On Saturday, my friend and I went to Disneyland to see the 60 year Diamond Celebration they were having. Of course, we decided to go on probably one of the hottest days that Los Angeles/Orange County has had in a while. It was almost 100 degrees, but we were determined to not let that stop us from having fun.
I decided that I was going to forgo a wheelchair or scooter and walk the entire day. When I told other friends or my family about it they were skeptical but supportive, which I will say that I completed successfully 14 hours and almost 8 miles later. I was so tired and sore by the end of it and the next day, but it was so worth it.
There are days when I really love being disabled and will pull the disability card and anytime I go to Disneyland that is one of them. Because of that, I get to skip the lines, get a time to come back (which is usually about 20 minutes) and be first in line to get on the rides.
However, there is also a downside to this as well. It seems like some people will see the walker and see my physical limitations and assume that I must have some mental limitations as well. Words cannot describe how much this upsets me. Let alone people thinking my friend was my mother because they don’t think that I can take care of myself. I know I look young for my age, but that does not mean that I can’t take care of myself and have some normal fun with friends. Normal is boring anyways.
Even though all that happened, my friend and had a blast going on the Radiator Springs ride, California Screamin’ (which gives me anxiety every time I go on it because of the loop lol), Soarin’ Over California, and The Little Mermaid ride. My favorites were the ones that were indoors because of the air conditioned rides.
After that we headed over to Disneyland and had lunch at Cafe Orleans. Their food is so good! I didn’t realize how hungry I was because I ended up having not only my food, but some of my friends as well, and of course A LOT of water. After lunch, we hit up the Pirate of the Carribean ride, The Haunted Mansion, The Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, and Big Thunder Mountain. After all that was done, it was going on 9:00 and the park was getting ready for their big Paint the Night parade. This is when the night started to go downhill just a little.
First off, my friend and I wanted to go into Fantasyland, but were unable to because they closed everything off for the fireworks that were going to be happening right after the parade, so we ended up going to Main Street and did some shopping while that was going on. Second, it was so crowded and people kept running into me and my walker. I was getting so annoyed! I think everybody was feeling that way though especially with the weather and having it be a long day. This is where a security guard assumed that I was younger than I am, gave me stickers, and said that my friend was my mom. First of all, my friend is near my age, and does not look like she is in her 50’s at all and once again, I know I look young for my age, but that does not mean that I cannot take care of myself and if people actually got to know me they would see how intelligent I really am, as well as a sarcastic smart ass half the time.
We finally made it to Fantasyland after the fireworks and hit up the Snow White ride, Mr. Toads Wild Ride, and after waiting about an hour because people who were working the Peter Pan ride didn’t know how to communicate with one another, we finally headed off to Neverland.
It is tradition that every time my friend and I go to Disneyland we get ice cream afterwards, which we did. This is where my patience with people got even more thin. After we got the ice cream we were looking for a place to sit, and there were a couple of people taking over 2 tables with 4 seats each. They did not offer any of the other chairs to us (they were by themselves with no one else with them) and my friend and I ended up having to find seating outside, which was a struggle in itself. People were running into me as I was trying to steer my walker and hold my Coke float at the same time and no one asked if I needed any help. My friend couldn’t help me because her ice cream was melting and falling apart so much it was going down her leg. It just frustrates me how inconsiderate people can be sometimes.
While the Disneyland trip had some rough parts, I had a great time nonetheless, and I am glad that I went. I am especially proud of myself for walking 8 miles, and in the heat too! And yes, I drank a lot of water!
Stereotypically Able 