Amputees at Disney (especially kiddo BBKAs)?

[MrsMeow]

My son (5) is a bilateral below knee amputee. He's relatively new to his prostheses (got them in January). Has anyone experienced Disney as an amputee, either you or with a child? I've been digging around for any restrictions on rides, but can't really find anything definite. My next step is to actually call Disney, but I thought I'd see if anyone has any experience here first.

 

[JillyBean1899]

My son (5) is a bilateral below knee amputee. He's relatively new to his prostheses (got them in January). Has anyone experienced Disney as an amputee, either you or with a child? I've been digging around for any restrictions on rides, but can't really find anything definite. My next step is to actually call Disney, but I thought I'd see if anyone has any experience here first.

I can't find anything on the disability guides for the parks, but typically rides are OK if the amputations are below the knee; this is due to the restraint system. The only things I can see being a possible problem are Soarin', Rock n Rollercoaster, and Tower of Terror, so asking Disney directly might be your best bet.

Does your son currently use a wheelchair? Or does he use a stroller instead of an actual wheelchair? If he uses a stroller, you can get a stroller as a wheelchair tag so that you can take the stroller into the queues that are wheelchair accessible. As long as you or another adult is able to help him on and off rides, you should be fine.

 

[MrsMeow]

Does your son currently use a wheelchair? Or does he use a stroller instead of an actual wheelchair? If he uses a stroller, you can get a stroller as a wheelchair tag so that you can take the stroller into the queues that are wheelchair accessible. As long as you or another adult is able to help him on and off rides, you should be fine.

Oh, that's another great debate we are having! He does use a wheelchair sometimes, since he can only make it about 5 or so hours with his prostheses on before it hurts too much to walk. But since we also have a 4 year old, we may do the double-stroller thing instead. It makes the most sense for our time at Disney, but I'm not sure about other places (airport, anywhere else...).

 

[SueM in MN]

There only 2 attractions at WDW where guests' legs are hanging in the air with nothing under them.
Soarin' is a simulated hang glider ride where guests sit in chairs similar to lawn chairs. The ride goes up in the air as high as 40 feet off the ground (in the top row) with legs just hanging.
This is a picture I found online that someone took on Soarin'
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...fornia_-_Disney_California_Adventure_Park.jpg

The other attraction is Sum of All Thrills. This is a simulator attraction where guests program their own thrill ride and then are able to experience it. There is a 48 inch height requirement; if the design includes a segment that goes upside down, the guest must be at least 54 inches.

Rock N Roller Coaster has an inversion, so if going upside down is an issue, he would need to avoid it. The ride car does have a floor, so there is support/opportunity to brace.

Tower of Terror involves drops in a elevator, dropping at faster than gravity. Guests are seated on hard metal benches and have individual seat belts. The number of drops is random and guests can become weightless for a few seconds at a time during the drop.

One attraction I would be concerned about would be Primeval Whirl at Animal Kingdom. It is a roller coaster combined with a ride car that spins. This can make it very difficult to brace.

 

[SueM in MN]

Oh, that's another great debate we are having! He does use a wheelchair sometimes, since he can only make it about 5 or so hours with his prostheses on before it hurts too much to walk. But since we also have a 4 year old, we may do the double-stroller thing instead. It makes the most sense for our time at Disney, but I'm not sure about other places (airport, anywhere else...).

Most guests walk at least 3-6 miles per day at WDW, so he will need to use a stroller or wheelchair - being only 5, he would need a child size wheelchair or stroller to provide support for his legs.
You can bring a wheelchair (or stroller), to the door of the plane if you are flying. You can gate check without any cost or counting toward your baggage allowance.

It is a pretty long distance between the gate at the Orlando airport and either Magical Express or the car rental desks, so a stroller or wheelchair would be helpful at the airport.

At the parks, if he needs to remove his prosthesis to do skin care or adjustments, you can go to First Aid. There's one in each park and they have private rooms with cots where he could remove and reapply them.

 

[pbrim]

But since we also have a 4 year old, we may do the double-stroller thing instead. It makes the most sense for our time at Disney, but I'm not sure about other places (airport, anywhere else...).

I think it has been said here before that a side-by-side double stroller will not fit through the lines and so can not be used with a scooter as wheelchair tag. The limit on mobility devices is 30" wide, wider than that may be excluded. A front and back double stroller may not be any longer 48" to qualify as a mobility device.

I've never taken a stroller to WDW, but I have ridden an ECV through the lines, and anything larger than standard (30" wide, 48" long) is going to have real problems in some places. (If I have gotten something wrong, I'm sure there will be several people here shortly to explain it to me )

 

[SueM in MN]

I think it has been said here before that a side-by-side double stroller will not fit through the lines and so can not be used with a scooter as wheelchair tag. The limit on mobility devices is 30" wide, wider than that may be excluded. A front and back double stroller may not be any longer 48" to qualify as a mobility device.

I've never taken a stroller to WDW, but I have ridden an ECV through the lines, and anything larger than standard (30" wide, 48" long) is going to have real problems in some places. (If I have gotten something wrong, I'm sure there will be several people here shortly to explain it to me )

Most side by side double strollers are 30 -32 inches wide and will work fine, especially if they have swivel wheels on the front.

The back to front double strollers are usually the ones that have issues being used as strollers as wheelchairs.
Even though the length and width might be OK, they tend to not be able to turn as sharply and do often have trouble in lines.

 

[Twende]

I had a dear friend who was an above knee amputee. She loved Disney and rode most every thing. Years ago she used crutches for long days but as she aged she moved to a scooter. It just made the day more pleasant for her.

A few years back she went to Universal to ride Harry Potters ride. They informed her that she had to remove her leg in order to ride. She was not comfortable with this and never got to ride it. She passed away this past year due to a fast growing brain tumor. We sure miss spending time in Dianey with her.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[JillyBean1899]

I had a dear friend who was an above knee amputee. She loved Disney and rode most every thing. Years ago she used crutches for long days but as she aged she moved to a scooter. It just made the day more pleasant for her.

A few years back she went to Universal to ride Harry Potters ride. They informed her that she had to remove her leg in order to ride. She was not comfortable with this and never got to ride it. She passed away this past year due to a fast growing brain tumor. We sure miss spending time in Dianey with her.

Enjoy your trip!

I'm sorry to hear that she passed away so recently. Sounds like she was a trooper and would try anything.

Most rides that involve dangling feet require the removal of a leg prosthetic, because of the possibility that it might fly off during the ride. Some of the more intense coasters require removal of *ANY* prosthetic and won't allow people with casts to ride at all, because of risk of injury to themselves or others. As long as there is most of the thigh bone remaining on one leg, and the full thigh bone on the other leg (the restraint actually touches something on both legs basically), the ride is perfectly safe to ride without part of one leg.

I can't find any ride specific info for Disney, but this is part of the info for Manta at Sea World, to show how prosthesis requirements are typically described:

Guests with any type of arm or hand prosthesis should ensure that it is properly secured and will remain in place in spite of forces experienced during the ride. Guests must be able to grip with one functioning hand and have a minimum of two (2) functioning limbs. Leg prosthetics are not permitted. Guest with amputated leg(s) above the knee may ride with the use of a separate three-point harness. A guest with a double leg amputation at the knee or below must not ride. A guest with a single leg amputation below the knee may not ride. A guest with single arm amputation may ride provided the guest has one (1) functioning hand and two (2) functioning legs.

And for comparison, this is for the Shamu Express, which is the equivalent of the Barnstormer at MK:

Guests must be able to grip with one functioning hand, brace with one functioning leg and have a minimum of three (3) functioning limbs. Two functioning hands are sufficient instead of three functioning extremities if the guest has a normal center of gravity and the lower extremities are sufficiently strong enough to maintain a proper riding posture under the dynamic conditions of the ride.
Amputation must be at knee or below. Guests with any type of prosthetic device must ensure that it is properly secured and will remain in place in spite of forces experienced during the ride.

I'm sure Disney has something similar, but I'm either just not finding the right search keywords to locate it on the website or it is info that is only available from Guest Services.

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm sorry to hear that she passed away so recently. Sounds like she was a trooper and would try anything.

Most rides that involve dangling feet require the removal of a leg prosthetic, because of the possibility that it might fly off during the ride. Some of the more intense coasters require removal of *ANY* prosthetic and won't allow people with casts to ride at all, because of risk of injury to themselves or others. As long as there is most of the thigh bone remaining on one leg, and the full thigh bone on the other leg (the restraint actually touches something on both legs basically), the ride is perfectly safe to ride without part of one leg.

I can't find any ride specific info for Disney, but this is part of the info for Manta at Sea World, to show how prosthesis requirements are typically described:


And for comparison, this is for the Shamu Express, which is the equivalent of the Barnstormer at MK:


I'm sure Disney has something similar, but I'm either just not finding the right search keywords to locate it on the website or it is info that is only available from Guest Services.

Disney does not have anything similar.

Sea World, Universal and Islands of Adventure are much more specific and prescriptive in their descriptions.

Disney just puts out general warnings and it is up to the guest to determine how the warning relates to them. CMs will stop guests from riding if there would be a visible danger for the guest or other riders, but won't be asking any specific abilities like are listed above.

 

[JillyBean1899]

Disney does not have anything similar.

Sea World, Universal and Islands of Adventure are much more specific and prescriptive in their descriptions.

Disney just puts out general warnings and it is up to the guest to determine how the warning relates to them. CMs will stop guests from riding if there would be a visible danger for the guest of other riders, but won't be asking any specific abilities like are listed above.

So Disney has *NO* information on what rides can safely accommodate a prosthesis? I just find that so odd, since that information comes from the ride manufacturer, they should have some sort of guidelines and requirements. Unless all of their rides are considered ... I don't want to say "safe", but I guess "OK" for wearing them?

Since sometimes it's hard to determine if someone has a prosthetic limb if long sleeves/pants are worn, having information posted or available upon request seems like the logical thing to do. Really the only one I could see being a problem would be Soarin', although I'd think the coasters would carry a warning, if for no other reason than to cover WDW in the unlikely event that something happened.

 

[SueM in MN]

So Disney has *NO* information on what rides can safely accommodate a prosthesis? I just find that so odd, since that information comes from the ride manufacturer, they should have some sort of guidelines and requirements. Unless all of their rides are considered ... I don't want to say "safe", but I guess "OK" for wearing them?

Since sometimes it's hard to determine if someone has a prosthetic limb if long sleeves/pants are worn, having information posted or available upon request seems like the logical thing to do. Really the only one I could see being a problem would be Soarin', although I'd think the coasters would carry a warning, if for no other reason than to cover WDW in the unlikely event that something happened.

The information may be available to ride operation CMs, but is not available at Guest Relations or online from Disney for guests.

Disney does not have anywhere near as intense attractions as the roller coasters at SeaWorld, Universal and Islands of Adventure. Many of those, including the Manta ride mentioned above, include dangling legs.
The only WDW attraction with dangling legs are Soarin' and Sum of All Thrills that I described above.

 

[POOHsie]

My left leg is amputated above the knee. I had a problem with only one ride at WDW. That's Space Mountain. The safety bar that came down seemed to hit on or near the release for my prosthetic. Between that safety bar and G-forces on the ride, the prosthetic came off and was lying on the floor. It was embarrassing. I didn't have a good angle to get the leg back on. Getting out of the floor-level ride car afterward required 2-3 people to help me up and out, while at the same time, my prosthetic wasn't secured in place and I was trying to keep it from falling onto the floor again. One young CM's eyes got as big as saucers. It was awful.

It was mentioned to me that the Space Mountain ride at Disneyland was much better able to handle a person in my situation. Two rides I don't try to do at all are Peter Pan and WEDWay PeopleMover. Splash Mountain is very difficult because, again, it's a floor-level ride car, and there's no support post in or near the ride car to grab onto while I hoist myself up. With only one knee, you have to think about where you place your legs, and in what order (right or left), when exiting some of the rides.

 

[Alabamamouse]

Our daughter (4) is a bilateral AKA. We were stopped at the barnstormer and the CM described the harness and discussed if our dd could ride. Other than that, we have ridden everything except the Mountains, but that is because of issues other than the prosthetics. We take her wheelchair and she walks when she wants, rides when she wants or gets carried.

 

[MrsMeow]

Our daughter (4) is a bilateral AKA. We were stopped at the barnstormer and the CM described the harness and discussed if our dd could ride. Other than that, we have ridden everything except the Mountains, but that is because of issues other than the prosthetics. We take her wheelchair and she walks when she wants, rides when she wants or gets carried.

Awesome, I'm glad to hear it's not too much of an issue.

Thanks all for responses! He has officially submitted his wish as of last Thursday, hopefully we'll hear back within the next couple weeks!

 

[JillyBean1899]

Awesome, I'm glad to hear it's not too much of an issue.

Thanks all for responses! He has officially submitted his wish as of last Thursday, hopefully we'll hear back within the next couple weeks!

Fantastic!! Let us know what happens. Fingers are crossed for you.

Also, if they don't automatically include this, I'd highly recommend buying the Memory Maker at least 3 days before you go. It's $150 and I just spent a weekend at Disney and had over 300 pictures on it. This way you'll have tons of photos and you'll be able to all be in them.