Hello all,
I am trying to help a friend who will be taking her daughter to WDW to celebrate her Sweet 16. The daughter has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheel chair & has many other special needs. I wonder if any of you lovely folks here on the DIS Abilities boards have any experience with something like this and can offer things that would be good to do as something extra special for her to make a really "magical moment".
TIA for any thoughts/experiences you have to share.
-Kelly
Our daughter has different issues, but is still mobility limited, and has celebrated so many milestones at WDW; I'm sure that Sweet 16 will be "extra sweet" just from being at Disney World!
We often buy custom "ears" from some of the vendors on Etsy - a special pair of Sweet 16 ears would be a great gift for the birthday girl! And, a custom T-shirt - maybe with her favorite Disney character, movie, or ride incorporated - would be fun too. You can get those many places before the trip, or you can get custom shirts made at Disney Springs (but it's kind of spendy!)
Remember that you can decorate your room - so encourage Mom to bring along some fun birthday decorations so that when her Birthday Girl wakes up on her special day, the room will be festive! For one of my daughter's birthdays, I purchased a princess birthday song on iTunes, and now we play that silly thing any time anyone in our family celebrates at the Parks LOL
Mom can order a birthday cake (if there is enough time) and have it delivered to a table service meal at the Parks or Resort. Disney cakes are both beautiful *and* yummy, and we have had our fair share of those delivered too!
A fireworks dessert party might be a great option for that evening; there's one at every Park to pick from (Rivers of Light at AK) and it's like the best party ever - great desserts, with a fireworks show after! Tiana's Riverboat party in the afternoon at MK is a great way to spend a special afternoon!
Really and truly, just let the birthday girl set the agenda - if what she wants to do that day is just ride the carousel over and over... then that's an amazing way to spend the day at WDW! Focus on making the happiest, best memories, and not trying to do everything there is at WDW.
You are so sweet to help her Mom - just remember that being in a wheelchair in an of itself isn't that big of a deal at WDW; there's very little she won't be able to do, and a whole world of fun and magic will be hers on her birthday!
Happy Birthday Princess!
