Broken Ankle Help

[Sandyincanada]

HI all, my DS15 broke his ankle last week and he has switched to a walking cast today. The cast is below the knee (so theres knee movement) to his toes. I'm not sure if he'll use his crutches or if I can talk him into a wheelchair as I'm sure it would be very hard to use crutches with all the distances you travel.

I have a good feel of Usf/IOA as I asked on that board already but how about Disney? Does anyone know if there are rides he will not be allowed on because of the cast? The website doesn't specify. He will be able to baord the rides himself (slowly, lol) so that shouldn't be a problem. He loves all the thrill rides. I'm going to post this on strategies as well....need all the help I can get, lol.

Any information, help, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks
Sandy

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Because of the distances (once around World Showcase is 1.3 miles) a wc would be an absolute necessity. One thing to do would be check with some of the off-site rentals (See disABILITES FAQ which is the #4 Sticky on this forum) to see about getting a wc with a crutchholder attachment.

Normally I would suggest an ECV as opposed to a wc, but usually one cannot be rented for a person under 18.

 

[SueM in MN]

I agree with Cheshire Figment.
Most people don't realize how much walking there is until they have been there. You can easily walk between 3 and 9 miles per day.

If you go to the official Disney website, you can find a text version of the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities for each park.
It isn't very detailed, but does give some general information about the rides. They used to have a FAQ about going on rides with leg casts, but it was mostly regarding which rides had enough room in the ride car for a full leg cast. I don't know why they removed it, but they did.
NOTE: I took the links out of this thread. I'm not sure why they did not work. There are links in the disABILITIES FAQs thread that do work
There is a link in the disABILITIES Board FAQs thread about boarding rides if you need extra time.

Another suggestion is to ask the CM right outside the ride (the greeter) if the ride would cause any difficulty with a leg cast. Or, you can ask the CMs at the Status/Information Board near the entrance to each park (you'll find the location marked with an i on the park map. THose CMs can tell you all sorts of things about the rides (including the usualk times to get on with a short wait).

If you have specific questions about any particular rides, post away, and we'll try to help you out.

 

[Sandyincanada]

Thanks for your help. I can't get into your links, Sue but I have gone through the site. For casts, it said something like Guests with casts or limb braces will be restricted from riding certain rides where the cast or brace may present a hazard to the guest or others. His main concern would be the big rides like RnR, TT, BTM, SM, Star Tours. He i so disappointed already, I guess I'm hoping to prepare him in case there are any fav rides he will not be allowed to do.

 

[FutureAshleyDukes]

Oh your post brings back memories! I broke my ankle when I was in high school, so I completely understand what your son is going through. I was actually his age when it happened. I would recommend a wheelchair, definitely not crutches his arms would get sooo tired. When I broke my ankle I had a full leg cast for a few weeks and then went to a walking cast. If you are driving I would recommend asking your doctor for a temporary handicap parking sticker. We made a trip to six flags when I had a cast and it really helped us that my doctor was able to get us the sticker. This was when I had the full leg cast, so I wasn't able to ride any of the rides, and we also rented a wheelchair.

 

[java]

Again a tip to stop at guest services as you enter the parks. I was able to get a "disablity pass" two years ago when I broke my foot. It allowed us to go on the rides fast pass lanes- all the rides any time. My kids are asking if I can break my foot again this trip.LOL It was a good time saver since it took me so long getting around. I was able to hobble around WDW more tough at Epcot and ended up with a scooter.

 

[Ahrizel]

The disability ride pass you refer to the Guest Asistance Card-GAC as it is refered to on these boards. They are to help the cm's understand what assitance you need, they are not to skip lines. If you are in a wheelchair you will mostly be in the main queues as the are accessible. The wait for a w/c user may actually be longer for those waiting for an accesible car, depening on the number of others waiting or the number of w/c spaces at a show. They do encourage you to use fastpass where available, but a gac is not a auto fastpass card. The only ones who get front of the line are the wish kids. Just to let you know.

 

[Sandyincanada]

Thanks, I'm going to have him read these posts...he insists he'll be fine with his crutches but I think it would be very hard. But hes a teenage boy, lol, speaks for itself. Wonder if he would let me paint his cast lime green?

thanks for the replies.....appreciate them

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Thanks, I'm going to have him read these posts...he insists he'll be fine with his crutches but I think it would be very hard. But hes a teenage boy, lol, speaks for itself. Wonder if he would let me paint his cast lime green?

One thing to do is instead of painting it lime green, have the person who will be removing it draw a line where it will be cut for removal. Then bring several large "Sharpies" and have the characters autograph the cast. Tell them, when signing, not to cross the line with their signature. Once he is out of the cast he will have an interesting souvenier.

 

[SueM in MN]

The Guest Assistance Card does say right on the card that it is not meant to shorten or elimnate waits in line. It is basically a tool to let CMs know what sorts of assistance a guest with a disability needs. Most of the lines are wheelchair accessible, so guest with wheelchairs or ecvs, in general, will be waiting in the same lines with everyone else.

A handicapped parking permit may or may not help you. What some people have found is that the fact that the handicapped parking area doesn't have trams is a disadvantage. You can explain to the CM directing parking that you have a guest with a mobility problem and they will direct you to a parking spot in the regular lot that is close to the tram stop.
There are some wheelchairs in the handicapped parking area that you can use to get to the park entrance (and from there, you can rent a wheelchair). There is no guarantee that there will be a wheelchair for you to use when you get to the parking area, though.

 

[FutureAshleyDukes]

Thanks, I'm going to have him read these posts...he insists he'll be fine with his crutches but I think it would be very hard. But hes a teenage boy, lol, speaks for itself. Wonder if he would let me paint his cast lime green?

thanks for the replies.....appreciate them

That's a cute idea, but whoo wee those things STINK when you take them off. Considering your leg sweats alot and you can't exactly wash your leg. Most walking casts aren't made out of plaster, if you have a plastic one that you get to keep you could always bring a silver sharpee for them to sign I guess. I was ready to burn my cast by the time it came off. It was so difficult having to adjust to wearing a cast. I'm sure it's really hard on your son.

 

[Sandyincanada]

lol, good ideas, thanks.

We tend to go for park opening and its Feb so line-ups shouldn't be a big problem anyways. Will a GAC allow him to sit somewhere and let us wait in line if he insists on trying the crutches? I know people get ummm testy when others do this but he should sit as much as possible. hmmm, and if he has crutches, what on earth do we do with them when we are on the ride? They can be left with the wheelchairs to retreive afterwards?

So many questions, sorry.

 

[ktglads]

Your son will exhaust himself if he goes all day on crutches. To crutch takes roughly 125% more energy than just walking. Its not just the arms, but the hands, shoulders, and stomach that ache when you go long distances on those things. I would reccommend getting him a wheelchair and bringing the crutches to the parks with you. This way he will be able to get up and move around if he wants to but not that he has to. Its tough to admit that you need the help, but really its better than killing yourself to prove your independence

If you are planning on leaving the crutches while on rides, which I assume that Disney will allow, mark them just in case. I took scrapbooking stickers and had my initials and the Mickey heads in Epcot flags on mine to help them stand out, just in case.

A quick tip for the walking cast. If his is anything like mine - storm trooper like boot with a lot of velco straps, wear a high tube sock under there at all times. Yes, it may be warm, but it helps keep the sweat away from the material that could really become foul after awhile.

 

[SueM in MN]

lol, good ideas, thanks.

We tend to go for park opening and its Feb so line-ups shouldn't be a big problem anyways. Will a GAC allow him to sit somewhere and let us wait in line if he insists on trying the crutches? I know people get ummm testy when others do this but he should sit as much as possible. hmmm, and if he has crutches, what on earth do we do with them when we are on the ride? They can be left with the wheelchairs to retreive afterwards?

So many questions, sorry.

One of the problems with many of the rides/attractions is that there is not any place to place to sit and wait either around the attraction or in line (unless you bring your seat with you by using a wheelchair). Some have a place where you could sit nearby, but don't have a way to get to the front of the line once your family reaches it.

When you rent a wheelchair for him (if you rent from home and bring one with you or from one of the off-site places), you can request crutch holders. These will hold the crutches while he is in the wheelchair and you can place the crutches in the holders, or just lean them against the wheelchair when he gets out. For some rides, he might find it easier to use the crutches to get on - he can either take the crutches on the ride with him or the CMs who are loading people will usually take the crutches from you if let them know. For most of the "rougher" rides or roller coasters, you would leave the crutches with the wheelchair.
One thing to keep in mind is that even though this is all new to your family, the CMs see people in casts every day, so things are likely to go a bit smoother than it seems they will right now. And, after a day or 2, you will be old hands at this.

Hope you all have a great time.

 

[Sandyincanada]

Thank you very much. I think my panic has lessened with all your help. His FATHER drove him to school this morning and let him go without crutches and all I heard from him when I picked him up was he's fine, great, no pain, no need for crutches so I'm sure we'll have a fight getting him in a wheelchair. But he's 15 so we may let him see for himself, I figure by mid-morning, he'll be asking for one, lol. I think I'll get a GAC just in case we run into loading issues but he seems to be moving around great, I'm amazed actually.

Thanks for all your help and sorry for being a pest.... you guys are the best

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for all your help and sorry for being a pest.... you guys are the best

That's what we're here for. LOL
And, honestly, you are not being a pest. Think of it this way,if we didn't have anyone coming here and posting questions for us, the regulars on this board would get pretty lonely.