Broken ankle!!

[plucky]

We leave in 8 days for a week at the happiest place on earth, and our poor DD(11) just broke her ankle! Thankfully, it's a growth plate fracture and she has been put in a removable cast with crutches. That means she can take showers and swim, if she feels up to it. But I'm worried about the parks. She was given a prescription for a wheelchair at Disney, but I'm not sure what to do with it. I know that she won't be able to walk the parks all day, but she is hesitant to use a wheelchair. She doesn't like extra attention. How does using a Disney wheelchair work?

 

[McCall]

We leave in 8 days for a week at the happiest place on earth, and our poor DD(11) just broke her ankle! Thankfully, it's a growth plate fracture and she has been put in a removable cast with crutches. That means she can take showers and swim, if she feels up to it. But I'm worried about the parks. She was given a prescription for a wheelchair at Disney, but I'm not sure what to do with it. I know that she won't be able to walk the parks all day, but she is hesitant to use a wheelchair. She doesn't like extra attention. How does using a Disney wheelchair work?

Sorry this happened, FIrst of all I don't understand the perscription for a wheelchair at disney, you don't need a perscription you just go up to the counter and rent one.
As for how it works at disney you can go to the website and download disabled guest guides for the parks that will tell you how to access each ride with the wheelchair and if she needs to transfer or stay in the chair though it sounds like she will likely transfer.
Most rides you stay in the mainstream line until at some point they have you go a different direction to get to the boarding area. A few cases you might go in the exit or some other place. the CM's at each attraction will also direct you.

 

[alice99]

Disney charges money for the wheelchair. With the prescription your insurance will (should) cover the cost. You may have to get the wheelchair from a medical supply company to have it covered by the insurance .

Other than that, Disney doesn't care if you have a prescription or not, as long as you pay.

 

[plucky]

Yeah, the whole, "Here's a prescription for a wheelchair at Disney" comment by the doctor had me laughing! I thought he was making a joke. And then he handed me the prescription. I didn't know quite what to make of it. Where do you rent them? Can you get one at the resorts?

 

[McCall]

No not normally and the ones at resorts tend to be in crummy shape. You can of course rent them in the park near the entrance, there will be an area same place you rent strollers. You can also rent ECV's but you must be 18 for those.
You can have a WC delivered to your hotel from an outside rental place there are several in the area, I have used Walker in the past for ECV rental and I believe they do chairs as well.
That way you have it all the time not just inside the parks.
If you do rent in the park, you only pay once for each day even if you park hop, you would turn in the chair at the place you rented it and then take your receipt to the next park and they would give you one there.

 

[mechurchlady]

Check your telephone book for sales of medical supplies, I know one in Los Angeles. Explain that you have a prescription for a wheelchair. Talk to the insurance company to make sure this is allowed. They can help you.

If not buy a used one locally or rent one locally. Take the kid and the chair to boarding and ask that she be allowed to stow the wheelchair in a closet on board. If not they will gate check the chair and return it to you when you land. You can get cheap crutch holders.

If not locally then rent from Walkers or Randys as both are recommended and cheaper than Disney. Also with those sites you pay one time and that is it. Disney requires that you return the chair to the park where you rented it then go to another park and hand them the paperwork and get another chair. It took me 10 minutes in line, 7 minutes paperwork then returning was 1 minute in line and 7 minutes most of which was trying find the right paperwork. ARGH. It is way easier to have the chair dropped off at the resort or brought on the plane.

If you do not bring with you a chair then you can call the airline and have them cart the kid in a wheelchair to the boarding gate and from the unloading gate to baggage then to the front door or where ever you are exitting the building.

Most places sell or add for a fee to rentals a crutch holder.

 

[KPeveler]

check out the FAQs at the top of hte forum.

in general, a wheelchair goes through all the main lines, so you don't need to do anything special. if you rent from off-site, you can get a chair with crutch holders, so she can keep her crutches with her in the park... this way she can park the wheelchair and walk/crutch through lines such as the line at Haunted Mansion (wheelchairs miss part of the attraction if you can't walk and stand for a while - 10 mins or so) and Pirates... also, off-site wheelchairs have much better padding - park wheelchairs are terribly uncomfortable!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

What you may want to do is check with a local dealer about renting there. That way the chair will be available at the airports, etc.

The chair can be "gate checked" where they will either fold it into the closet on board or take it from you at the plane's door and return it to you at the door on arrival. And if you have to change planes it will be available at the intermediate airport.

If she will also be using crutches they can put a crutch holder on the chair for you.

 

[SueM in MN]

I answered on the thread you started on the Theme Parks Board.