Broken Ankle, in cast, have a question

[CAGirl]

My husband broke his ankle and is in a cast and now is thinking about canceling our trip. Can someone please tell me what the guidelines are for riding rides with a cast. If he is able to ride and still have fun we will still go, but if he cant he is not interested in going at all and I cant blame him but I really dont want to change our dates.

Thanks Deanna

 

[wdwoldtimer]

I would think if the cast is from the knee down, he could probably ride everything. As long as he's comfortable.

 

[Minybear]

I do not believe there is any restricitons on a cast from the knee down on riding the rides. In my opinion he can definately ride all the rides. The only issue is the swelling of his foot. When he puts his foot down it will swell up and really hurt.

 

[Judy from Boise]

If you are interested in learning lots of great tips for touring in a Wheelchair etc....visit our DISabilities board too
If you would like we can even link your question over there.

 

[Renee']

CAGirl,

We've got the same dilemma. Our 9 year old daughter broke her leg 3 weeks ago. Our trip is this coming Friday, January 11th. When she first broke it I was going to cancel but thought I 'd call WDW and inquire first. I was told they will not limit anyone from riding anything as long as they can get themselves into the ride. We also will have a complimentary wheel chair waiting for us at our resort. While it isn't the preferred state to be in I don't think it will be all that bad. She's kind of looking forward to riding in the wheelchair. Unless he's very uncomfortable it may be a nice way of passing a few more days in that miserable cast.

I also had a brainstorm the other day. I thought maybe we'd take a permanent magic marker with us and we'll have the characters sign her cast.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

 

[SueM in MN]

If you want, you can follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES Board.
Since Search is disabled right now, I can't find it, but there was a thread in the last month or so about going to WDW with a leg cast.
First of all, even if he is in a walking cast, you will probably want to look into renting a wheelchair or ecv. You can rent them from the parks, but it is less expensive to rent from one of the off-site vendors and you will also have it all the time, not just at the parks. Here are the companies that DISers have reported renting from:
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/

Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com

RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/

Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html

According to the official WDW site, there are no restrictions on going on rides, even with a full leg cast. Keep in mind that some rides may be difficult to get into. Some have kind of narrow doors or have a few steps down (Jungle Cruise, Pirates). If he can bear weight, it might not be much of a problem. If he can't, some of the rides will be a little hard to get on. Anything is do-able though. My DD has been on everything except Space Mountain, BTMRR, Rock N Roller Coaster and Kali River Ride. And she can't even stand up without us completely supporting her.
Here's a link to the DIS page listing rides that you can stay in a wheelchair for.

 

[CarolAnnC]

I broke my leg two weeks ago and I have found tons of information on the Disabilities board. I am planning a Disneyland trip in 2 weeks and you will find all your helpful answers and tips over there. I am directing this post to that board. Best wishes to all...

 

[mom5417]

My daughter has a medical condition that gives her severe pain in her legs and tightens her heel cords so several times she has had to use a wheelchair. The one nice thing is that you don't always have to wait in all the long lines. Tell your husband to enjoy the special attention.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

This is a "standard" reply. Parts may duplicate other posts, or provide information which does not apply. However, most of it should be useful to you.

You may be better off renting an ECV, as pushing a wheelchair can get very tiresome, especially if you are not used to it. Also it depends on the weight of the passenger and the condition of the pusher(s). Some information for off-site rentals are:

Here are the urls:

Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/

Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com

RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/

Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html

I have used Walker a few times. They will ask for a credit card and charge it the day before arrival. They will deliver the ECV to your hotel bell services before your arrival and pick it up there after your departure. Their rates, especially for longer than a week, are much better than Disney's. Also, their scooters are much better.

You don't say if you are renting a car or what. If you are using a car for getting around, the ECVs break down into five pieces, the heaviest about 39 pounds. They take about a minute or so to take apart and about two minutes (once you are used to it) to put it together.

Another suggestion is find out your state's requirements for a temporary disabled hang tag and get the paper work and have your doctor sign off on it. The tag will allow you to use any of the handicap parking areas (which will be a necessity). Also, with the policy of charging for valet parking, with a handicap hang tag the fees will be waived. Also the valets will usually volunteer to assist in loading/unloading an ECV. In Virginia I printed the required form from the DMV website. When I took the completed form to the DMV Office it took less than 15 minutes from the time I walked in until I had my tag.

If you are in a cast, you might want to have the person who puts it on you draw a line with a marker where it will be sawn off. Then bring a "Sharpie" type marker pen with you and have the Characters sign the cast. Warn them when signing to not cross the line. After the cast is removed you will have an interesting souvenier.

You can use a bungee cord to help keep crutches or a folded up walker on the EVC or wheelchair. Usually it would be a short walk with the crutches from the wheelchair or EVC.

Good luck and let us know what finally happens.

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm glad you posted Cheshire Figment. I think one of the "disappearing posts" on this thread was about loading an ecv.
i just wanted to mention that most of the rides and attractions at WDW are what is called "Mainstream Access"> this means that people in wheelchairs, ecvs or with special needs will most of the time be waiting in line with everyone else. This change has gradually taken place over the last 5 years as lines have been widened and sometimes changed to make room for wheelchairs/ecvs to wait in them.