Thursday, April 23, 2009

Our Home Resort

This is our "Home" resort of Saratoga Springs. (Click on the image to enlarge it)
Fingers crossed our Studio room is near the laundry...

Flying

So here is what I found out:

What many families don’t realize is that they have the power of a federal regulation on their sides: the Air Carrier Access Act. Passed by Congress, the Act requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to ensure that "persons with disabilties will be treated without discrimination in a way consistent with the safe carriage of all passengers." In other words, the same policy that mandates that airlines and airports make air travel accessible to the physically disabled applies equally to those passengers with mental and cognitive impairments.

The Air Carrier Access Act states that air travel personnel who come into day-to-day contact with persons of disabilities are trained to understand their needs and how they can be accommodated quickly, safely and with dignity. Carriers must provide passage to an individual who has a disability that may affect his appearance or involuntary behavior, even if this disability may offend, annoy or be an inconvenience to crew members or other passengers.

Therefore, you and your child have just as much right to travel by air as anyone else, even if your child is not on his or her best behavior--as long as the behavior does not endanger the health and safety of other passengers or violate FAA safety rules.

That's not to say that the sky is the limit here. "The Act does require airlines to treat persons with a disability without discrimination," says Bill Mosley, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Transportation. "But the Act does not address autism specifically. Carriers should accommodate as best as possible, but a lot is left to the carrier's discretion."


Preboarding and deplaning:

You can ask to preboard or deplane before or after other passengers. Whitney Eichinger, spokesperson, says Southwest Airlines issues a blue pass to passengers who need to preboard the plane.

Bryan Baldwin, coordinator, corporate communications for JetBlue Airways, says that while the airline offers preboarding, "As we fly single-aisle aircraft, advanced deplaning is generally not possible. Customers with disabilities are assisted once all the other customers have deplaned."

Seating:

Airlines should comply with any seating requests you have. If getting to the bathroom is an issue, ask to sit in the back of the plane. If your child is sensitive to noise, request that you not be sitting over a wing. If you need extra legroom, ask for bulkhead seats. Keep in mind that you might not be able to book seats in exit rows, since passengers in these rows must be capable of operating the emergency exit and assisting in the event of an evacuation.

Assistive devices:

The Air Carrier Access Act stipulates that assistive devices, such as a communication board, not be considered part of the carry-on luggage allotment of two pieces per passenger. Northwest Airlines even extends this to portable DVD players, which "would be considered an assistive device if it relieves anxiety," says Stanik.

If you run out or need to conserve battery power, Eichinger says Southwest allows passengers to use outlets in the terminal, if available, as power sources for devices, and Kudwa says US Airways provides power sources on each aisle in the aircraft.

JetBlue is known for its personal TVs at every seat. "We are also in the process of adding Fox Inflight Premium Entertainment movie channels to our aircraft," says Baldwin.

Meals:

If there is a meal served on board, you can request the meal be prepared a certain way, in case your child has food sensitivities or allergies.

At the airport:

You’ve alerted the reservations agent about your child’s needs. Don’t stop there. When you get to the airport, let the gate crew know as well. That goes double for the flight crew. "When the flight crew knows that there is a customer or family who may require special assistance on board, they are better able to meet both their safety and service needs," says King.

What if your flight is delayed or canceled, and you want to rebook? The Air Carrier Access Act does not require that airlines give priority to disabled passengers, but it can’t hurt to ask and push a little to be first in line. In the case of United Airlines, Arroyo says, "When there are irregular operations, we make every attempt to reaccommodate our customers with disabilities first."

Even though you've alerted every airline employee you've spoken to about your child's needs and have obtained the accommodations you requested, there's still a big question mark—the reactions and cooperation of other passengers.

You can certainly notify flight attendants if another passenger is being difficult. Another approach is to be open about the fact your child has autism and perhaps give others a mini lesson on the condition.

Cale says her grandson often travels wearing a shirt that reads: "I have sparkling eyes, a shining smile, and autism," and that this has helped promote understanding in fellow travelers. Other parents have business cards printed up that explain a little about autism. The cards can be handed out to onlookers who look confused or curious or who start to voice complaints about a child's behavior.

If, despite your efforts, you feel the airline has not treated you fairly, file a complaint with the airline’s complaint resolution official (CRO). Federal law stipulates that the airline have a CRO available at each airport the carrier serves as well as provide customers with a telephone number to reach the CRO.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Countdown Time

We leave for Disney World on May 2nd to celebrate my sweet little Lion's 4th birthday. Seriously? My baby is turning 4?! What has happened to all the time?! Where has it flown to?
We LOVE Disney World. Last year we became Disney Vacation Club members (DVC to those in the know) and this will be our second trip this year.
This trip will be something like my 23 or 24th trip to Disney since my first trip with my parents, sister and grandparents in 1978. I've truthfully lost track.
PJ took his first trip at 9 months old and Lion was there too though he was in utero at the time a peanut of only 3 months.
His first official outside the womb trip was when he was about a year old.
He LOVES Disney World hates the trip down there. The kid HATES to fly. Actually he doesn't hate to fly, what he hates is that he's not allowed to sit on mommies lap for the flight and that he has to wear a seatbelt.
Lordy does he hate that seatbelt.
He's flown up and back a total of 5 times now. Three were horrid and I feared they would kick us off the plane. The last two were AMAZING. He was fantastic, behaved, slept played, didn't hate on the poor seatbelt so much and mommy was thrilled.
Part of me hopes we've rounded a corner and this is the default flight behavior but I fear that it isn't.
The PDD-NOS makes Lion so unpredictable. I can never tell you how he's going to behave from moment to moment.
I just read something that said if I bring a letter to the airline stating his disability that by law they must give me the first seat in the first row. hmmmmmmm....This seems too good to be true and so I'm now off to do some homework on this.
I'll see what I can find and report back

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Last Week

The boys were off of school last week and on Friday we went to see Thomas The Train and Friends Live!
I wanted to make a day of it with the boys in the city. I found out that a tea shop/bakery I'd been meaning to try was going out of business and Sunday was to be their last day.
I called my sister and told her no if's and's or but's we were GOING to Amai tea house and we were going to try their green tea cupcakes that I'd been hearing so much about.
We met my sister in Union Square and walked over. Lion decided he did NOT want to be in the bake shop and so my sister waited outside with him while I loaded up with baked goodies. I got two of the last Green Tea Cupcakes and one Peanut butter chocolate cupcake. I also got 3 of each of the tea based cookies they had.
We decided to walk to the park around the corner to sit in the beautiful sunshine and eat our snacks.
It was a nostalgic walk for my sister and I because she and I had attended a school that was on the block called Friends Seminary. My best friend (who was killed in July of 2007 in a motorcycle accident) of 30 years met there and she ultimately graduated from there. I have some amazing very perosonal memories of that school and my time spent there and my sister and I always get nostalgic and mushy when we are around it.
We went to the park across the street and the boys discovered some kids playing on a pile of mulch. (Kids can TRULY turn nothing into something)
We sat and did a lot of "remember when" and the boys ran around.
The Cupcakes were not our speed and we all agreed we were disapointed.
The cookies however were wonderful. A shortbread base for all and each was yummier than the next.
My dad met us there and we headed uptown to the Beacon Theatre to see Thomas.
The show was fantastic, the boys had a great time and we all came home exhausted.



























Sunday, April 19, 2009

A few classic cartoons that I LOVE







and some Sesame Street from when I was little


Bake Sale Photos

Here are some random photos from the Bake Sale.
When I arrived with my wagon of treats the table we had out was already full of things other parents had made or purchased for the sale.
I was so overwhelmed I wanted to cry. In a good way. Overwhelmed with the kindness and generosity show both to my small son and to Autism Speaks.
It was sincerely humbling. It made me realize that I can have all the stuff in the world and have a mansion and a yacht (I am Elmer J. Fudd, I own a mansion and a yacht) and all the shiny baubles a gal could ever need and I wouldn't have as rich a life as I have right now. It's not the stuff, it's the peeps that count. Good friends make a life richer than any material good ever could.