Haley Gienow and Patrick McConnell, from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, file into the rows of seats in The Hall of Presidents, a theatre-style attraction at Walt Disney World Resorts, Florida. McConnell, a 21 year old student of Physics and Photonics, has been profoundly deaf since birth. He carries with him a Rear Window Captioning device (RWC), a metal stand attached to a rectangular piece of clear plastic. He hears none of the chatting, music, or other sounds in the room.

McConnell adjusts the angle of the panel to reflect illuminated streaming red letters on the back wall. This is reflective captioning, a theater-based accommodation for guests with hearing impairments. The text on the clear panel offers an unobstructed view, even for attractions with three dimensional images. The lights dim, the curtains breeze open, and McConnell and Gienow sit back in the plush seats to enjoy the show.

McConnell recalls childhood visits before these devices were in place. "I had visited Disney when audio-animatronic figures were robots flapping their gums and I felt like I was watching shows with things happening for no reason," he explained. "Interpreters can't follow you around the park everywhere. I can't imagine having an American Sign Language Interpreter on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride!"

Gienow, who is pursuing a Master's Degree in American Deaf Cultural History, was impressed with Disney cast members' skill and familiarity with accommodations, "We've visited movie theatres at home and asked for the plexi-glass stands for the RWC, and often the staff has no idea what we're talking about," she said. "That was never the case with Disney."

And when McConnell and Gienow visited Disney's guest services office to request the new Disney Handheld Device, a tablet of paper and a pen were already set up so that McConnell could communicate with the staff in writing. "That Disney would recognize the frustration and the lack of independence many deaf individuals face on a day-to-day basis, when something as simple as a piece of paper and a pen can totally eradicate these challenges, was huge for us!"

Before visiting Disney with McConnell, Gienow recalled Disney as a little girl and the songs and silly scripts connected to the attractions. "I was curious how this experience would translate for us," she said. "I can unequivocally say that the Disney experience I remembered as a little girl was mirrored well in the technology that Patrick was using, from the silly dialogue on the rides to the enchanting lyrics. For the most part the technology was able to deliver it all."

Gienow and McConnell consistently experience the world in different ways, which they feel is a unique blessing. "We're happy to celebrate our differences as a Deaf/Hearing couple," Gienow explained. "But it was nice to have some of those differences minimized while we were enjoying our vacation together.

"To be able to laugh and enjoy something in synch is not something we often get to experience together," she added. "Patrick is always at the mercy of my interpreting, which can lag or lack some of the subtleties of day-to-day experiences. As Patrick's traveling companion and his life partner, taking a break from acting as his interpreter was refreshing for me."

McConnell and Gienow already have their next Disney trip planned-their honeymoon this December. "Our parents, siblings, and surviving grand-parents will be coming with us," shared Gienow. "Disney is a really good place for us to embrace our togetherness. It's the perfect place to celebrate starting out our lives together because it makes unity so possible for us. With Disney's commitment to accessibility, we can enjoy it on all the same levels."

Sandra Bostwick, MA, OTR/L is a private practice OT with Creative Learning Studios, LLC in Morris Plains, NJ and a school-based OT at The Calais School. She is an adjunct professor at County College of Morris, specializing in learning strategies and writing skills for college students with learning disabilities. She co-moderates an online travel resource for special needs at http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/vacationing-your-way-your-special-needs/ and enjoys freelance writing.  She can be reached at sbostwicktherapy@yahoo.com. A collection of her articles can be found at http://sandrabostwick.wordpress.com/ .

To learn more about the new handheld device, click here!