12 yo boy with broken leg --using wheelchair advice about rides?

[poohfriend]

Family's first trip to Universal. What rides will we have to miss because of DS's newly broken ankle? He'll be in a cast. We are staying on-site and bringing our own wheelchair.

advice and tips on navigating the park and the lines?



any rides you find particulary "jerky" (like Goofy's Barnstormer at Toontown in Magic Kingdom)?

thanks for any help

 

[disneylove69]

Almost all the rides at IOA have some water involvment so if you are going to get on them bring plastic bagging. I would think Bluto's barge and some others have drops so it probably would not work because you tend to push down with your feet to hold on. Your best bet is to go to the parks website and get descriptions of the ride. There is child swap should you need it.

 

[Mikes:)Mom]

I'm sorry to hear about your son. I called universal and asked the same question (I broke my hand, but luckily I wont have a cast). They told me it was up to the operator, if I can ride the ride or not. They did mail me park info. You might want to call and get a special needs guide. Very useful! The only ride in the guide they suggest not riding was Hulk. Good Luck!

 

[macraven]

if he is going to do any of the coasters, the TM will more than likely have the leg with a brace/cast, be on the outside of the row.

when i wear my brace, i'm always placed with that leg next to the end of the row. i was told my brace leg, can't be next to another person's leg in order to avoid contact while on the ride.

almost all the ques are able to accomodate a wheelchair but not ECV.

the ones that have stairs, such as the hulk, there is an elevator.

 

[poohfriend]

if he is going to do any of the coasters, the TM will more than likely have the leg with a brace/cast, be on the outside of the row.

when i wear my brace, i'm always placed with that leg next to the end of the row. i was told my brace leg, can't be next to another person's leg in order to avoid contact while on the ride.

almost all the ques are able to accomodate a wheelchair but not ECV.

the ones that have stairs, such as the hulk, there is an elevator.

thanks everyone, I appreciate the feedback!

 

[NotAmused]

I did Universal with a broken ankle when I was younger and I didn't have any problems. I was able to ride everything I wanted to. I did have to hop and lean on my parents to get on/off some rides, but that was no biggie. Also bring a trash bag or some sort of plastic covering for water rides or incase it rains.

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

As for rides, he shouldnt be limited much if at all. I think the only thing I would skip would be the popeye ride as this is a total drenching.

I would recommend going to a local (or on-line) medical supply store and purchase a plastic foot cast cover. These are designed to go over a cast and prevent being exposed to water and have a tight snug fit above the cast. Using a trash bag and/or plastic wrap will be complicated and a daily event putting on and taking it off and may come off easily or be affected by movement through out the day. They sell exact sized air tight plastic covers for casts (hand, arm, ankle, leg) which is what I would recommend. They are not very expensive ($15-20) and will save you a ton of time and hastle in making sure it is covered completely.

 

[Wild4Walt]

I would think he may have a hard time with Dueling Dragons Roller Coaster at IOA. It's inverted so your feet dangle.

Other than that I would think he would be OK. Spiderman can be a bit jerky but not as bad as Barnstormers.

 

[macraven]

As for rides, he shouldnt be limited much if at all. I think the only thing I would skip would be the popeye ride as this is a total drenching.

I would recommend going to a local (or on-line) medical supply store and purchase a plastic foot cast cover. These are designed to go over a cast and prevent being exposed to water and have a tight snug fit above the cast. Using a trash bag and/or plastic wrap will be complicated and a daily event putting on and taking it off and may come off easily or be affected by movement through out the day. They sell exact sized air tight plastic covers for casts (hand, arm, ankle, leg) which is what I would recommend. They are not very expensive ($15-20) and will save you a ton of time and hastle in making sure it is covered completely.

thanks for that info.
i never thought of that before.

i might try it !

 

[spewey]

Boy, I haven't posted in forever.

Dueling Dragons should not be a problem. As I am fond of pointing out, a guest once rode it with a prosthetic leg.

A leg which now resides comfortably at the bottom of the lake below the ride.

In general, casts which do not allow for full range of motion - i.e. limit bending of an arm or a leg - can pose a safety concern on some rides. That does not apply here.

 

[SueM in MN]

You might want to call and get a special needs guide. Very useful! The only ride in the guide they suggest not riding was Hulk. Good Luck!

If you follow the links in my signature, you can get to the disABILITIES Board or to the disABILITIES FAQs thread. In that thread, post #9 has specific information about Universal, including a link to the online version of their Special Needs Guide. We don't have a lot of reports from Universal, so there is not much information.

Post # 3 of that thread has a lot of WDW specific information, including links to the WDW version of the Special Needs Guide. You will notice that the Universal one has more specific information - the WDW one is rather general, but there are many people on the disABILITIES Board who can offer more information.

If you are traveling by plane, you may also want to check into the post about travel by air.