A Message to the Manhattan Moms Who See My Special Needs Child as a Disney Fast Pass

(If you are new to our journey, click here to read my Lila’s birth story and be sure to check in on the beautiful and amazing life that has followed so far. Regardless of the sarcastic rant that follows, we are truly blessed!)

Dear poor, sad Manhattan mother who couldn’t bring herself to wait in line with the masses,

Navigating the exclusive and over-the-top world of New York City preschools and play dates must be too much to handle. Managing your household of nannies and maids and dog walkers along with your social calendar probably really gets you down by the end of the day. So why wouldn’t you want to hire a disabled tour guide to help you zip past the long lines at the happiest place on Earth?

Click here to read the New York Post’s Report on the Rich Manhattan moms who hire handicapped tour guides so kids can cut lines at Disney World.

The truth is, why should you wait? Why should families like ours be afforded any perks at an amusement park that draws thousands of people a day?

(Disney gives these passes to families who include someone with special needs whether they are in a wheelchair or not. This way, you don’t have to tackle a 2-hour wait and multiple turn styles with a wheelchair or a child that has to work a little harder to wait without having a meltdown. Apparently these moms went through an underground service to “rent” the company of a special needs guide, so they could sashay to the special entrance too. Now let’s hope Disney doesn’t make it more difficult for those who really need it to get this accommodation because of the deplorable actions of those who want to abuse the system.)

To those entitled mothers, if you’d really like to enjoy the benefits that Disney affords special needs families, you should be sure to get the whole experience. Why not truly walk in our shoes for a couple of hours or even a day? While you are getting your nails done, we’ve had two therapy appointments and tried to squeeze in any semblance of a nap on the ride from one place to another so the second appointment isn’t a total waste. While you’re eating lunch at 5-star restaurants that take reservations, we are using 5 different therapeutic spoons to try and get our children to eat at least a few bites of age-appropriate, healthy food. Then we get to clean up the evidence of the first four failed attempts. During your afternoon Pilates class, we’ve waited in the doctor’s waiting room for an hour, gone over our insurance information twice while signing a new HIPAA form, waited again in the specialist’s office and listened to our children wail while they have blood drawn for the third time that month. While you are chatting with your girlfriends on the phone, we make three phone calls to three different therapists and case workers who help hold the key to walking sooner, speaking more clearly or filling out the latest round of state paperwork. During your long, relaxing bubble bath, we fall into bed exhausted and worried about what struggle we’ll encounter tomorrow.

So really, any small benefit that might make a vacation a little easier on us, should be afforded to you too, right? Our lives are pretty similar when you break it down. But I do have to say that I would like to thank you. You remind me that I’d rather work hard for a child seen as special, than live a life that is anything but. I’d rather fight for her than walk down Easy Street with you.

I hope you enjoy “It’s a Small World.”

Sincerely,

A Mother to the most deserving little girl on Earth

(In the real world I know everyone has their own struggles, but this just burned my buttons!)