2 people 1 wheelchair?

[DisneyOma]

Instead of a side by side setup, have you thought of a one behind the other setup? Would that make it fit in the WDW size box? Is there a way to unhook the two strollers you have and set them one behind the other?

 

[WonderlandisReality]

Instead of a side by side setup, have you thought of a one behind the other setup? Would that make it fit in the WDW size box? Is there a way to unhook the two strollers you have and set them one behind the other?

I have, and I do like Tandems better. But I included stock pics of our double vs the straight from the manufacturer version. It’s a permanent customization for safety. So separation is impossible. I saw something called a random tandem once upon a time which connected 2 chairs but thought it may run afoul of the “nothing towed” part of the wheelchair policy. If someone has used this device to daisy chain two wheelchairs I’d love to hear feedback. Ideally we could find a tandem similar to the ottobock kimba inline but they don’t make them big enough to support anyone bigger than the Maclaren double already does. I wondered also if I could get through a loophole for use at Disney as the wording said wheelchairs at the parks are only designed for a single user by custom making (like our double) a unit designed for two users.

 

[DisneyOma]

Thanks for including the photos - so it's not really two strollers put together, it's a double stroller (3 handles/shafts, not 4) and you need to go bigger? If they can't sit side by side in the framework size allotted by Disney, I think your only option is to go one in front of the other? Would that fit? Or are you thinking they would fit together in a wheelchair for larger people? It would have to be customized with extra footplates somehow, and if you have that done, maybe they could add an armrest in the middle as well so it would look more like a double stroller/chair, and not two people in a single one. Then there'd also have to be some way to make the single seat a double seat, otherwise they'd slide into the center together, which sounds very uncomfortable.

 

[SueM in MN]

Please think about it like a round peg and a square hole. Too big is too big. It won’t fit in the spaces allocated for a chair, including through passageways.

I think this is your problem. Your chair is wider than many emergency exits and egress pathways.

No.
the size allowed for wheelchairs is 36 inch width. The queue, entrances, etc. are WIDER than 36 inches by quite a bit more than 1/2 inch, otherwise a 36 inch wide wheelchair would not fit.
My daughter’s wheelchair has a 14 inch wide seat, but including the frame and the wheels plus handrims, it measures 25 inches wide. I can stand next to it comfortably in most lines and I can assure you that I am more than 11 inches wide!
Guests using wheelchairs who can’t walk out by themselves need to wait to be evacuated IF they are using their wheelchair in the ride vehicle - there is not a way to unload the wheelchair from the accessible vehicle. The width of egress won’t matter in that case because the wheelchair won’t be using it.
Guests who are not using an accessible ride vehicle leave their wheelchair at the exit, so the width of the wheelchair would not be a concern there either.
The emergency exit for shows/theaters is the regular exit, which is wide enough for a 36 inch wheelchair to fit.

Instead of a side by side setup, have you thought of a one behind the other setup? Would that make it fit in the WDW size box? Is there a way to unhook the two strollers you have and set them one behind the other?

The back to front double strollers for babies/toddlers fit the size (at least most do) because the children sitting in the seats are small and don’t need much leg room and/or one of the seats is kind of tucked underneath the other.
I believe the length of the Maclaren Special Needs stroller is around 35 inches. Putting a second seat behind it for a larger child would probably make it too long to meet the guidelines and/or too difficult for the back child to get in. Too long is an issue because of the space needed to turn. (Allowed wheelchair size is 36 wide x 52 long; allowed stroller is 32 wide by 52 long)

My advice to the OP is still:
1) bring this stroller and check with Guest Relations to get an exception for size. They can make exceptions (and since it’s only 1/2 inch over, it may not even be seen as over). For example, though wagons are prohibited, they are are still allowed on a case by case basis, authorized at Guest Relations for some guests.

2) if Guest Relations won’t allow an exception, getting a wheelchair and using it for both children would be your worst case scenario. I don’t know if a double park rental stroller would work for your situation, but some people do rent those for bigger kids.
I would ask for a complementary wheelchair (may not be granted, but worth asking) and have them store your stroller.

3) you could look into renting something else, but the double strollers for rent in the Orlando area I’m aware of are for children less than 48 inches tall and less than 50 pounds. I don’t know if there would be any kind of smaller 2 child stroller to rent or lend in your home area, but that might be an option to check into.

4) I don’t know if you possibly could get 2 single strollers and someone to help you push one; one advantage would be being able to separate if one of the children needs a rest or is having a bad day.

5) Last, I don’t know how you plan to transport the pushchair, but it would need to be folded for the bus since it doesn’t appear to have tiedown loops.

 

[Weedy]

FYI
There is also a length restriction

 

[Disneyfan754321]

No.
the size allowed for wheelchairs is 36 inch width. The queue, entrances, etc. are WIDER than 36 inches by quite a bit more than 1/2 inch, otherwise a 36 inch wide wheelchair would not fit.
My daughter’s wheelchair has a 14 inch wide seat, but including the frame and the wheels plus handrims, it measures 25 inches wide. I can stand next to it comfortably in most lines and I can assure you that I am more than 11 inches wide!
Guests using wheelchairs who can’t walk out by themselves need to wait to be evacuated IF they are using their wheelchair in the ride vehicle - there is not a way to unload the wheelchair from the accessible vehicle. The width of egress won’t matter in that case because the wheelchair won’t be using it.
Guests who are not using an accessible ride vehicle leave their wheelchair at the exit, so the width of the wheelchair would not be a concern there either.
The emergency exit for shows/theaters is the regular exit, which is wide enough for a 36 inch wheelchair to fit.
The back to front double strollers for babies/toddlers fit the size (at least most do) because the children sitting in the seats are small and don’t need much leg room and/or one of the seats is kind of tucked underneath the other.
I believe the length of the Maclaren Special Needs stroller is around 35 inches. Putting a second seat behind it for a larger child would probably make it too long to meet the guidelines and/or too difficult for the back child to get in. Too long is an issue because of the space needed to turn. (Allowed wheelchair size is 36 wide x 52 long; allowed stroller is 32 wide by 52 long)

My advice to the OP is still:
1) bring this stroller and check with Guest Relations to get an exception for size. They can make exceptions (and since it’s only 1/2 inch over, it may not even be seen as over). For example, though wagons are prohibited, they are are still allowed on a case by case basis, authorized at Guest Relations for some guests.

2) if Guest Relations won’t allow an exception, getting a wheelchair and using it for both children would be your worst case scenario. I don’t know if a double park rental stroller would work for your situation, but some people do rent those for bigger kids.
I would ask for a complementary wheelchair (may not be granted, but worth asking) and have them store your stroller.

3) you could look into renting something else, but the double strollers for rent in the Orlando area I’m aware of are for children less than 48 inches tall and less than 50 pounds. I don’t know if there would be any kind of smaller 2 child stroller to rent or lend in your home area, but that might be an option to check into.

4) I don’t know if you possibly could get 2 single strollers and someone to help you push one; one advantage would be being able to separate if one of the children needs a rest or is having a bad day.

5) Last, I don’t know how you plan to transport the pushchair, but it would need to be folded for the bus since it doesn’t appear to have tiedown loops.

I agree.

We had a wheel chair one time and our DS5 sat with his ds18 ( who the chair was rented for) with no issue.

 

[mistysue]

Because people are recommending it, I think I should throw in that we were there for a week in May. My youngest needed the wheelchair (we rented, so it was huge for him) and one afternoon my other child twisted her ankle so we told her she could scoot in and sit on his wheelchair with him. I can not even count the number of times we were yelled at for having two people in a wheelchair by cast members and told one of them had to get up. Complete with expressions of "I can't believe you're trying to scam us."
Of course they then got to watch either one child limp away or us have to carry the other one, But this year in May they were definitely enforcing one person per wheelchair.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Where do I learn about these special larger double strollers for special needs? My kids need one. Where do you have them customized?

 

[WonderlandisReality]

Where do I learn about these special larger double strollers for special needs? My kids need one. Where do you have them customized?

Mine came from a supplier in Manchester UK ( I’m in the US) called LotsofBabies. The make this out of 2 Maclaren Major Elite pediatric adaThey specialize in custom strollers but have this one registered and sold as a medical device. The whole process took about 3-4 months to order, make, and ship it as I recall. It’s was an aprox 6 month ordeal prior to that fighting with insurance. Basically at the end of the day I had to front the $. Insurance reimbursed 80% and HSA the remaining 20%. It was just over $1k with the exchange at the time.
But the wheelchair is amazing. We had a head on collision with air bag deployment, total vehicle loss, totaled car seats… this thing was in the trunk; took it to local wheelchair place for inspection. Absolutely zero damage. Standard accessories can be bought directly from Maclaren in the US so I had to add a little more to the restraint for the youngest child and but storage underneath and the parent console on the back. Which was out of pocket and relatively inexpensive. I added a wheelchair umbrella for shade and stroller clip off Amazon.
Once mine are older there are currently zero options for them though. There are some startups looking to add a multi user to single caregiver wheelchair to the market (mostly aimed at nursing homes which have the need) but nothing has launched. My odd thought is to take a bariatric wheelchair and divide it into 2 seating spaces with cushioned divider and retrofit the foot rests to more of a bench-style. The weight capacity of the wheelchair would more than amply cover them. Myself and a family member with welding skills could manage the retrofit. But frankly, if we can’t come up with a solution Disney parks may no longer be accessible to our family in the not distant future which is heartbreaking to all of us.

 

[DisneyOma]

We had a head on collision with air bag deployment, total vehicle loss, totaled car seats… this thing was in the trunk; took it to local wheelchair place for inspection. Absolutely zero damage.

With a head on collision the items in the trunk should be fine, unless there's a chain reaction and someone rear-ends you? Or unless there is something really heavy back there? And unless the carseats had kids in them (if so, hope they were okay!) or got hit by the airbags, they should be okay to keep using as well?

 

[lanejudy]

And unless the carseats had kids in them (if so, hope they were okay!) or got hit by the airbags, they should be okay to keep using as well?

Car seats that have been involved in an accident, even minor, can be declared a total loss and replaceable by insurance. It’s because there may be invisible or hard to find cracks that weaken the seat.

 

[DisneyOma]

Car seats that have been involved in an accident, even minor, can be declared a total loss and replaceable by insurance. It’s because there may be invisible or hard to find cracks that weaken the seat.

If there is a child in one, yes, but an empty one? There's not enough mass in an empty carseat to total it, unless it was hit by an airbag.

But back on topic - OP, you could contact cobright hear on the DIS and see if there's anything out there that would meet your needs? He makes custom stuff, doesn't he?

 

[lanejudy]

If there is a child in one, yes, but an empty one?

Yes, even an empty one. You likely need to request it, but the forward momentum of the seat itself puts pressure on the latch connection which can crack or weaken the plastic framework. Insurance doesn’t like to replace them, and may not offer that if no visible damage, but if the owner insists the insurance will cover it. They can’t prove the integrity of the seat to protect in a future crash.

 

[mamabunny]

Because people are recommending it, I think I should throw in that we were there for a week in May. My youngest needed the wheelchair (we rented, so it was huge for him) and one afternoon my other child twisted her ankle so we told her she could scoot in and sit on his wheelchair with him. I can not even count the number of times we were yelled at for having two people in a wheelchair by cast members and told one of them had to get up. Complete with expressions of "I can't believe you're trying to scam us."
Of course they then got to watch either one child limp away or us have to carry the other one, But this year in May they were definitely enforcing one person per wheelchair.

Sorry - I missed this earlier. I understand your frustration, but Disney does have a clear policy stating (basically) "one seat, one butt". (see this page, under "Prohibited Items")

​

They do that because they don't want folks trying to hold kids - or babies - in their laps while either riding in a wheelchair or piloting an ECV, which could be dangerous in certain circumstances. Disney is well-known for generally enforcing a rule equally across the board. They had no way of knowing that you were in an unusual situation, until they saw your child either limping away or being carried by an adult to comply with the rule.

I think that when it comes to kiddos (and especially our kids with invisible issues) they don't want that possibility of a kid getting excited, and trying to bail out of a moving wheelchair (either with or without their seat mate) and then getting tripped up in the foot pedals, or falling under the chair, or some other issue. At the end of the day, Disney's rules are for the safety of the majority, and they are so that (hopefully) every one goes home in the same or better condition than when they arrived.

I'm genuinely sorry that you and your family experienced that, but I think the CMs were just actually following their rules, and trying to look out for the safety of your family as well. As unhappy as that was for your family, it's good to know that overall safety is still important at WDW.

 

[mistysue]

I wasn't frustrated by them for enforcing it at all, I do understand why they have the policy and we chose to try and get by with one chair. (My son has about half a day of walking in him seeming typical, But once he hits his limit his muscles are DONE)
Previous commenters in this thread said it should be okay sticking two kids in one wheelchair; I was only sharing my feedback to say they will actually enforce policy sometimes.

Sorry - I missed this earlier. I understand your frustration, but Disney does have a clear policy stating (basically) "one seat, one butt". (see this page, under "Prohibited Items")

 

[SueM in MN]

I wasn't frustrated by them for enforcing it at all, I do understand why they have the policy and we chose to try and get by with one chair. (My son has about half a day of walking in him seeming typical, But once he hits his limit his muscles are DONE)
Previous commenters in this thread said it should be okay sticking two kids in one wheelchair; I was only sharing my feedback to say they will actually enforce policy sometimes.

I have seen multiple people pushing a park rental wheelchair with 2 children in it multiple times on multiple trips - the last was June 2021. Most of the time, CMs have obviously seen them and said nothing. At any point, they could though, since it is against the published rules.

If both of the OP‘s children require a wheelchair, they may be getting to the point where they need 2 individual wheelchairs and 2 wheelchair pushers.
The biggest bariatric wheelchair seat divided in half would be 2 pretty narrow seats. And, I know some don’t fit thru a 36 inch door (from working in a hospital). So, although it sounds like it could work, it might not be a realistic option.

 

[DisneyOma]

Yes, even an empty one. You likely need to request it, but the forward momentum of the seat itself puts pressure on the latch connection which can crack or weaken the plastic framework. Insurance doesn’t like to replace them, and may not offer that if no visible damage, but if the owner insists the insurance will cover it. They can’t prove the integrity of the seat to protect in a future crash.

The framework on a carseat should not be plastic? All the ones I've purchased are metal framed, some of that with a hard plastic shell, but the frame was metal.

 

[Starwind]

The framework on a carseat should not be plastic? All the ones I've purchased are metal framed, some of that with a hard plastic shell, but the frame was metal.

This is a good explanation of why they should be (or are even required to be) replaced even if unoccupied: https://www.parentscanada.com/baby/...-seat-after-your-vehicle-has-been-in-a-crash/

See also: https://thecarseatlady.com/aftercrash/ (lists manufacturer criteria) and https://www.icbc.com/road-safety/safer-drivers/Pages/Child-seat-replacement.aspx and https://csftl.org/does-my-car-seat-need-to-be-replaced-after-a-crash/ and of course the car seat manufacturer's manual.

 

[mistysue]

I have seen multiple people pushing a park rental wheelchair with 2 children in it multiple times on multiple trips - the last was June 2021. Most of the time, CMs have obviously seen them and said nothing. At any point, they could though, since it is against the published rules.

Having had this same experience was why we thought we would get away with it too. I have that sort of luck though, I can be in a group all doing the same thing and I'll be the one singled out. (true story- I was once behind/ahead of the same cars for a few miles, and the officer came into the middle of the run of cars to pick exactly me and let the rest all go... it's what my every day feels like.)

 

[smartlabelprint]

With a head on collision the items in the trunk should be fine, unless there's a chain reaction and someone rear-ends you? Or unless there is something really heavy back there? And unless the carseats had kids in them (if so, hope they were okay!) or got hit by the airbags, they should be okay to keep using as well?

It depends on the manufacturer. We were rear ended and I double checked that with them because one seat was empty. Chicco requires that all seats in any accident be replaced.