never realized that in many countries outside the US, people with disabilities are basically hidden away, and not really seen in public. And even in the US, folks from small towns where everyone is somehow blessedly healthy and whole can find themselves staring at the young man in a wheelchair, or the stunning elderly Rabbit Queen in her magnificent purple wheelchair (I might resemble that remark a little... LOL). They have never seen an ECV board a city-style bus, because they aren't around metro buses to begin with, and so when the bus beeps, and wheezes, and kneels, and spits out a ramp, and then people drive on and off that ramp... they stare, because they have never seen it before. They don't intend to be rude; often they are just kind of... fascinated, and it probably does not occur to them that they might be making you feel uncomfortable. The solution here is to smile and wave (and if you are feeling particularly brave) to ask if they have any questions? Nope? Have a great day here at Disney World, and on you go!

Yes, there's another group - Theme Park Zombies - those folks are the ones who literally don't realize they have zoned out. They are exhausted, they are overstimulated, and basically walking zombies; they aren't staring at *you* per se; you just happen to be occupying that point in space and time that their eyes have glazed over upon. Pity them, for they most likely are struggling with an ear worm from "Small World" and a posse of small, sticky, tired children.

And last but not least? There's the folks who "see" Disney through their phone or tablet - always posting to Instagram or FaceBook, and so if they scowl at you, it's nothing personal - you are probably just messing up their "perfect" selfie. Or - and this is even crazier - they will walk right into you because they aren't paying attention. I've had it happen, as have many others here.

But again - don't worry about it. I promise, it's never personal, because YOU WILL NEVER SEE THOSE PEOPLE AGAIN.

Your chances of winning the lottery, *and* seeing a purple panda riding a rainbow unicorn in the same day are far greater than the chance that you will *ever* see one of those people again, so who cares what they think?

You don't! Because you just graduated from MamaBunny's School of Disney Fools! 😉 (Patent pending, your mileage may vary, tag/tax & title not included)

And now, with that done, it's time for my favorite topic: It's time for you to learn about TOOLS.

All of those things I posted about up there? The walker, and the one-handed tray - Those are tools, right? Just like a hammer to pound a nail, those are devices that you could use to make your life easier, or to help manage pain or discomfort or offer some other benefit to you.

If you need to do math - like at tax time - do you use a calculator, or do you pull off your socks and shoes, and count on your toes and fingers? I bet you pull out a calculator, or fire up a calculator App on your phone. You use a tool to do the math.

If you need glasses to see better, do you go get the prescription, and then wear the glasses, or do you refuse to utilize the TOOL that is a proper pair of glasses to see the amazing world around us? Again, I'm going to bet you use the tool - the glasses - to improve your vision.

An ECV, or a wheelchair, or a cane, or *any* item that you might use to make your time on vacation better, easier, less tiring, less painful, more productive and/or more enjoyable is a TOOL. Period. End of sentence. Full stop.

So - you need to use an ECV *only* at WDW? Welcome to our club, my friend! There's *tons* of folks who will never use a mobility device anywhere but WDW, where the average Guest walks between 3 & 10 miles PER DAY.

Those folks go home, and they might never need any other kind of assistance or accommodation in their daily life, but at WDW, things are different. And if you do like I did for many many years, no one ever knew at home that I used a device at WDW, because I was never photographed while using the ECV (in anything that was posted on social media). I would park the ECV, stand up, and take the picture, and then get back on the ECV, whether it was a family photo or a PhotoPass picture.

Now, remember what we talked about before?

You can use TOOLS - including mobility devices! - to make your vacation better! You might just actually find that you arrive back home at the end of your trip rested and refreshed and happy, instead of in more pain, and feeling exhausted.

You don't have to pay attention to *anyone* who might stare at you (and most likely they won't; frankly, most of them are too busy being self-centered and self-important to pay any attention to you, I promise) because even if they do, you will never see them again. Cross my heart. You need to use a mobility device? Climb on that thing, light up your biggest, most beautiful smile (behind your mask), and wave at all of the Cast Members like you are a visiting celebrity!!! I promise you - they will smile (behind their masks) and wave right back! 🙂

You don't even have to have your vacation pictures include the tools or devices you may choose to use to make your trip better. No one has to know, if you don't want them to. I promise, no one is going to take out a billboard in your hometown that says "Hey y'all BALDY USED A SCOOTER AT DISNEY WORLD"

I hope you know that I am sincere when I say all of this - and you can search my other posts here to see that there's nothing new here I haven't said before. I want you to have the very best possible trip that you can, and I hope you will consider using all of the potential tools at your disposal to accomplish that very goal.

Use the tools.

Ignore the fools.

And have the very best, most magical time you can with your Mama. ❤

(((Hugs)))
 
Hello,
I am hoping for some suggestions on visiting Disney with hand dystonia. I am being treated but the side effects are muscle atrophy & significant weakness in my fingers, hands and arms...
I’m looking for tips, workarounds or any thoughts on where I might run into issues. I would hate to cause a scene or embarrass myself. Thanks!
I know this song... You got an issue that isn't readily apparent that could be managed with a few simple accommodations, but in a theme park setting, explaining it to the cast member is a cumbersome exercise and the poor soul just wants to keep their guest throughput up.

This is one of those things where in a perfect world we would not need a workaround. One of my friends had some minor trouble with his prosthetic knee joint. Nothing huge. Nothing to go home early over. Just needed a very little extra time loading and unloading from some of the attractions. He told me that after the first day, he went out to Walgreen's and bought a hinged knee support. So instead of explaining his issue and what he needed, he just put his hand up to get the CM's attention and then a gesture at his knee brace. A knee brace ... put on over a fake leg. With one gesture, the CM knows exactly what he needs. I loved this bit of innocent deception so much, I've actually used it in various forms myself.
 
Part of me finds this hilarious and part of me finds it incredibly sad. It shouldn’t have to be that way, but easier for everyone.

I'm right there with you - some of my worst issues are "hidden" disabilities, but because I now have to use a personal mobility device full time, that visually "speaks" for all of my issues now...
 
I know this song... You got an issue that isn't readily apparent that could be managed with a few simple accommodations, but in a theme park setting, explaining it to the cast member is a cumbersome exercise and the poor soul just wants to keep their guest throughput up.

This is one of those things where in a perfect world we would not need a workaround. One of my friends had some minor trouble with his prosthetic knee joint. Nothing huge. Nothing to go home early over. Just needed a very little extra time loading and unloading from some of the attractions. He told me that after the first day, he went out to Walgreen's and bought a hinged knee support. So instead of explaining his issue and what he needed, he just put his hand up to get the CM's attention and then a gesture at his knee brace. A knee brace ... put on over a fake leg. With one gesture, the CM knows exactly what he needs. I loved this bit of innocent deception so much, I've actually used it in various forms myself.
knee brace on a fake knee could be funny but what that says to me your friend must have a great looking fake knee or it is a replacement knee joint inside the body where the brace could really help CMs know what problem is
 
knee brace on a fake knee could be funny but what that says to me your friend must have a great looking fake knee or it is a replacement knee joint inside the body where the brace could really help CMs know what problem is
His prosth leg is a good one but it's fairly obvious. That's actually why he always wears pants. With pants on you can't tell at all. The knee has one of the most advanced rolling cam-locks I have ever seen and he walks on it like his old leg. On this trip, the mechanism started seizing when put into the fully bent position and would require working it manually just a bit to get it to open up.
 

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