Best DVC resort for ADA Wheelchair Accessibility

[AkronAaron]

Hello! I looked at history for this in the forum, but couldn't find much recent.

My family really enjoys Disney, but due to a combination of EDS and LGMD, my wife is about 95% wheelchair bound. She is permanently in prosthetics and braces on her legs, so even when she can walk, it's only a few steps at a time. We have the opportunity to join DVC due to family members who don't use their points (Boardwalk), but we're looking to potentially buy more points for a new home resort. We would love a resort with low counters, a tub with handrails, and (most importantly) hardwood floors! Carpet will often cause my wife to trip, with very bad results. In addition, we find that the wear and tear from ECV and wheelchair wheels on carpet leave it looking very shabby very quickly.

The DVC rep we spoke to is recommending we buy into Saratoga Springs Resort due to large ADA availability, but pictures we see of the rooms indicate generous use of carpet. I am hoping someone on these forums may have direct experience with DVC ADA rooms, and could offer suggestions for which resorts may be better suited for our situation?

 

[thanxfornoticin]

My initial thoughts went directly to Old Key West - but with an asterisk! First, I am not sure it meets all of your needs, but they do have hardwood floors. They also have the largest rooms among the DVC resorts (definitely larger than Saratoga). They also have some of the nicest views from their balconies, overlooking water and/or the golf course.

That being said - the asterisk - most of their building do not have elevators. However, they have put the accessible rooms on the first floor - so you probably don't need to worry about the elevators (by the way, there are a few of the newest building that do have elevators).

Another advantage of OKW is the fact that you can park very close to your room - often right outside (if you have a car). That can be a big advantage. SSR has a similar setup. Good luck with your research - hope you find the perfect spot to enjoy your vacation time.

 

[mamabunny]

Hello! I looked at history for this in the forum, but couldn't find much recent.

My family really enjoys Disney, but due to a combination of EDS and LGMD, my wife is about 95% wheelchair bound. She is permanently in prosthetics and braces on her legs, so even when she can walk, it's only a few steps at a time. We have the opportunity to join DVC due to family members who don't use their points (Boardwalk), but we're looking to potentially buy more points for a new home resort. We would love a resort with low counters, a tub with handrails, and (most importantly) hardwood floors! Carpet will often cause my wife to trip, with very bad results. In addition, we find that the wear and tear from ECV and wheelchair wheels on carpet leave it looking very shabby very quickly.

The DVC rep we spoke to is recommending we buy into Saratoga Springs Resort due to large ADA availability, but pictures we see of the rooms indicate generous use of carpet. I am hoping someone on these forums may have direct experience with DVC ADA rooms, and could offer suggestions for which resorts may be better suited for our situation?

We stayed in an "accessible" room at Boulder Ridge (Wilderness Lodge) in January. We were moved into that room after issues with our roll-in shower room in the main Lodge building; both my daughter and myself are still kind of surprised because we failed to get any pictures of the room, or the layout!

But... This was a 1 bedroom Villa, and it had what DVC called a "roll in shower", which was NOT a roll in shower - it was a weird "roll up, and transfer into an odd tiled shower stall" shower! There was ample room to maneuver next to the shower bench outside the shower, but if someone needed assistance from the side inside the shower, there would be no room for a helper to maneuver inside the shower; that's how tight the stall was. It was - at most - 3 feet by 3 feet, and with the bench down there was maybe 6 inches between my knees and the wall when I was seated.

The toilet was an appropriate height for transfer, and there were grab bars. The sink (with mirror above) was mounted a bit high, I felt, but was open underneath so that you could roll under. There was also a "hot tub" (ew) in the adjacent vanity area that opened into the bedroom, and in that area there was a lovely large counter with another sink and mirror, but it was all cabinets underneath, and so you can roll up next to it, but not under it.

Overall, it did have lots of room for those of us who use mobility devices; it was easy to turn around and there was no place I felt like I couldn't go in the unit - but there was carpet in the bedroom (1 king bed) and it was tough for me to roll on. On the good side, however, the bed was an appropriate height to transfer easily.

The kitchen, living room and bathroom areas (the bathroom was kind of divided into two areas) all had a vinyl laminate type flooring. The big closet had lowered hanging bars (yay!) but carpet (boo!)

The kitchen counters seemed higher to me than what I thought they should be, and there was a panel under the sink (to hide the plumbing? because where the water comes from/goes to has to remain... magical?) that prevented me from rolling under the sink correctly. The microwave was over the stove (don't get me started) but on the plus side, there were easily accessible outlets in the kitchen were I could recharge my device batteries every night.

There was also a washer/dryer combo unit, but the washing machine stunk so badly that we didn't want to use it - it was horrifying. We ran probably a half dozen loads to see if we could wash the stink out, but it persisted

We did have 2 different opportunities to talk with managers - one was from the WL GM's office and the other was a housekeeping manager - about the things we saw, and what was good, and what should be addressed about the room. They both were surprised to see that work needed to be done to make the unit fully accessible, and both took notes (!) in our presence about our suggestions (no carpet in the bedroom, make the vanity accessible, lower the microwave, etc.).

We don't own DVC, and this was our first stay at Boulder Ridge.

Hope this helps.

 

[DisneyOma]

My initial thoughts went directly to Old Key West

Is OKW an offering for new DVC owners? I thought that was a pretty old resort, and already sold out?

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Almost all the DVC resorts are sold out at this point, with the exception of Riviera, Aulani, and maybe Copper Creek? Don't quote me on that! OKW is the original Vacation Club location (actually named Disney Vacation Club when it first opened in the early 90s, not Old Key West). But I believe through Disney, you can buy points for any resort - even those that are sold out. Or you can go through a resale broker.

 

[Deb & Bill]

My initial thoughts went directly to Old Key West - but with an asterisk! First, I am not sure it meets all of your needs, but they do have hardwood floors. They also have the largest rooms among the DVC resorts (definitely larger than Saratoga). They also have some of the nicest views from their balconies, overlooking water and/or the golf course.

That being said - the asterisk - most of their building do not have elevators. However, they have put the accessible rooms on the first floor - so you probably don't need to worry about the elevators (by the way, there are a few of the newest building that do have elevators).

Another advantage of OKW is the fact that you can park very close to your room - often right outside (if you have a car). That can be a big advantage. SSR has a similar setup. Good luck with your research - hope you find the perfect spot to enjoy your vacation time.

OKW has carpet in the bedrooms and in the studio. So if carpet is a problem, then you'll probably find that issue in most of the resorts. I don't recall any that have hard surface floors in all the rooms.

 

[AkronAaron]

Thank you so much for all of the helpful tips! Boulder Ridge is definitely on our short list, and we'll take a look at Old Key West as well. Carpet in the Bedroom is the least concerning, as long as the bed fills most of the room, because if she trips at least she can catch herself on the bed without too much damage. We have two options for buying DVC points - we are being 'family gifted' a grandfathered 50 pt contract, so we have all the DVC perks whether or not we buy a resale contract from Disney themselves, or by extra points on the standard DVC markets. Our grandfathered contract is 50 pts at BWV, and from pictures, they don't seem very conducive to wheelchair use. Last time we went, we stayed in Pop (paying out of pocket), and although the rooms weren't quite what we usually like in a vacation, they were very well set up for wheelchair users - the murphy bed was invaluable during the day for extra space, the bathrooms were perfect, it was hardwood and tile throughout, all counters were low and the tub was just the right size.

 

[mamabunny]

Thank you so much for all of the helpful tips! Boulder Ridge is definitely on our short list, and we'll take a look at Old Key West as well. Carpet in the Bedroom is the least concerning, as long as the bed fills most of the room, because if she trips at least she can catch herself on the bed without too much damage. We have two options for buying DVC points - we are being 'family gifted' a grandfathered 50 pt contract, so we have all the DVC perks whether or not we buy a resale contract from Disney themselves, or by extra points on the standard DVC markets. Our grandfathered contract is 50 pts at BWV, and from pictures, they don't seem very conducive to wheelchair use. Last time we went, we stayed in Pop (paying out of pocket), and although the rooms weren't quite what we usually like in a vacation, they were very well set up for wheelchair users - the murphy bed was invaluable during the day for extra space, the bathrooms were perfect, it was hardwood and tile throughout, all counters were low and the tub was just the right size.

Just FYI - the bedroom in the 1 bed Villa at Boulder Ridge was HUGE - you could easily move around the king bed on all 3 sides with a mobility device - I would maybe ask to tour an actual unit if possible before buying points.

Also, I believe that BR is (still) slated for a refresh/redo? I know it's been put off multiple times. They have finally started re-doing the remaining hotel rooms at WL in January, but I don't know if they will move to BR after that, or if it is even on the calendar yet.