Is an equipped room the same number of points than a normal one?
madenon said:
it's the same amount of points. I wouldn't be surprised if the ADA has some regulation in it stating that it isn't even allowed to price these accomodations higher than others, but that's where Sue's knowledge comes in handy.
It is the same.
You are correct, madenon. It is against the law to charge more for a room just because the person needs a handicapped accessible room.
You don't need anything. Do make sure to talk to the CM in Member Services (since you are a DVC member) and make sure they know what you need. If you do decide you need a fully wheelchair accessible room, they will check to make sure there is one available for the time you need it. If there is, it will actually be blocked and reserved for you. If there is not, they can give you information about which resorts do have them for the time you are going. Or, they can tell you what dates one would be available at SSR.
I have a 22 yr old daughter with cerebral palsy who has used a wheelchair since she was less than 3 yrs old.
My DH and I have stayed in a non-accessible SSR one bedroom when we were not with DD and have stayed in a fully wheelchair accessible one when she was with us. The size of the room, type of furniture and room arrangement were the very same in the handicapped and non-accessible room with a few exceptions.
The non-accessible room had a snack bar in the living room that is missing in the accessible room. The kitchen area has a little bigger opening into it and the arrangement of cabinets is slightly different to allow a wheelchair user to drive up to the sink.
The bed is a bit lower to make transfers easier. I am not positive, but the whirlpool tub might have been a few inches lower. The bathroom is where you will see differences. The fully accessible room has a higher seat toilet with grab bars next to it. The shower is a roll in shower with grab bars and a seat that folds down for showering. The showerhead is on a long hose and can either be placed into a holder that has adjustable height or it can be taken out of the holder and used as a handheld shower.
I think you need to look at whether or not the 'features' of a fully wheelchair accessible room will make your stay easier or not. Depending on your DD's needs, they may or may not.
When our DD was littler, we decided that some of the features (specifically the raised seat toilet) would make things harder for DD and for the rest of us. If you need the raised seat toilet, it is a wonderful thing and can make getting up from the toilet easier. But, if you don't need it for that purpose, the raised seat may be very inconvenient because the extra height makes it hard for people to rest their feet on the floor while sitting on the toilet. I am tall, with long legs (34 inch inseam) and it is a stretch to make my legs reach.
My DD is only 5 feet tall, so her feet are several inches off the ground while using it.
Now, we don't have a choice because DD is too big and heavy to lift into a tub, so we have to 'put up' with the raised seat toilet. The grab bars next to it are nice, but she would be more secure on a lower seat without grab bars.
Until DD was too heavy for us to put her into a tub, we just got a regular room and it worked out fine.
I have pictures of the wheelchair accessible SSR one bedroom, but have not had time to post them. I am very busy this summer, but hope to get them up this fall. I may be able to email some pictures to you if you want.