The Special Needs Forum Is Now Open...

Howdy, I have noticed that we have a lot of special needs parents onsite asking questions and so far they have been having to go into the generalised categories. I was wondering if we could have a separate section, that way it will be easier to look out for people with specific special needs questions and I know the established special needs families around Intercot won't have issues with making sure they are taken care of. Like, not all special needs parents visit the Accomodations area, and most of us might miss an important question that we have an answer to.

Just a suggestion :) Thanks.

I am noting your suggestion, and the next time the board expands, we'll take it into consideration.

That's a really great idea!!

Thanks John :)

Great Idea, LibertyTreeGal -- and thanks John, for taking it into consideration. I would surely support that 100% and help out in any way I could :mickey:

That is an excellent idea. I would support it as
well. :thumbsup:

I think it is an awesome idea! :thumbsup:

Yes! This is a wonderful idea!

It would be nice to be able to go to one forum with ANY special needs question.

Thank you, John. As an ECV user I had many questions before my first trip to WDW and gathered information from various forums, it would have been much easier to have been able to just visit one place.:thumbsup:

Hi,
I've been around here for 6 months or so, and one recurring theme that doesn't have its own dedicated forum is one on autism or special needs in general.
You guys have probably noticed it too, and perhaps contemplated a separate forum for this.
I don't have any experience with autism or other special needs children, but I bet the parents who do would really appreciate a forum that has the answers to all their questions right in one place. Even the answers to the ones they don't know to ask.
Over time, this would prove to be an invaluable resource as the forum fills up with expertise.
You could open it in right here in Vacation Planning. It would make a great fit.

Best,

T--

Libertytreegal just recently suggested this, too. It is a great idea!! I only read Intercot but I happened over to another popular board one day and they do have a whole forum area for special needs. They seemed to have a lot of Make a Wish families. I wish they would come here!!!!!!!!!! It's much nicer :cloud9:

Here is the thread referenced above:

New Forum Area suggestion

I would agree. My DW has epilepsy and is fitted with a vagus nerve stimulator, which meant we had many questions before our first trip, but no answers. Having a special needs type of forum would be very informative and helpful.:thumbsup:

P.S.- We have those answers now, if anyone needs them.

This is a great idea. Consolidating information into one place so folks know where to look will make it much easier. Even though we don't have a special needs situation, I'm all for it!

All I can say to that suggestion is....

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES, please, YES. :mickey:

As a parent to a special needs child (autism/dev delays), it would be great to have a place specifically to go to research/ask questions.

Don't get me wrong.....everyone has been great with their answers on the all forums for me, but it would def take less time to do the research if there was a forum specifically for those of us with special needs. And time is something that is a precious commodity to us.
Thanks again for the suggestion!

Wonderful idea. :thumbsup:

Howdy, one of the things I have noticed since coming here is how many different special needs there are that I never knew existed -- not that this is strange, before the AFP screening came back elevated, I had never heard of spina bifida at all! Special needs parenting is a crash course in life LOL And there are so many special needs that no book could ever cover them all, which is why we need each other!

But I have to agree with merlinmagic4, I would love to have Make a Wish families here :mickey: (If I ever won the lottery, I'd probably end up sending every sick child to WDW :thumbsup: -- heck, I'd even be a tour guide, selfless person that I am :D ROFL)

I think that would be wonderful. I would love a place to ask questions and answer questions for others.

I have to agree again. As a father to a special needs son it would make me feel good to be able to help others that are going through similar issues as well as help us with ours.

Let me be the first to say that the forum is currently under development. As soon as all of our ducks are in a row, we'll launch the forum. The staff we are assembling all have experience as both parents of kids who have special needs, have special needs or have extensive experience in the area.

We look forward to all of the information and advice you guys will be able to share with our guests who are trying to plan vacations and are worried about how to best accommodate and plan for their particular needs.

Awesome, how exciting!

One of the frustrating things about special needs parenting is that we often feel isolated and powerless, especially if your child has something rare. I like that we will be able to hook up with other parents and be a force for education and support. YEAH!!

Thanks Intercot!! I'm going to go and cry happy tears now....

That really is wonderful news!! I think there is an automatic sense of brotherhood among parents who have special needs kids. No one else REALLY gets it like someone walking in your shoes. It would be thrilling to have a place that not only addresses vacation advice but advice for life success in general -- tips for things that worked or didn't work for your family, etc..... I could really see this being a tremendous support system!!!

YAY Intercot :number1:

:rocks: You should be commended for responding to the needs of your community. A forum for special needs is a wonderful idea. :thumbsup:

This is great John. I look forward to reading the posts!:thumbsup:

You guys rock.
I kinda thought ya'll were attuned to this and doing something about it.

Looks like the new section is up and ready to go :thumbsup:

Thanks to everyone involved for putting up this new section :)

Thank you so much! I am thrilled!!!

Thanks for hanging with us - I now declare the forum officially open...

Lets see how this experiment goes! :thumbsup:

Thanks to all of you who requested this new forum and to all of you who made it happen!!:thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LibertyTreeGal

Awesome, how exciting!

One of the frustrating things about special needs parenting is that we often feel isolated and powerless, especially if your child has something rare. I like that we will be able to hook up with other parents and be a force for education and support. YEAH!!

Thanks Intercot!! I'm going to go and cry happy tears now....

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I agree completely!! If we can share information with those in similar circumstances, what a big help that would be!! For example, during our October trip, we discovered that at Fantasmic (and apparently several other attractions/shows) Disney provides reflective captioning for the hearing impaired. We stumbled onto it - but maybe the next person with this issue would know to look for it! Yay Intercot!!:number1:

Wow! this is so interesting... I received tools several weeks ago from the Case Foundation and finished my training last week. I have been considering projects for fundraisers and thought about cases like Hayden's where he was too young to qualify for make a wish. It would be so easy to have our own but I was hesitant to bring it up.
I also don't mind helping w/ professional expertise.
I have lots of ideas --lots.

Have fun and spread the knowledge you guys have gained over the years.

And keep lists, because we're going to start building a Special Needs section for InfoCentral. Strmchsr has already started. :)

This new forum just confirms for me that INTERCOT is the most amazing site ever!! :number1: Kuddos to the "powers that be" for acknowledging a need and request and doing so in such a quick manner. I know that all the folks who turn here for answers and information will echo my "THANKS!!!!!!" :)

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!:yay::yay::yay:

Thank you John & Gary & TeeDee everyone who made this happen! How wonderful that we have a place to ask our questions and share our experiences. I will be visiting often!


Robyn:mickey:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by robyn221

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!:yay::yay::yay:

Thank you John & Gary & TeeDee everyone who made this happen! How wonderful that we have a place to ask our questions and share our experiences. I will be visiting often!


Robyn:mickey:

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For the record, the sum total of my making this happen was just making a suggestion :D Everyone else did the work!!!! I haven't done anything.... :blush:

Most of my family falls into the special needs category.
My Mom(82), and Sis(52) just returned from the World last week.Both are mobility challenged,using ECVs.
DW and I are in the same boat , needing ECVs.Not to mention ,Mom ,Sis,and I are diabetics,so we always have many questions about many topics that I am sure will be covered in this forum.