accessiable rides help please

[goingroundthebend]

I have booked to go to WDw next year was taking me and ds3 who uses a wheelchair.Jsut us 3 and can not afford to take another adult to help

But due to accident and surgery I am now in a wheelchair and it is permant .Have checked about flights etc and not worried about that side .Though 9 hr flight i shall be crossing my legs a lot .

Have checked out and i shall probably take our manual chairs and i shall hire powerchair out there and if can one for ds3

But am wondering about rides , before hand i was not worrying as obviously i could assist ds.

Ds can walk few steps and can transfer ,I can not walk but can self transfer and neither of us have posture needs so upper body suppor tnot needed.

Bearing in mine we will not be riding the big rides as dd is only 120cm and ds3 only 1m .Will there be rides we can transfer on to .Or Am I better cutting my loss and our planes to go now .Before they even know

 

[SueM in MN]

I have booked to go to WDw next year was taking me and ds3 who uses a wheelchair.Jsut us 3 and can not afford to take another adult to help

But due to accident and surgery I am now in a wheelchair and it is permant .Have checked about flights etc and not worried about that side .Though 9 hr flight i shall be crossing my legs a lot .

Have checked out and i shall probably take our manual chairs and i shall hire powerchair out there and if can one for ds3

If you already use a power wheelchair, there are places that will rent them. You can look in post #2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread for more information. That thread is near the top of this board or you can follow the link in my signature to get there.
When you rent, you will need to provide the rental place with information regarding the brand of power wheelchair you have and the different settings (things like top speed, turning speed, how fast it accelerates, etc). The settings are done individually for the user and they will need to know this to be able to set up the wheelchair for you.

There are no places that have power wheelchairs available for children. We tried several years ago to rent one for DD so we would not have to bring her power wheelchair. She is a young adult, but has a very narrow chair (14 inches wide = 35.6 cm). None of the companies I called had any wheelchairs smaller than 16 inches wide, which I know is too big for her.

But am wondering about rides , before hand i was not worrying as obviously i could assist ds.

Ds can walk few steps and can transfer ,I can not walk but can self transfer and neither of us have posture needs so upper body suppor tnot needed.

Bearing in mine we will not be riding the big rides as dd is only 120cm and ds3 only 1m .Will there be rides we can transfer on to .Or Am I better cutting my loss and our planes to go now .Before they even know

Translation to inches for Americans -
DS 1 meter = 30 inches
DD 120 cm = 47.2 inches

I am assuming the DS is quite young. Some young children without special needs require assistance to climb into the ride cars. CMs are not allowed to lift or transfer guests, other than assist guest with things like moving a wheelchair or holding it in place.
The ride cars that have wheelchair accessible ride cars or boats will only hold one wheelchair. Many of the rides that children that small would ride in don’t have a wheelchair car at all and some (like Winnie the Pooh) have a wheelchair car, but it only holds one wheelchair and one seat for another person.

I posted this on the older thread that you posted a question to, so I am going to copy it here:
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.

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.

My suggestion would be to hold off on the trip until you would be able to bring another adult with you. There are things you could do at each park - such as shows, but a second adult would open up a lot more possibilities.

 

[goingroundthebend]

Thank you

As a single parent I do not have another adult that i could take with me and since this is a life long disablity Am trying to tackle it head on and live life as much as possiable .

Do not want to end up having to pay a extra adult to come away with us for the rest of my life or while my kids are younger .Even if could afford adult to come it be finding someone all my friend have familys of their own so not like they can come away on their own .Feel like I am stuck netween a rock and ahard place and most of all feeling like I am now letting my kids down

 

[dclfun]

I'm also a bit concerned about how you'll manage. Also in your other thread, now closed, about the resort room, you mentioned that your children are age 9 and 7. Was that a typo or is your DS only 3? If he's older and you have an able-bodied 9 y.o. then that child may be responsible enough to help the little one get into a ride. The biggest challenge is that most attractions that will allow you to ride from your w/c will require your ds to transfer as the ride vehicles typically only have space for one chair. What are you hoping to see and do? Are you able to transfer? Hopefully once we have more information we can help you a bit more.---Kathy

 

[goingroundthebend]

sorry he be 7 .i typed ds3 as in he is my 3 boy .The other two are a lot older and can not come due to exams and are not intrestred in disney and my daughter will be 9 and half by time we go

My picklecan transfer and can mange to walk a bit, wobbley with his crutches but he can do it and my daughter will help shes grown up used to her brother being just her brother so does without thinking .she helps at theme parks in the uk and gets cross if i say ill help him she is like mum we do not need you on this ride

We are planning all the disney parks but not sure on rides yet but limted becuase of their height anyway.

Doing seaworld .Was doing DC but striking that of the list as could of just carried the pickle but not worth the money with two of us in chairs .
Will look at bush gardens probaby with over night stop and also planning gator land but can take manuals for that as we can both self propel .

Not doing universal or water parks seems bit pointless

Yes i can self transfer and am getting better at throwing myself around and in and of things ( pretty new to me as is still quite recent ) .We have 3 weeks booked so plenty of time rather than having to rush around fit it all in .

 

[SueM in MN]

I figured he was 3 yrs old because you wrote his height is one meter (30 inches for Americans.) That would be a below average height for a 3 yr old. So, how big is he?

And the other question is would he be prepared to self propel his wheelchair for up to 10 miles per day? (16 kilometers)

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Sue, 100 centimeters/1 meter isn't 30 inch. An inch is 2.54 centimeters, so a meter is 39.4 inches.

 

[KPeveler]

There is a gallery of ride vehicle images here on this web page:
http://allears.net/tp/gal_ride.htm

This may help you plan what you will and will not be able to get yourself out of.

Also, Sue has loaded a bunch of photos onto the photo section of this website.

CMs will let your son pull right up to the door of most ride vehicles, so no need to walk too far.

I am not sure about WDW, but I know that there are some rides were only 1 wheelchair user can be on at a time for safety evacuation reasons. Perhaps someone else here knows which rides these are, as riding these together may be difficult.

I see no reason why your son cannot roll up to the seat in the Buzz lightyear car, for example, then the CM will remove the chair adn you can wheel into the car and say in your chair.

There are a ton of shows and things to d that do not even require tansferring, so there should be plenty for you to enjoy!

 

[SueM in MN]

Sue, 100 centimeters/1 meter isn't 30 inch. An inch is 2.54 centimeters, so a meter is 39.4 inches.

You’re right. Thanks for pointing out my error.
I used a conversion chart for the daughter's measure since it was an uneven amount. But somehow I had stuck in my brain (wrongly) that one meter is 30 inches - probably thinking of one ounce is about 30 cc. Use that more as a nurse.
It’s always dangerous when Americans try to convert to/from metric without using a conversion chart.

For the OP, you may want to be very strategic about how you go to the parks and distances. There are some areas you may want to avoid all together because there is not much you will be able to do in that area. That would cut down on distances.

 

[SueM in MN]

This is a list with comments and pictures for you of attractions at Magic Kingdom. I’ll try to do each park in the next week or 2, but starting with MK.
I don’t know how familiar you are with WDW, but unlike some parks, there are no areas that are just for kids. Adults will fit on all attractions and it really is meant to be a family park.
I noticed you posted you are going next year, but not when exactly. There is currently construction at MK in Fantasyland, so some things may be different when you go.
This is a link to the DIS site (wdwinfo) page which has links to more information about each attraction at MK.

Guests using wheelchairs can access all attractions to the point of boarding. In some cases, the boarding area will be somewhere other than the regular boarding area. If there is a different boarding area, CMs will direct you where to go.

All shows are accessible and have spots for wheelchairs to park with a companion seat next to the wheelchair spot.
Some rides require a transfer and I will add information on how hard the transfer is. The ones that have a wheelchair ride car are in blue.
I have included a photo of the wheelchair ride car or the regular ride car from my photo album.

Magic Kingdom Railroad The train station at Main Street is on second floor level. There is no elevator. If walking, there is a fairly steep set of steps. Guests using wheelchairs and ECVs go up a steep switchback ramp on the right side, as you face the station.
There is a wheelchair train car with a fold down ramp - the first car on the train and it can hold more than one wheelchair. You can take a round trip or get off in Frontierland. If not using the wheelchair car, there is about a 12 inch step up to get onto the train.
This is the accessible train car:

The train station at Frontierland has a set of stairs and also a switchback ramp for guests with wheelchairs. You would be able to get on or off there.
When the Fantasyland Construction is complete, there will be a train station in the new Fantasyland area.

MAIN STREET USA has no rides other than the railroad and some antique style cars and horse drawn trolleys which are not accessible and require a big step up.
Town Square Exhibition Hall/Theater - currently a meet and greet for Mickey & Friends and the Disney Princesses (as of Spring 2011). This is expected to change once the Fantasyland construction is completed. Totally wheelchair accessible.

FANTASYLAND
Dream Along with Mickey - (show on the castle stage). Guests stand in front of the castle stage to watch the show. There is not a specific accessible viewing area, but CMs will usually help you to find a spot to watch.

Mickey’s PhilharMagic - this is a 3D show, very cute and totally accessible. You and your son can both stay in wheelchairs and your DD can sit next to you in a theater seat.

it's a small world- If not riding in the wheelchair boat, there is about a 12 inch step over the side of the boat, then about 10-12 inches down to the seat and about 10-12 inches down to the floor. In the past, they did allow 2 guests to ride in the same boat. I am not sure if they will still allow this, but if they don’t, your son could ride his wheelchair down the ramp, then have someone pull his wheelchair out. After that, you could drive your wheelchair down the ramp and park.
As you are waiting, pay attention to the distance down from the side of the boat down to the seat. The Pirates of the Caribbean does NOT have a wheelchair accessible boat, but the transfer and distance down would be fairly similar to Small World.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh[/COLOR] - There is a new interactive queue, which is wheelchair accessible and all the interactive features are useable from a wheelchair. There is about a six inch step up into the regular ‘honeypot’. The accessible honeypot has space for one seated person and one wheelchair. Your son could drive his wheelchair on, transfer to the seat and then you would drive your wheelchair on and park in the wheelchair spot. Your DD would ride in a honeypot behind you.
Regular honey pot

Accessible honey pot


Prince Charming's Regal Carrousel - there is a chariot, but it is a step up and may not be doable for you and your son because getting onto the carrousel and then to the chariot requires many steps.


Snow White's Scary Adventures - about a 6 inch step up into the ride car. This attraction is going to go away during the renovation process for Fantasyland, so it may not be there at all when you arrive.
A wheelchair could be brought fairly close, so if it’s still there, you may be able to get in. The ride does come to a complete stop for boarding for all guests.


FairyTale Garden - this is currently (Spring 2011) the home of a meet and greet with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. It is totally accessible. The other guests will go up on the stage to meet Rapunzel and Flynn and then continue down stairs on the other side of the stage. When we went , they had us park DD’s wheelchair next to the steps and Rapunzel and Flynn came down to her.

 

[SueM in MN]

Continuation of Magic Kingdom

TOMORROWLAND

Astro Orbiter - 32 inch height requirement. This is a spinning ride, similar to Dumbo, but starts up on a 2nd floor level and themed to Space Rockets. There is a very small elevator to get up to the ride area.
It is about a 12-15 ins step over the side of the car and the seat is very close to the ground. I would skip this because it is a hassle to use the elevator, very time consuming to actually get up and down from and difficult transfer.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin - about 4-6 inch step up into ride car for the regular ride car. There is a moving walkway, which can be stopped or slowed for boarding. There is also a wheelchair accessible ride car, which seats one person in addition to the wheelchair. Your son could probably roll on, transfer to the seat and then have someone roll his wheelchair out of the way so you can drive on. Your DD would sit in a car behind you.

Buzz Lightyear Regular ride car - your son might be able to transfer to this car from his wheelchair parked next to it.

Carousel of Progress - this is an audioanimatronic show about how life in the home has changed since the early 1900s. It is accessible and you and your son could both stay in your wheelchairs with your DD sitting by you. The wheelchair seating is near the front.

Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor - this is an interactive theater show. It is totally accessible and both you and your son could stay in your wheelchairs with your DD sitting next to you. The wheelchair spots are in the front rows of the theater.

Stitch's Great Escape! - There is a 40 inch height requirement. There is not a ride car, but is theater show with special effects. There are wheelchair spots where you can experience all the special effects. Some children (adults also) don’t care for this show because much of it takes place in the dark or near darkness. Most of the special effects are contained in a shoulder restraint that fits down over your shoulders (the fitting of the shoulder restraint is the reason for the height requirement).

Space Mountain - 44 inch height requirement. Requires a step over the side of the ride car and a quick transfer.

Tomorrowland Speedway - are small, very low to the ground gasoline powered cars. It would be difficult to get into because it is a low car with step over side to get in and seat very close to ground level. You need to be able to depress the gas pedal with one foot to go. The last time I rode this, my leg got VERY tired by the end because the gas pedal is quite hard to depress. There is also a height requirement to be able to steer and only 2 people per car.

Tomorrowland Transit Authority - You will need to skip this one because it is not accessible at all; the station is at 2nd floor level and there is a very steep moving walkway to get there and back down. Ride load and unload includes a moving walkway which is not stopped. Small step up into ride car. It’s a pity that guests with mobility needs can’t get up to the ride because it is actually very nice once you are able to get up there.

LIBERTY SQUARE

Hall of Presidents - this is a theater show about the history of the United States, focusing on the Presidents. There are wheelchair seats at the back of the theater where both you and your son could park your wheelchairs. Your daughter can sit next to you.

Liberty Square Riverboat - This is a real, old fashioned steamboat. It is wheelchair accessible and your DD can stand near the wheelchairs.

The Haunted Mansion - has a moving walkway, which can be slowed or stopped. Floor almost level with moving walkway. There is an ADA car with a wider opening. It is not that difficult of a transfer because it has a level floor and the transfer car has a door wider opening. You can park a wheelchair as close as you need to park by the ride car with the moving walkway closed. The guest would need to explain what is needed to the CM. Here is a picture of the transfer doombuggy.

This is a link to a thread about the new (Spring 2011) Haunted Mansion queue. The new interactive features of the queue are accessible to guests using wheelchairs.

 

[goingroundthebend]

wow

Thank you so much for your help .

We are going next September when USA schools and Uk schools are back so hopefully be quiter.But as you can imagine I am trying to start and sort planning now as realise one wheelchair would be tricky let alone two

Yes you are right both ds and dd are both very small for their ages .Propeling wise Ds is pretty good uses his chair all day at school and when been at theme parks in uk then come shome and goes plays basketball/sports or has got into wheelchair racing now .Why oh why can he not pick a cheap hobby !!.but 16 miles a tad to much and am aware since we are from the uk .That we are not used to the kind of heat there will be .Infact we are not use to a summer at all
but Dd will happily give him a shove to as well She does not even think about it is normal to her.(Though ds can get cross when she is helping) .

Would have loved if could of to hire a powerchair for him but your right no one seems to have them but someone has come up with idea of buying a msall power pack to go on his manual chair am going to look into costs of that

 

[SueM in MN]

I have to apologize that my first post on MK with a lot of pictures lost its formatting, so instead of seeing Bold type or links, you sometimes see coding for those thIngs instead. Just toouch data for one post.

Anyway - people sometimes do up to 10 miles a day at WDW. That would usually be in a very long day. Even running, it would be very hard to do 10 miles in a half day - 10 miles in 4 hours would be 2.5 miles per hour. When you consider the time in attractions where you are moving slowly while waiting or you are actually in the ride, a significant amount of your time will be spent going very slowly.

September is a good time of year because it will be generally less crowded. I have pictures from September with no one even in the pictures, it was that quiet. The weather will be cooler than the summer, but can still be hot - especially if you are not used to it. Expect there may be afternoon showers.

When DH and I were in Europe this Spring, we saw several people with what looked like manual chairs with some power assist. One had an attachment under the seat and was driven with a joystick. Another seemed to be just in the wheels because we could see a large motor appearing thing on the hub of the wheels and that person propelled her manual wheelchair in the usual way, it just went faster and farther. I have seen both kinds kinds online before, but this was the first I saw them in action.

 

[TeddiBarra]

Space Mountain - 44 inch height requirement. Requires a step over the side of the ride car and a quick transfer

Ok, wow! Good to know. Space @ DL is 40inches !!!

 

[goingroundthebend]

ye sthink you may have seen these when in Europe am going to look into them more think might work well for ds or even myself

http://www.gerald-simonds.co.uk/catalog/index.php?CG_ID=5&CS_ID=17

 

[SueM in MN]

ye sthink you may have seen these when in Europe am going to look into them more think might work well for ds or even myself

http://www.gerald-simonds.co.uk/catalog/index.php?CG_ID=5&CS_ID=17

Yes, I'm quite certain those are the ones we saw in use. I had seen them previously on a website in the US, so they were familiar to me.
We were staying in a flat in a village in Belgium and saw the same women repeatedly ( it is a college town so we saw her repeatedly going around from building to building
It was very hilly, but her wheelchair performed well on the hills.

 

[KPeveler]

Yes, I'm quite certain those are the ones we saw in use. I had seen them previously on a website in the US, so they were familiar to me.
We were staying in a flat in a village in Belgium and saw the same women repeatedly ( it is a college town so we saw her repeatedly going around from building to building
It was very hilly, but her wheelchair performed well on the hills.

eMotion wheels are very popular, but they are both expensive and HEAVY - each wheel adds 25-30 lbs to the chair - not as useful if you have to lift the chair into the car yourself.

What I am planning on getting are these:

www.superquad.com

The Wijit is a lever drive system that is MUCH easier to push and has an anti-rollback feature, so you dont have to worry about rolling down hills. Much nicer to my hands and shoulders (all of which dislocate), and it has a "neutral" feature which allows you to use the handrims as normal.

They add only a few pounds to the chair and cost half what the eMotion wheels do. I tried them at the Abilities Expo and loved them!

 

[goingroundthebend]

They look good but dont fit my current chair and after checking with them ds3 chair is to small need to strecth him both ways I think