Inside Voice – The Self-Advocate’s Perspective
“A passion for travel” by Sheenagh Morrison
Sheenagh (right) shares a laugh with her friend Rhian at Disneyland.
My name is Sheenagh and I wanted to write about my last trip to Disneyland. I travelled there in January of this year to visit my friend who lives in Los Angeles.
Last August, I decided I wanted to see my friend. I hadn’t seen her in a long time and I missed her. She works at Disneyland.
So I started to think about what I would need to do to go down and visit her. I needed to make sure my passport was valid. I needed to decide how much money I would need to save. I needed to decide when I would go and for how long.
I bought my plane ticket and then I started to get excited.
On the day I left, I got to the airport and talked to the person who worked for the airline. I explained that I have a disability and would need some support. They were very helpful. They helped me fill out all the forms and also let me get on the plane early. That helps me to be less anxious.
When I got to Seattle, it took a bit more work to have a good experience. I had a five-hour wait for the plane and there was a breakdown in communication so I had to tell my story a few times before I got the support I needed. When I saw my friend in LA at the airport, I just ran to her and felt so relieved to be done flying.
We spent two days at Disneyland. I got in for free because my friend works there. We had lots of adventures there. I loved a ride called California Soaring. We got stuck on the gondola ride for 45 minutes. We just sat there looking down at the park and watching the sun set, not sure when the ride would start moving again. That was some experience!
I am planning another trip to Disneyland with my friend Amanda and our support worker. I really want to travel with her because she loves roller coasters and so do I. We want to go on all the big roller coasters in the park next time.
You could say that I am passionate about travelling. I have been to lots of places like New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, the Maritimes and San Francisco. I love to travel and am already planning my next trip. I love seeing new places, eating different kinds of food, meeting new people and seeing how they live and how it is different from my life.
Inside Voice is published in each issue of The Citizen. If you are interested in writing for this column, please call Chris Rae at 1-877-660-2522 or email editor@communitylivingbc.ca.
