Question about accesibility to rides

[Annam26]

I have been reading guides about accesibility to the rides, but I find that those which describe that "Guests have to transfer from whheelchair/ECV to the ride" aren't very explanatory.

For example, they say that you must transfer from wheelchair to ride for Maelstom. But on a another place I read that you must climb a couple of stairs to the ride. To me and those who can't walk at all this makes it "ambulatory"

I wish the guide on Disney's site would point out which rides had stairs to get to them.

I was at Epcot once for a day, and I had no problem riding Test Track. I also could get to Spaceship Earth (This one with my sister's help).

Could any one who has been to the parks plese tell me if there are many rides with steps?

Or wich require you to walk (even if it's a little bit?)

Also, even if I'm to old to do so, I'd love to ride Dumbo and the Tea Cups (just because I used to see them on TV all the time when I was little). How accesible are they?

And someone said that Space mountain (another one from childhood memories) was unaccesible for someone in a wheelchair.

I know that there are to many rides to list here, but any tip or personal experience anyone could share would be very appreciated.

[Talking Hands]

[/U]First we would need to know how far you could walk if at all. Can you transfer from the wheelchair if it can be brought to the ride vehicle? Can you stand and step down? Will you have someone to help you transfer?
MK
DUMBO - must be able to walk from entrance to ride vehicle and step in
TEACUPS - unsure, haven't ridden in a long time
SMALL WORLD - can stay in wheelchair, accessible boat
POOH - has a wheelchaiur accessible vehicle. Must transfer to a manual wheelchair if in an ECV but they normally allow my to stay in my electric wheelchair through the line and then I transfer to the ride vehicle.
PETER PAN - must be able to walk a few steps to get on. They do not stop the moving walkway on this one.
SNOW WHITE can bring wheelchair up to ride vehicle to transfer if necessary
HAUNTED MANSION will stop and allow you to bring wheelchair up to vehicle and transfer. You must tell them that you need this. They do not offer.
PIRATES must transfer to manual wheelchair and must be able to step down into the boat.
SLASH MOUNTAIN must be able to step into log
BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN must be able to step into ride vehicle
BUZZ LIGHTYEAR has a wheelchair accessible vehicle
TRANSIT AUTHORITY must be able to go up moving ramp and enter ride
SPACE MOUNTAIN must be able to step into ride. bucket seats below where you are standing
All shows are accessible

[Talking Hands]

MGM
TOWER OF TERROR manual chair and must be able to take a few steps into elevator
ROCK AND ROLLER COASTER manual wheelchair and transfer to vehicle
BACKSTAGE TOURwheelchair accessibe
STAR TOURS can bring wheelchair up to seat and you stand and transfer and then will bring chair back to you at the end on other side if you can walk or to the same side if you cannot. Pls let them know you need it brought back to you.
GREAT MOVIE RIDEwheelcahir accessible
All shows are accessible.

[Talking Hands]

EPCOT
SPACESHIP EARTH will bring wheelcahir up to ride vehicle and then you need to stand and transfer to vehicle
UNIVERSE OF ENERGY ELLEN RIDE wheelchair accessible
SOARINGtransfer to ride vehicle (not tried myself yet)
LISTEN TO THE LAND wheelchair accessible
IMAGINATION wheelcahir accessible
TEST TRACKmust transfer to vehicle.
LIVING SEAS completely accessible
MEXICO RIDE wheelchair boat
MAELSTROM must be able to step onto boat. Is a big step to get out. Will bring your wheelchair to you.
all shows are accessible

[Talking Hands]

ANIMAL KINGDOM
KALI RAPIDS must step down in to the ride from a stopped
SAFARI wheelchair accessible
DINOSAUR haven't ridden. my kids forbid me to ride it.
PRIMEVIL WHIRL haven't tried

All show are accessible

Remember that castmembers may not assist you on and off rides so if you need help transferring you will need an able bodied companion.

[SueM in MN]

[/U]TEACUPS - unsure, haven't ridden in a long time
I don't have time tonight to write much except to add to what Talking Hands wrote.
This is my daughter's experience, you have to be able to park your wheelchair outside the ride at the exit and walk (or in her case, be half carried) to the teacup. You are competing for teacups with ambulatory people getting in at the regular entrance. So, you might get almost all the way the a teacup and then someone else gets in. Also, when the ride stops, your teacup may not be close to the exit where your wheelchair is.
TRANSIT AUTHORITY must be able to go up moving ramp and enter ride
It's a steep ramp that goes up to a second floor level. When you leave, you have to go down the same ramp to get back to ground level.

There are not any rides that actually have what you would think of as steps or stairs. There are some rides where you have to step down into a boat. I think that might be what the other site was talking about when they talked about climbing steps.
Maestrom involves stepping down into a boat.

[BillSears]

Annam26,

I'm not sure what your situation is but I can give you my point of view on some of these rides. As a point of reference for you I'm a T8 paraplegic, I have no feeling or us of anything from my ribcage down. I'm 46 and have been using a chair for 28 years now.

Talking Hands has given an excellent breakdown of the rides from her perspective. I agree with most of them but I'll toss in a few differences for if you cannot walk but are good at transfers.

TEACUPS - I haven't riden this since the late 90s but at that time they would allow you to enter in via the exit with your wheelchair. I could then do a MAJOR transfer into the cup, partially dragging myself into the cup. Then when the ride stopped you had to position the chair as close to the teacup exit/entrance and if you were lucky the chair could get close enough to do another major trasfer back in. Otherwise you might have the apperatus for the ride blocking the opening and you'll have to drag yourself around the "saucer" for the teacup back to your chair. This ride is a major effort for me to get on and off of but it can be done.


PIRATES - As Talking Hands explains you will have to use a manual wheelchair to even get to the boat. But you don't really have to step down into it. You can trasfer/flop down onto the floor then slide yourself over the lip of the boat and board. Then at the exit you will have to transfer/pull yourself up about a steps worth of height to leave the boat, then the hard part you will have to transfer from the floor to the chair. Again alot of effort but I love Pirates so I do it every time I visit WDW. I do schedule this ride at the beginning of the day so I'm not worn out.

SLASH MOUNTAIN and SPACE MOUNTAIN are the same as Pirates in that you need to do the whole transfer down to a level that is at the floor then transfer back up to your chair at the end. I often will skip these but I still do them every now and then....I must be getting old cause when I was in my early 20s I never passed them up. :)

BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN - This is actually one of the easier transfers to do. Probably about the equivelent of transfering into the back seat of a compact car. As long as I have someone hold the Wheelchair steady I can do this one easily. Again no walking is involved if you're good at transfering.

DUMBO - I've never riden this. I've very surprised that you can't take a wheelchair up to the ride to do a transfer. I suspect you can but it may be decided by on a case by case basis. I know I have never been told that I couldn't take my wheelchair up to any ride vehicle at WDW and I've even managed the Carousel in my early 20s.(that was one heck of a transfer onto the horses back)

PETER PAN - I've riden this one before and I do not recommend it if you have to transfer. The CM stationed there encouraged me to try it even though I was hesitent. They told me they could slow the walkway down and that would give me plenty of time to transfer. Well just as we were getting ready to do it a woman exiting the ride walked right into the railing at the end of the moving walkway and they hit the panic button to stop the ride. As they did this we rushed on before the ride started. Getting off is easier and faster so I was able to make that transfer to leave but it was closer then I'd like.

I'll explain more in my next post.

[BillSears]

EPCOT, again just telling of my experiences on these rides in areas that differ from Talking Hands.

SPACESHIP EARTH - This is a tougher transfer then Big Thunder Mountain but it's doable. The hardest part for this one was getting my hips through the narrowopening and I think they may have widend it in recent years. Maybe it's as tough as transfering into a minivan.

TEST TRACK - This is about as easy as transfering into a normal car. Just request that you board at the special area for wheelchair guests and they will bring a car over to you at just about perfect height.

MAELSTROM - Another one of those down to the floor, into the boat back on the floor then transfer to your chair type of rides. It's not usually worth it to me but I've done it a couple of times.

MISSION SPACE - A little easier then Spaceship Earth and harder then Test Track. There is alot to grab onto when transfering in and out of this one and the seat is not too high up.

Body Wars(This also applies to Star Tours) - An easy transfer. If you can transfer from your chair into another chair sittiing right next to you then this should be a breeze.

I haven't riden Soarin yet so don't know.

The rest of EPCOT is easy.

[BillSears]

MGM-

TOWER OF TERROR - You can now transfer to this ride. The opening for the elevator used to be too narrow for my wheelchair to get close to the seat. This used to mean I had to drag myself to the ride then off the ride and transfer from the floor to the chair. On my last trip I was pleasently surprised to find out they had widened the opening and now I could take the chair right up to the seat and transfer. I mentioned this to a CM and he gave me the impression that they actually did this for wheelchair access.

STAR TOURS - Again it's just a transfer from one seat to another. You don't have to stand up if you can do a transfer.

ROCK N ROLLER COASTER - A transfer about as hard as Big Thunder Mountain. So about the same as the back seat of a compact car. :)


ANIMAL KINGDOM
KALI RAPIDS - Never done it because I hate sitting all day long in wet pants. ;)

DINOSAUR - I've riden this once but I can't remember how hard it was. Probably pretty easy since it didn't stick in my mind.

PRIMEVIL WHIRL - Not too hard at all. I think they pulled a car off to the side for me and I made the transfer as easily as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.


Have a great trip and if you have any specific questions just ask. I'm sure someone here has the answers. These people are great.

[Annam26]

This is so helpful, thank you all for the information! I use a manual wheelchair. I can't stand, but I can use of my arms and upper body.







Have a great trip and if you have any specific questions just ask. I'm sure someone here has the answers. These people are great.

WORD, Bill. :)

[NewEnglandDisney]

Best thread ever. Bumping it up because of VERY useful info!

N.E.D.

[Andrew Bichard]

BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN
TEST TRACK
TOWER OF TERROR
STAR TOURS
ROCK N ROLLER COASTER - A transfer about as hard as Big Thunder Mountain. So about the same as the back seat of a compact car. :)


Bill, you have convinced me to try some rides I haven'r ridden for years - since before I was using a wheelchair. I cannot stand up from sitting in my wheelchair easily and have little upper bodys strength so have difficulty pulling myself up.

I might just about be able to use a sliding board if the ride seat is around wheelchair height with an unobstructed opening. From memory, some of the rides you mention such as Test Track and Rock n Roller Coaster, the ride seat was much lower. I would be able to get in - but not out.

Have they improved access to these rides?

Andrew

[SueM in MN]

From memory, some of the rides you mention such as Test Track and Rock n Roller Coaster, the ride seat was much lower. I would be able to get in - but not out.

Have they improved access to these rides?

Andrew
Test Track seems to me to be about the height of the side of a bathtub. You have to get over the side and the seat is a bit lower than that. They do have a wheelchair load point (which you might already know about). The regular load point has the car below the level of where the riders are waiting, so it is a step down to the seat and another step down to the floor of the car. The alternate load area is at the "seat belt" check point and the track is at floor level there, so the car is up. They also have a grab bar that can be installed on request. Probably not a help getting out, but it was for getting DD in. The wheelchair is left at that point and you unload at the same place.
At the very least, you should be able to go to that area and "eyeball" a car so that you can judge whether you are able to get in and out.

I have not been to Rock 'n Roller Coasters (that sounded like one that would make me sick!). Does anyone know if they still have a "trial" car there for people who want to see whether or not they could get in and out, or a new car for people with disabilities?

[BillSears]

Andrew,

Have they improved access to these rides?
I don't think they have changed it for Rock and Roller but Test Track has a special boarding area that makes it easier and I do think the seat was at about a normal car seat height.

I hope it works out great for you. It's tough to try new things especially when it might involve disapointment. But you never really know until you try.

I do have a fair amount of upper body strength so our situations are abit different. Sue's explaination of it being equal to getting in and out of a tub might be the best way of looking at it.

For me the transfers for all of the coaster types involve a multi step proccess. I remove my footrests. Bring the chair straight in so the front of the chair is touching the side of the ride vehicle. Then I lift my legs over the side of the car. Then I slide forward so I'm sitting on the edge of the ride vehicle. Then it's an easy slide down into the seat. To get out I have my daughter bring the chair up to the side of the car. For me the chair must be facing the side of the car, not at any angle at all but straight in. I lift myself up to the edge of the car using whatever is handy to grab hold of, most rides have lots of solid railings. Then I reach behind me and slide myself back into the chair.

One thing I've noticed is on most of the coaster rides is that the seat is lower then your wheelchair but the side of the car is usually very close to the seat height of my wheelchair. So the transfer to the side then into my chair works well for me. The Rock and Roller coaster actually had a door on the car that would open up. I requested that they keep the door closed for me since the top of the door height was a much easier place to transfer in and out of.

Tower of Terror and Star Tours hopefully will be easy for you. The seats on them are very close to the height of my wheelchair seat. So they are fairly easy transfers. From what Ive heard I think Soarin is a similar transfer. I'll be trying it out this November. :)

[BillSears]

I have not been to Rock 'n Roller Coasters (that sounded like one that would make me sick!). Does anyone know if they still have a "trial" car there for people who want to see whether or not they could get in and out, or a new car for people with disabilities?

I think they do have a trial car. But from what I remeber the car is not at the same height as the actual ride. I vaguely remember that it was higher then the normal car. To me transfering up to the side then down to the seat would have been much harder then the real ride which had the side of the car at about wheelchair seat level.

[SueM in MN]

I think they do have a trial car. But from what I remeber the car is not at the same height as the actual ride. I vaguely remember that it was higher then the normal car. To me transfering up to the side then down to the seat would have been much harder then the real ride which had the side of the car at about wheelchair seat level.
I wonder if the difference might be that the trial car is sitting on the floor, as opposed to the real car which is sitting on a track that is built into the floor. It could be a minimal difference (like 6 inches) that would not make much difference to some people, but would be the difference between making a transfer or not to some people needing to transfer out of wheelchairs.

Your explanation of your transfer technique brought up a good point.
You may have to plan your strategy for getting in and out. If it's a new ride to you, your abilities changed or you got new equipment and you think it would be useful for you to watch people for a while, tell the CM that so they don't prepare to load you right away. Also, if the ride is a continous load ride and you need to stop or slow it, ask the CM if that is possible. If it's not, ask how long you have to transfer (I've heard on Rock 'N Roller Coaster you have 30 seconds).

[zaksmom]

Helped my son onto Soarin' several times. It was pretty easy. You can bring your wheelchair right up to the seats. They are about equal height as his wheelchair seat. With the wheelchair at an angle, it was very easy to pivot him into the ride seat. The seat has an extra belt that can go between the legs -- required for young children -- but worked great for my 21 year old son. Even though the chair was very supportive and he didn't slide, he felt more comfortable knowing he couldn't slide out. The right was smooth and they allowed us to be the first in the row going in so we had more time to load. Have fun!

[SueM in MN]

Here are some pictures of Soarin (http://www.wdwinfo.com/press-event/photos/soarin/index.htm#pictures) from www.wdwinfo.com. One of them shows a good picture of the "glider".

Deb Will's site also has some very good pictures (http://allearsnet.com/tp/ep/e_soar2.htm) that show the boarding area even better.

[4greatboys]

Lots of great info!! Thanks Bill!

[diswheels]

Hi! I am confused about the access to Universe of Energy. I have a motorised chair, but I am able to tranfer into the ride vechile. Do to this new rule about motorised wheelchairs on the ride, I am not sure if they will let me transfer.

Ashley

[Welivefordisney]

My son has been granted a wish from the Sunshine foundation and we are heading to Disneyland in October 2006. He is in a wheelchair and I have some concerns about his ability to ride many of the rides. He is six years old and in a wheelchair (he has no feeling from his hips down). Have you ever been to disneyland or have any information about transferring onto the rides? Specifically, do any of these rides hurt you in any way?

[SueM in MN]

Have you ever been to disneyland or have any information about transferring onto the rides? Specifically, do any of these rides hurt you in any way?
Could you be a bit more specific about what you mean? I'm not sure what you mean by "hurt". Do you mean are the rides rough and move around or are you asking about the type of seat?
Thanks, that would help a lot.

[SueM in MN]

My son has been granted a wish from the Sunshine foundation and we are heading to Disneyland in October 2006. He is in a wheelchair and I have some concerns about his ability to ride many of the rides. He is six years old and in a wheelchair (he has no feeling from his hips down). Have you ever been to disneyland or have any information about transferring onto the rides? Specifically, do any of these rides hurt you in any way?
Here's a link to the Disneyland Guest Services webpage for guests with mobility disabilities. (http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/help/gsDetail?name=MobilityDisabilityGSDetailPage) It includes a list of attractions that are wheelchair accessible where he would be able to stay in his wheelchair for the entire attraction, those where you have to transfer to a ride car (but could bring the wheelchair close to the ride car) and those that you need to be ambulatory for.
If you click on each attraction, you will get a link to a description of that attraction and how you access the attraction.
Here's a link to the height requirement for different attractions. (http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/help/gsDetail?name=HeightRequirementsGSDetailPage) In our experience at WDW, they will ask you how tall your child is if he can't stand and will take your word for his height if he looks tall enough. I would imagine they would do the same at DL.

[Welivefordisney]

I am trying to figure out a way to explain this.... Since my son does not have the use of his legs, are there any rides that should be avoided for fear that he might not be able to hold on. I still am not sure if I am explaining myself.... sorry about that

[BillSears]

I am trying to figure out a way to explain this.... Since my son does not have the use of his legs, are there any rides that should be avoided for fear that he might not be able to hold on. I still am not sure if I am explaining myself.... sorry about that


I can't speak for your son but I have no use/feeling from the bottom of my ribcage on down. I've always felt safe on all rides at WDW. Keep in mind I'm an adult with very good arm strength though.

[SueM in MN]

I am trying to figure out a way to explain this.... Since my son does not have the use of his legs, are there any rides that should be avoided for fear that he might not be able to hold on. I still am not sure if I am explaining myself.... sorry about that
I think a lot depends on his balance and upper body strength.
We have not been to DisneyLAND with our DD, but she has been on some pretty wild rides at WDW. She has cerebral palsy and has trouble with sitting when she gets exited. The only one she had a problem with at WDW was Primeval Whirl, where you are on a roller coaster that also spins at the same time. She could not brace herself with her legs and ended up almost slipping out.

[CDoobee]

Hi! I am confused about the access to Universe of Energy. I have a motorised chair, but I am able to tranfer into the ride vechile. Do to this new rule about motorised wheelchairs on the ride, I am not sure if they will let me transfer.

Ashley

What is this about? Is there somewhere I could read about it? My DD33 recently passed away (in May). She had Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bones) and was very tiny. She used a motorized wheelchair and for obvious reasons didn't go on any type of rough ride. She couldn't even ride PoTC due to the drop, or the safari at AK, due to the roughness.She was able to go on some rides using her motorized chair, even when the guide book stated she would need to transfer to a manual chair. I know she stayed in her chair for Universe of Energy, when did this change?

The CMs even tried to get her on a wheelchair accessible carpet at Aladdin's Carpet Ride (don't know the exact name as we always call it Madden's Alaggic Carpet Ride) :rotfl: at MK, but unfortunately, her chair was just a tiny bit too big for them to be able to close the door. :sad:

She had a problem with the CMs not letting her in Alien Encounter (this was on her last trip in 2003), even though she had done it several times in the past. There was a section in the back for wheelchairs and she would just back up there and pull the shoulder thing down as far as it would go, even though it was too high for her to hear everything. But this time they wouldn't let her. :furious:

[amycishere]

Do you know if they are strict about the manual chair rule? I have a small electric chair and my sister to help me transfer. I REALLY want to do some of these that say manual chair. I am very tiny. Can I ask my concierge planner to find out about it?

Edit: After seeing all these replies it seems as though they are flexible which makes me feel better!

[kaytieeldr]

Welivefordisney: Let me try to remember (I've only been to Disneyland once, but...) first, as others have pointed out, as long as your son can hold on with his hands where necessary, he should be fine. Note that Mulholland Madness at California Adventure is very similar to Primeval Whirl. Space Mountain is great - instead of three-person vehicles those each seat between eight and twelve people (it doesn't vary, I just forget). But what makes it great is that they can move a ride vehicle off-line, aka off the track - so there's no time restriction on boarding. Also, while it turns out I didn't need it, I was told the same could be done on the Matterhorn.
Note that while, just as at Walt Disney World, as many ride queues as possible are wheelchair accessible, the ones in FantasyLand generally aren't. Just look for the wheelchair symbol with an arrow sending you in the right direction, or ask any CM.

amycishere: It's not actually a matter of being strict or not - it depends whether your chair will fit in the space allotted. I know at Ellen's Energy Adventure, the wheelchair Guest can roll up a ramp right into the ride vehicle. A wheelchair will fit; an ECV won't; a power chair may or may not, depending on its size.


eta - couple of attractions I didn't notice mentioned.
ºOº Splash Mountain does have stairs to get to the loading area BUT also has a wheelchair 'diversion'. Follow the path with everyone else until you come to a gate with the wheelchair symbol and a CM.
ºOº Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse is entirely NOT wheelchair accessible. There are many, many stairs.
ºOº Jungle Cruise requires two big steps down, onto the seat then the floor, and the reverse. However, there IS one boat that it wheelchair accessible - the Guest remains in the WC/ECV and boards via a temporary ramp.

[amycishere]

Ok, thanks so much, maybe I could fit both manual and electric chairs in the van, or maybe my sister could carry me part way in the attraction so my chair wouldn't be an issue? Could I call with the dimensions of my chair? I am DETERMINED to make this work LOL.

[SueM in MN]

Ok, thanks so much, maybe I could fit both manual and electric chairs in the van, or maybe my sister could carry me part way in the attraction so my chair wouldn't be an issue? Could I call with the dimensions of my chair? I am DETERMINED to make this work LOL.
Calling with the dimensions of your chair would not do any good because WDW doesn't really have anything/anyone that information would mean anything to.
For most attractions where a transfer is needed, you can pull the wheelchair very close to the ride car (often even touching the ride car). Most times, where it talks about steps to get into a ride car, it's not steps like stairs, it's steps similar to lifting your feet over the side of a car or tub.
My DD can't stand up by herself, but over the years, she has ridden almost everything at WDW except for the roller coasters. For the attractions that require a transfer, we either lift her in or so a stand and pivot.

There are a couple of threads that will help you in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713) They are in post number 3 of that thread and are sort of 'highlighted' as travel with a power wheelchair.

Are there specific attractions you are interested in that we can help you with?

[allie_to_you]

My DH is in a wheelchair and the only way he can transfer is to bring his wheelchair right up beside (parallel) with whatever he is transfering too (i.e. the car, bed, etc.). For rides like BTMR and Spaceship Earth, is the door wide enough so that he could just do a sideways transfer?

I think that with Soarin, if they let us go in a give us a couple minutes, I could help my DH transfer to that.

I know he can't do any kind of transfer where he has to lift himself up and over and then back up and out and I'm not strong enough for that kind of assistance for him.

We've been to Disney twice together and while there are a lot of things we do get to do together, I wish there were a few more things I could help him do so he doesn't have to miss out.

[SueM in MN]

My DH is in a wheelchair and the only way he can transfer is to bring his wheelchair right up beside (parallel) with whatever he is transfering too (i.e. the car, bed, etc.). For rides like BTMR and Spaceship Earth, is the door wide enough so that he could just do a sideways transfer?
Spaceship Earth is being renovated right now, so the ride car might change when it re-opens. The cars had a fairly narrow opening and it did not open wide enough to do a parallel slide onto the seat.
We can't take DD onto BTMRR, so I don't know if they have a ride car with a wider opening. There are a number of DIS posters who have paraplegia who have ridden it and can give a better answer.
I think that with Soarin, if they let us go in a give us a couple minutes, I could help my DH transfer to that.
Soarin is in a big room with sets of seats in rows. You wait in the 'preshow' area, separated out into rows to correspond with the rows/seats in the theater. During the preshow, you will see people filing into the seats, sitting down and fastening their seat belts. That should help you a bit with planning.
You enter the theater in lines and are led to your row by the CM. The rows are at least 6 feet apart, so you have a lot of room in front of the seat to manouver the wheelchair however it works best for you. There should be plenty of time. The CM for each section does not give the 'all clear' for the attraction to begin until everyone in that section is safely seated with seatbelt fastened.

[BillSears]

My DH is in a wheelchair and the only way he can transfer is to bring his wheelchair right up beside (parallel) with whatever he is transfering too (i.e. the car, bed, etc.). For rides like BTMR and Spaceship Earth, is the door wide enough so that he could just do a sideways transfer?

I think that with Soarin, if they let us go in a give us a couple minutes, I could help my DH transfer to that.

I know he can't do any kind of transfer where he has to lift himself up and over and then back up and out and I'm not strong enough for that kind of assistance for him.

Spaceship Earth is being renovated right now, so the ride car might change when it re-opens. The cars had a fairly narrow opening and it did not open wide enough to do a parallel slide onto the seat.

I spoke to a CM at the exit last month about this. She seemed very knowledgeable about the rehab and even knew about how hard a transfer Spaceship Earth is because of how narrow the opening is. She said that there were no plans to change the opening of the car, not even changing one of the cars to make it easer. :mad: She said that they had wanted to do this but Seiman's the people sponsoring the update didn't want to spend the extra to update the cars.

BTMR does have a special car with a wider opening but it does require dropping down about 6 inches to get to the seat. Here's a picture of it. I do a 2 step transfer. First from the chair to the pad on the side of the car then slide down to the actual seat.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2/BillSears/Picture039.jpg

If you're up for a bit rougher roller coaster that's still not too rough Expedition Everest is a very easy transfer. It involves a straight transfer to the side without ups and downs. I'm not sure how much time you have to transfer though but I'm guessing they have it worked out for people who take longer to do the transfer.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2/BillSears/Picture184.jpg

[SueM in MN]

I spoke to a CM at the exit last month about this. She seemed very knowledgeable about the rehab and even knew about how hard a transfer Spaceship Earth is because of how narrow the opening is. She said that there were no plans to change the opening of the car, not even changing one of the cars to make it easer. :mad: She said that they had wanted to do this but Seiman's the people sponsoring the update didn't want to spend the extra to update the cars.
Thanks, Bill.
As I understand the ADA, if they change the boarding or exit area, the ADA would require them to make reasonable efforts to make at least one ride car more accessible.
If they don't touch the boarding or exit, then the renovation is likely going to be considered "cosmetic" and they don't need to make any changes to the ride car.
It does seem like it would not be all that hard to redo a couple of cars to make a wider opening though, so I'm with you on the :mad:

[goingroundthebend]

hi kn ow old thread but cna anyone tell me how many of the childen rides are accesiable , ds cna mange a few steps but i can not but can self transfer and throw myself about a bit if needs

[SueM in MN]

hi kn ow old thread but cna anyone tell me how many of the childen rides are accesiable , ds cna mange a few steps but i can not but can self transfer and throw myself about a bit if needs
That’s OK. It does have some very good pictures, although some things have changed since this thread began.

For more information, you can look on the disABILITIES FAQs thread, which is located near the top of the thread list for this board. You can also get there by following the link in my signature.
On page 2 of that thread, there are several posts about access for the rides in the individual parks. I think it is posts 18-22. Those posts will tell you which attractions have a wheelchair accessible car, so won’t require a transfer at all. They also indicate which attractions require a transfer and whether it is a step down or not - sort of how difficult a transfer it is.

It would be helpful to have more information about which parks you are asking about. If you want to list the rides you are interested in, that would also be helpful since what one person calls a children’s ride may not be what someone else calls a children’s ride.
I do have pictures of the ride cars for most attractions at WDW - I don’t have all of them posted, but if I know which attractions you are interested in, I can post a picture or 2.

ALSO - it would helpful to know the age of your child because for some attractions, a small child may need help getting in. And, it would be helpful to know if it will be just you and the child or someone else who can assist you. For some of the ride cars, it is possible to get close and then sort of ‘throw yourself about a bit’ to get in, but gravity is helping with the getting in part and it will be harder getting out, especially if you have no one who can help you.

[kaytieeldr]

It isn't so.

Small World has a wheelchair-accessible boat. See the FAQ 'sticky' at the top of the list of threads on this board for more (tons more) information!



eta: the boards are acting up again. I'm answering the post after mine :confused3

[SueM in MN]

When we last visited WDW in 2005, my son-in-law was able to wheel aboard one of the boats at "It's A Small World". (Transferring is out of the question without the use of a Hoyer lift - LOL). We're coming again in 2012, and the current list seems to indicate that a transfer is required for Small World. Please say it isn't so.

Joanna (from Ohio, but now in Virginia)

Small World is WHEELCHAIR accessible, but guests using ECVs may need to transfer.

[JoannaOhio]

When we last visited WDW in 2005, my son-in-law was able to wheel aboard one of the boats at "It's A Small World". (Transferring is out of the question without the use of a Hoyer lift - LOL). We're coming again in 2012, and the current list seems to indicate that a transfer is required for Small World. Please say it isn't so.

Joanna (from Ohio, but now in Virginia)

[caresy]

Last March I tried to ride Pirates at MK and the two CM's standing outside of the entrance said I could not bring my manual wheelchair into the queue, that I had to park it at stroller parking and walk the entire queue. Regardless of what else has been posted here and what is on the WDW site, this is what happened to me. I was shocked and disappointed. (I am hoping that my second spinal surgery scheduled for Feb 2012 will fix me up and I won't need a wheelchair anymore, I really love Pirates!!!):confused3

[peemagg]

Those CM's needed retraining, because if I as a ECV user, wants to ride Pirates, I have to transfer to one of their wheelchairs. If you run into that problem again, ask for a supervisor immediately.

[SueM in MN]

Last March I tried to ride Pirates at MK and the two CM's standing outside of the entrance said I could not bring my manual wheelchair into the queue, that I had to park it at stroller parking and walk the entire queue. Regardless of what else has been posted here and what is on the WDW site, this is what happened to me. I was shocked and disappointed. (I am hoping that my second spinal surgery scheduled for Feb 2012 will fix me up and I won't need a wheelchair anymore, I really love Pirates!!!):confused3

Those CM's needed retraining, because if I as a ECV user, wants to ride Pirates, I have to transfer to one of their wheelchairs. If you run into that problem again, ask for a supervisor immediately.
I have a feeling there may have been a misunderstanding.

Guests using ECvs need to transfer to an attraction wheelchair. Guests using their own wheelchair are also asked to transfer to an attraction wheelchair.
I don’t know why they did not offer the poster above one of the attraction wheelchairs, but it may have been a misunderstanding on the CMs part, thinking that the guest was OK with walking.
I know some guests have been confused and thought the CM wanted them to walk because it doesn’t make much sense to most guests to transfer from one manual wheelchair to another.
So, if you are asked to park the wheelchair, make it clear that you can’t walk in the line.

The reason they want guests to leave their personal wheelchair with the strollers is that it is difficult and time consuming to get a wheelchair from the boarding area to the unload area. The unload area is actually in a different building and one level down compared to the boarding area. If someone is using an attraction wheelchair, it doesn’t matter how long it takes to get that wheelchair to the unload area because there will be another attraction wheelchair waiting there that the guest can use to leave.

If a guest uses their own wheelchair to the boarding area, the CMs have to get that particular wheelchair to the unload area before the guest gets there. In the past, that has sometimes been a challenge and a few people have posted that they arrived at unload before their own wheelchair arrived.
That is why they want guests to park their wheelchairs with the strollers and use an attraction wheelchair if they can’t walk.

When we go to Pirates, the CMs do always ask us to park DD’s wheelchair and transfer her to an attraction wheelchair.
We explain that she can’t sit in one of the attraction wheelchairs and we have always been allowed to bring her wheelchair into line. It usually takes a call to make sure they have staff available to bring her wheelchair to unload. We were told once to come back at a certain time, but we usually only have to wait a few minutes or them to work it out. We have never been denied bringing her own wheelchair into the line.
Except for one time when a CM was wheeling it in when our boat arrived at the unload area, her own wheelchair has always been waiting for us when we arrived.