2 person disability

[ALLEEN]

I read the 2000 post about not having 2 person scooters allowed and available in the parks. I was hoping to rent one for my Mom and Sister. Both have mobility issues and aren't up to the walking required to enjoy the parks. but My sister is also legally blind and can not see well enough to safely drive a motorized scooter or wheelchair. We pushed her last time in a regular wheelchair but none of us are up to that as she outweighs just about everyone and we have back problems. any suggestions or has anything changed in this area? thanks.

 

[FortForever]

I read the 2000 post about not having 2 person scooters allowed and available in the parks. I was hoping to rent one for my Mom and Sister. Both have mobility issues and aren't up to the walking required to enjoy the parks. but My sister is also legally blind and can not see well enough to safely drive a motorized scooter or wheelchair. We pushed her last time in a regular wheelchair but none of us are up to that as she outweighs just about everyone and we have back problems. any suggestions or has anything changed in this area? thanks.

I don't know about in the parks, but I can tell you for sure these would not be allowed on the buses.

If they don't allow them it's probably because it's getting too close to "golf cart" and they don't want to encourage people to ride for convenience rather than disability. I could totally see families taking advantage of something like this.

It's easy to see the real need for it in your particular case. But, likely, you will have to end up pushing your sister in a wheelchair.

 

[Disneykidsdad]

I don't know about in the parks, but I can tell you for sure these would not be allowed on the buses.

If they don't allow them it's probably because it's getting too close to "golf cart" and they don't want to encourage people to ride for convenience rather than disability. I could totally see families taking advantage of something like this.

It's easy to see the real need for it in your particular case. But, likely, you will have to end up pushing your sister in a wheelchair.

Try calling around to see if anyone rents a power chair with an extra controller behind the seat back. This way someone can control the chair from behind. My daughter's first power chair had this feature.

 

[Bete]

I asked a question on a separate post and the moderator here gave a response that may help you. Here it is:

They can't refuse to let you bring wheelchairs and ECVs. That would be a violation of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).
Most of the food courts are pretty wide open spaces. They don't normally have the same tight queues to check out as the counter service restaurants do.
There are also CMs who can help you carry food - ask if they don't offer.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

I don't know of any two-person scooters that WDW would be required to accommodate. All of the ones I can find are larger that the size that the ADA says must be accommodated. My guess is that if you did use one, it wouldn't fit in queues and definitely wouldn't fit on WDW transportation. The shortest one I could fine was 62" in length (ADA only requires accommodation up to 48"). It strikes me that none of them look all that comfortable. The one I could find where both people sat next to each other had a 32" seat, so less than twice the width of two airplane seats. The other one, one of the "seats" was very similar to a wide bicycle seat. I don't think WDW is going to change their policy any time soon, just based on size.

I think you need to think about alternate arrangements. Is there anyone you can hire to push your sister? Or maybe a way to switch off so that no one is taking all the force of pushing her? You could aim to do things in one section at a time and alternate shorter and longer attractions so that the people pushing get regular breaks.

 

[Gracie09]

I asked a question on a separate post and the moderator here gave a response that may help you. Here it is:

They can't refuse to let you bring wheelchairs and ECVs. That would be a violation of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).
Most of the food courts are pretty wide open spaces. They don't normally have the same tight queues to check out as the counter service restaurants do.
There are also CMs who can help you carry food - ask if they don't offer.

The Ada has size limits on the equipment that has to be accommodated. If your device is larger than the law says they have to accommodate they can say no.

 

[FortForever]

Try calling around to see if anyone rents a power chair with an extra controller behind the seat back. This way someone can control the chair from behind. My daughter's first power chair had this feature.

This sounds like the best way to go. I had no idea such things existed. It would be perfect in this case.

 

[MSSANDRA]

My DS friend has MD and while he can most of the time still drive his chair, he is starting to have times where he can not and those will increase as time goes on. His chair has a control on it that someone else can control the chair. His chair was built for him, but you might could rent such a chair.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

I'm guessing it would be very hard to rent a wheelchair with an attendant controller (the extra controller that can be operated by someone standing behind the chair). Not only have I only seen them on complex rehab wheelchairs, but they're very hard to use if you haven't spent large amounts of time time practicing. Even when the tech from my wheelchair repair company moves my wheelchair, he doesn't use the attendant control because he's far more used to either freewheeling or using the joystick. I can't see a place that provides insurance to rental agencies being willing to cover a rental with that much potential for accidents. (If you think controlling a powerchair by joystick is hard when sitting, think about it when you're standing behind so the joystick is actually moving away from you as you try to control it).

 

[Bete]

The Ada has size limits on the equipment that has to be accommodated. If your device is larger than the law says they have to accommodate they can say no.

I agree there are size limitations. If you have a Disney accepted size then there isn't a problem.

 

[crashbb]

I agree there are size limitations. If you have a Disney accepted size then there isn't a problem.

But are there any two seated ECVs that fit within the size limitations?

 

[Schmeck]

But are there any two seated ECVs that fit within the size limitations?

I can't find any mention of a two seater ECV online, at all. Do they even exist?

 

[crashbb]

I can't find any mention of a two seater ECV online, at all. Do they even exist?

Sorry, I meant scooters (what the OP was asking about).

 

[Piper]

http://mobility-scooter-reviews.com/blog/evrider-royale-4-dual-seat-two-person-mobility-scooter

This is what I found...the overall length is 62" and the turning radius is 39.5". This wouldn't fit it lines! or on the bus!

 

[KPeveler]

I agree there are size limitations. If you have a Disney accepted size then there isn't a problem.

Disney does not set the size requirements - the Federal Government does with the ADA. The size limits for a "standard mobility device" is (I think) 32 inches wide by 48 inches long.

Especially after everything with the Dream scooter and the Segway lawsuit, Disney is going to be very strict when it comes to what is allowed.

There is no two-seat scooter I have found that is considered a mobility device. All the ones I have found are basically golf carts. These would not fit in lines, buses, restauants, or even on some pathways and sidewalks.

While two-person scooters sound handy, they are not really feasible (nor are they legally classified as mobility devices). All mobility devices must fit in 36 inch wide queues.

I really wish I had an idea.... hopefully someone here has some ideas to help you!

 

[seashoreCM]

Notably the Disney buses can't accommodate wheelchairs or scooters over a certain length and width.

Since they make push lawn mowers with power propulsion (in addition to power cutting), I think you should be able to find a "manual" wheelchair with power assist to be operated by the person behind "pushing". I would guess that manual steering and one button for power would be easier and safer than a joystick for the person behind to operate.

 

[KPeveler]

Notably the Disney buses can't accommodate wheelchairs or scooters over a certain length and width.

Since they make push lawn mowers with power propulsion (in addition to power cutting), I think you should be able to find a "manual" wheelchair with power assist to be operated by the person behind "pushing". I would guess that manual steering and one button for power would be easier and safer than a joystick for the person behind to operate.

Unfortunately, these are very hard to find, at least in this country. Such things apparently so exist in other countries, but the only way to find such a thing here is to get a wheelchair, and then buy an add-on part. There is no easy way to get a push-assist wheelchair. And pretty much all power assist chairs only help the person pushing the wheels, not the person pushing the chair from behind.

My suggestion is to get or rent a rollator for your sister (she is the one with the visual impairment right? Sorry if i mixed it up). A rollator is a walker with wheels and usually a seat. This gives her a place to sit whenever she needs to, something to lean on to make walking easier, and lots of people sit down on these in the lines and kinda pull themselves along by the railings. There are also rollators that change into transport wheelchairs.

If you do rent a push chair for her, rent a transport chair. This has small back wheels and is generally lighter, which may make it easier to push.

I know this will not help for this trip, but if walking is difficult in daily life and she has a visual impairment, then she may be able to get a wheelchair at home that better fits her needs, like one with an attendant control.