You can rent both wheelchairs and
ECVs (scooters) at each park. They are first-come first-served, and they cannot be reserved ahead of time. If he
must have a
scooter or wheelchair, you should rent from an off-site company. You can find companies listed in the FAQs at the top of the page.
Renting off-site is the only way to guarantee ECV or wheelchair availability. It is also
much less expensive, especially if you are renting for a week. They often have last-minute availability, so you can call today to rent one. You can ask the rental company if they have a crutches holder they can attach to the wheelchair or ECV.
I suggest renting an ECV, which will allow him independence and keep other members of the family from having to push the wheelchair all day. All ECVs rented by the off-site companies fit on the buses, and many can be taken apart to fit in the trunk of rental cars. Once he parks it one a bus, he transfers to a regular seat while the ECV is strapped down.
Off-site rental ECVs are generally smaller and easier to drive, as well as being available at the resorts, water parks, and DTD. The last time I stayed in a Disney resort, it was a mile round-trip walk to the pool, and a half-mile of walking to get to the food court.
If he has difficulty with awareness, attentiveness, or reflexes (I am unsure of the age of the person we are talking about), or vision, then he should probably use a wheelchair and have someone push him. You have to be constantly aware when driving an ECV, moreso than when walking. Still, most people prefer the independence of an ECV to a wheelchair.
An ECV or wheelchair will fit in any hotel room - no need to request a special room, so long as he can step into a tub. You can request a shower chair, if he needs to sit in the shower, at any hotel.
He can take the ECV into almost every queue in the park. There are a few in MK that are not accessible, and your party will be directed to the accessible entrance.
As someone else suggested, there are also Knee Walkers, which are essentially a scooter that sits under the knee of the broken foot, and the person "scoots" that leg along, walking with the other. These are small, light weight, and have no electric or power components.
You said he needed an Electric Wheelchair. I assume you meant an ECV. An ECV is what you see in Target or grocery stores - the seat that is driven with a tiller in front, like a bicycle. Speed is usually pre-set to a desired level, and then a button/lever on the tiller is pushed with the hand/thumb to accelerate. To stop, simply stop pushing the lever. There are a variety of sizes available, depending on the weight of the person using it. They come is 3 and 4 wheel varieties. 3-wheel ECVs have a smaller turning radius. 4-wheel ECVs provide a little better side-to-side balance and feel a little steadier.
An Electric Wheelchair is a seat with a joystick attached usually to an armrest. A person controls direction, speed, accelerations, and stopping all with the joystick. It is not as easy to drive as an ECV, and they are not usually available for rental unless the person has one at home and does not want to travel with it. They generally do not come apart, weigh more (mine is over 300 lbs) and require special vehicle modifications to transport. Orlando rental companies usually only will rent one to a person who has one at home. When I rented one, they asked what model I had at home, to make sure it was a powerchair and not an ECV.
So, I suggest you call one of the companies listed above and rent an ECV. lf you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask!
The thing now sits plugged in, in our spare bedroom. It moves so much quicker, is so much more sensitive, and turns so sharply that she's terrified of it. We too have a few dents in our walls from when she was trying to learn to drive it.
