Broken ankle on DD13

[TheMightyOb]

So, manythanks to a reckless soccer opponent, we have a child with a broken ankle. How screwed is our trip going to be? We were to be flying out on the 28th. There is no way she will be walking without crutches by then...

 

[rwdavis2]

Rent a wheel chair.

 

[Itinkso]

Check on the Disability board to find Medical Supply companies to see if they will rent a rolling scooter for her to use... the one where she rests the injured leg on it and propels it with her other leg (knee walker).

I don't think medical supply companies rent ECVs to someone that young. You can always rent a wheelchair and have it delivered to your resort. The company picks it up at the resort at the end of your stay.

 

[anniemae]

Oh my goodness that stinks! I agree about trying to rent a wheelchair. What did her doctor say?

 

[verleniahall]

I would see about an ECV - saw several younger kids using them at the parks when we were there in september.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

How bad of a break is it? I broke both bone and had to have plates. It took me several years to be able to handle Disney on that ankle. I'd definitely talk to the doc. Even if she were to be able to be in a walking boot, that would be torture to try do around the park all day long. You will need a scooter or wheel chair and I'd be concerned about transferring on a lot of rides, because she will probably need to put weight on it to slide in sideways on the rides.

 

[lanejudy]

I agree with the suggestions for renting a wheelchair. You can rent one onsite at the parks, but it will probably be less expensive to rent offsite plus you'll have it to/from transportation and around your resort. Crutches will be tiring after a very short time, so would a walking boot if she gets one of those. The disABILITIES FAQ thread pinned near the top of the disABILITIES Forum has information about offsite vendors. Depending on your daughter's size, a pediatric wheelchair may be more comfortable than full-sized adult chair.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

I agree about the pediatric wheelchair. I'm an adult and some of the full sized wheelchairs are too big.

 

[jade1]

That's to bad. There are a lot of improvements in this area-maybe you can find a possible solution that might help. Good luck.

 

[butsy113]

I would look at the rolling scooters. I work in surgery, and our orthopedic doc always has our young patients using those. Most are athletes and in good shape. They don't want to be tied down, and still go to class etc. The scooters work really well in crowded hallways at school. You could rent one at home for her to use and take with you. Then also have a plan for a wheelchair if she thinks she will need it. I'm not sure the severity of the break, but in 2 weeks she may be walking well in a walking cast, and just need to break more frequently. The scooter would definitely help with this! Kids heal so quickly!

 

[disnut8]

I had to tour Disney World in wheelchair and I'm a very small adult. I rented from offsite and was told to put in my height and weight and got a smaller than normal wheelchair. It was perfect for my body size but not great since I wanted to take my walker with me but the walker was too big. When I wanted to walk, I just used the wheelchair as my walker and it worked out fine.

Not sure of your child's driving capabilities but pushing a wheelchair for a thirteen year old is not that bad. I'd do the manual one and I think everyone can fun pushing the child around. You can even make a sign for the back that says something like "overaggressive soccer opponent but I learned from them so watch out!". You can also take small soccer balls to hang from the chair.

We rented from offsite and the chair was there when we checked in and we just left it at the front desk when we checked out.

Just as an aside - just about all Disney World queues are wheelchair friendly so you all can stay together in the lines. If a wheelchair can't go through the queue, the entrance Cast Member will direct your family where to go.

Using a wheelchair at Disney World is fairly simple.

 

[jmkjr72]

First things first in what does the Dr say it doesn't matter what people on here suggest as an idea unless they are a MD and have access to your daughters records they don't know the exact extend of her injury
if the Dr says a wheelchair or crutches then that's it she is on crutches or in a chair
if a Dr says some one of those contraption are fine then use one of them

 

[larryz]

Well, maybe your DD can become an "honorary Cast Member"...

 

[nemodeb]

You're not screwed. You will just need to take things a little slower and have a bit more patience. I don't know if this is your first trip, or if you've been before and know what to expect. First off, as others have said, take the doctor's advice for mobility options. Then, go have fun. You'll be at Walt Disney World!

 

[lroger01]

I'm surprised someone hasn't invented a walk-behind wheelchair that works like a walk-behind lawn mower. The rider doesn't have to steer (good for kids and some [many] seniors) and the pusher doesn't exhaust themselves pushing the thing. Just squeeze the handle and move forward. Is there something I'm missing here?

 

[jade1]

I'm surprised someone hasn't invented a walk-behind wheelchair that works like a walk-behind lawn mower. The rider doesn't have to steer (good for kids and some [many] seniors) and the pusher doesn't exhaust themselves pushing the thing. Just squeeze the handle and move forward. Is there something I'm missing here?

Attendant-controlled


Tzora Sampson attendant-controlled power drive
The attendant-controlled power drive is made to assist an attendant in propelling a manual wheelchair. The drive unit is usually a motor connected to a heavy-duty wheel or set of wheels that attaches under the wheelchair and drives the wheelchair via the control unit. The power drive can be easily removed from the wheelchair when it is unneeded (e.g. for indoor use) and for folding and stowing the wheelchair. The add-on weight of this type of propulsion assist device ranges from 40 to 70 pounds, including the battery. The battery typically lasts for 6-16 miles of continuous use, and no width is added to the wheelchair since the unit attaches under the chair. Commercially available models include Frank Mobility’s viamobil, Tzora Sampson, Decon e-walk, and Excel Click &

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I would see about an ECV - saw several younger kids using them at the parks when we were there in september.

I don't think Disney allows them unless they are personal ones for the child using it.

 

[SharonLowe]

I broke my foot last August; ended up having surgery in December. As much as I liked my knee scooter around the house and for short trips, I would not recommend one for WDW. They require much more effort than one would think and put a lot of pressure on your "good" leg. I would recommend renting a wheelchair or ECV from one of WDW's preferred vendors. You will be able to store it at your resort, use it on the WDW buses, and have it when you need it 24 hours a day. If you rent from the parks, you will only be able to use it at the parks.

 

[verleniahall]

I don't think Disney allows them unless they are personal ones for the child using it.

Not true - one of themhad a buenavistascooters sign on it

 

[Gracie09]

Not true - one of themhad a buenavistascooters sign on it

Ok then the person who rented it lied to the ecv company and if they got caught would be in violation of their contract. Tehe contracts for all the rental agencies and Disney require the driver to be 18 or older. Walkers does allow an older teen driver but they have meet with them and assess if they can handle the ecv and are mature enough. Driving an ecv can be mentally tiring. Much like driving a car through a crowd of people you have to watch everyone and everywhere. Add in a lot of young kids and people just not paying attention is a tough job for an adult, never mind a kid.