Buses and people on scooters...

[honugirl]

A little OT but I wanted to share this.
My grandmother once told me a story about when my Aunt was younger. (she is now deceased) They went to the store and parked in handicapped parking. They did have a placard so they were not parked illegally. Now to look at them you would see a mother and her young adult dd. What you would never know is that my Aunt had a terminal illness and bad heart problems. She was able to walk but not long distances. She was beautiful and had no outward signs of her illness. A person pulled up to them and yelled at my grandmother and Aunt for parking in the handicapped stall because they were healthy. My grandmother was so mad and told the person in a very colorful way that my Aunt had heart problems and to go...well you get the picture.
How my grandmother only wished that her dd was healthy. She would have parked in the farthest space and carried her on her shoulders screaming to the heavens if she was healthy. I always remember that story because it upset not only my grandmother but my Aunt as well who was battling her illness.
So you can't really tell if someone is ill by looking at them but I do hope that those of them that are faking never ever have to see what it is like to really be ill.
Sorry to get OT-
Back to our regularly scheduled thread!

Your story really resonated with me. This is part of the reason that many of us that truly need the ECV's don't get them. Especially in my age range. I'm only 30. Outwardly I look healthy. On the inside is another story. My body is destroying itself. I can barely walk around the mall without stopping to rest a few times. I used to referee high level ice hockey, I'd even been to the Olympic Training Center to train for it before my disease/tumor hit. Most "healthy" people don't realize what I would give to not have to use an ECV. While they see it as convenience, I see it as a ball and chain.

 

[aubriee]

However, I think you could agree that not every person that rides on a scooter really needs one for what you would consider a real disability. Do I begrudge them? No, but I can't help but wonder how lazy you could be if you TRULY DON'T NEED ONE and you still get one because you don't want to walk. I also have no way of knowing which people these are. :

Excuse me for quoting only part of your response, but I want to address only this part. When I take my 75 y/o mom to WDW she has no choice except to use an ECV. She needs both knees replaced, but refuses to allow it because she is afraid she will not heal. She is also a very brittle diabetic, has high blood pressure, has problems dealing with heat, and has sudden weak spells that the doctor can find no reason for, as well as several other problems. She has a really hard time with transferring from a sitting position to standing and her knees kill her when she tries to walk. They frequently give way on her and she falls. Around here she refuses to use any assistive device, but knows she must use an ECV at WDW. She loves Disney, so she gives in to her limitations. Every time we go to Disney we pay over $250.00 to rent her an ECV. She then has to put up with all the comments, looks, eye rolling, and etc from people every time she needs to get on a bus. I can't see people spending that amount of money and putting up with all the abuse from other guests, if they didn't really need an ECV.

If you go back to Bavaria's first (or maybe second) post and follow the link she gave, it is a link to a report I gave when we returned from WDW in Sept. My mom lost my dad just two months ago (on March 10th) after a very long bout with alzheimers, cancer, renal problems, and a fractured hip he suffered when he fell this past Nov. I had to almost force her to go on that trip in Sept. She desperately needed a break. She was almost ready to drop from stress. Once we got down there, she had to suffer from rude bus drivers who didn't want to deal with an ECV and rude guests who didn't want to wait just a few minutes for her to get on the bus. She swore when we got back that she'd never return to WDW again and as of right now she is keeping to that vow. She loves Disney and I'd love to be able to talk her into going back with me, but right now she says she can't deal with the rude bus drivers and all the glares and eye rolling from the other guests that ECV users receive. Maybe some of the other posters are right and this sweet woman who just lost her husband of 57 years, doesn't deserve to go to Disney. She doesn't deserve to be able to get out and about and enjoy herself after caring for him for so long. She doesn't deserve to see her great grandchildren experience Disney for the first time. Afterall if she goes, someone might have to wait a few minutes for her to get the ECV on a bus. Just FYI: an ECV does not get you to the front of the line for rides. In fact, if she stayed on the ECV we usually had to wait longer for a ride vehicle that accepts an ECV to become available. We may have waited in a different place, but we frequently waited longer, than if we could have gone through the regular lines. She may have been the first on a bus, but she was also the last off.

 

[cindermomma]

My dad has Muscular Dystrophy and has to use a wheelchair/scooter. When my family is at Disney and a person or family with an ECV happens to go ahead of us at the bus, or in line, that is just fine with us. I see my dad struggle, as well as my mom who takes care of him. If one of his perks to his life is that he might get to go ahead of my family, who can stand just fine, then I say GOOD!! And I say this for all other families who need an EVC. Health problems are a hard, horrible thing to deal with. If on their vacation, they get a *perk* (if you want to call it that), so be it. I know that at home, those perks are definately gone.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I don't think anyone is miffed at people who need a scooter. That would be ridiculous. I think people are miffed because there are people who don't really need a scooter but get one anyway. Of course there is no way to tell but we know it happens.

 

[livndisney]

Excuse me for quoting only part of your response, but I want to address only this part. When I take my 75 y/o mom to WDW she has no choice except to use an ECV. She needs both knees replaced, but refuses to allow it because she is afraid she will not heal. She is also a very brittle diabetic, has high blood pressure, has problems dealing with heat, and has sudden weak spells that the doctor can find no reason for, as well as several other problems. She has a really hard time with transferring from a sitting position to standing and her knees kill her when she tries to walk. They frequently give way on her and she falls. Around here she refuses to use any assistive device, but knows she must use an ECV at WDW. She loves Disney, so she gives in to her limitations. Every time we go to Disney we pay over $250.00 to rent her an ECV. She then has to put up with all the comments, looks, eye rolling, and etc from people every time she needs to get on a bus. I can't see people spending that amount of money and putting up with all the abuse from other guests, if they didn't really need an ECV.

If you go back to Bavaria's first (or maybe second) post and follow the link she gave, it is a link to a report I gave when we returned from WDW in Sept. My mom lost my dad just two months ago (on March 10th) after a very long bout with alzheimers, cancer, renal problems, and a fractured hip he suffered when he fell this past Nov. I had to almost force her to go on that trip in Sept. She desperately needed a break. She was almost ready to drop from stress. Once we got down there, she had to suffer from rude bus drivers who didn't want to deal with an ECV and rude guests who didn't want to wait just a few minutes for her to get on the bus. She swore when we got back that she'd never return to WDW again and as of right now she is keeping to that vow. She loves Disney and I'd love to be able to talk her into going back with me, but right now she says she can't deal with the rude bus drivers and all the glares and eye rolling from the other guests that ECV users receive. Maybe some of the other posters are right and this sweet woman who just lost her husband of 57 years, doesn't deserve to go to Disney. She doesn't deserve to be able to get out and about and enjoy herself after caring for him for so long. She doesn't deserve to see her great grandchildren experience Disney for the first time. Afterall if she goes, someone might have to wait a few minutes for her to get the ECV on a bus. Just FYI: an ECV does not get you to the front of the line for rides. In fact, if she stayed on the ECV we usually had to wait longer for a ride vehicle that accepts an ECV to become available. We may have waited in a different place, but we frequently waited longer, than if we could have gone through the regular lines. She may have been the first on a bus, but she was also the last off.

I started writing a post very much like this, but deleted it knowing it would not change the small minds. Sadly, people feel THEY are able to tell who is "faking" and who isn't. They just "know". All with never having set foot in medical school. I have heard the complaints and seen the eye rolls. Maybe we should all start wearing signs that list our disabilities......

 

[Chuck S]

Maybe we should all start wearing signs that list our disabilities......

Or maybe just a T-shirt that says "Yes, I do have medical needs for the ECV!"

 

[livndisney]

Or maybe just a T-shirt that says "Yes, I do have medical needs for the ECV!"

That might even save space in a suitcase LOL

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Or maybe just a T-shirt that says "Yes, I do have medical needs for the ECV!"

And on the other side of that T shirt it should say:

"So Bite Me and Mind Your Own Business! Have a Disney Day!"

 

[honugirl]

I started writing a post very much like this, but deleted it knowing it would not change the small minds. Sadly, people feel THEY are able to tell who is "faking" and who isn't. They just "know". All with never having set foot in medical school. I have heard the complaints and seen the eye rolls. Maybe we should all start wearing signs that list our disabilities......

I like this idea.

And on the other side of that T shirt it should say:

"So Bite Me and Mind Your Own Business! Have a Disney Day!"

I also really like this too!

The last time I was there I wore my T-shirts that said "stupid tumor" on them thinking that maybe people would get a clue... nope. I've got some in my arsenal now that say "Cushing's Survivor" so I'll throw those into the mix. Maybe they'll finally start to get it...

 

[livndisney]

I like this idea.



I also really like this too!

The last time I was there I wore my T-shirts that said "stupid tumor" on them thinking that maybe people would get a clue... nope. I've got some in my arsenal now that say "Cushing's Survivor" so I'll throw those into the mix. Maybe they'll finally start to get it...

I saw one that said "keep watching-I might do a trick" LOL

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I started writing a post very much like this, but deleted it knowing it would not change the small minds. Sadly, people feel THEY are able to tell who is "faking" and who isn't. They just "know". All with never having set foot in medical school. I have heard the complaints and seen the eye rolls. Maybe we should all start wearing signs that list our disabilities......

I am not trying to start an argument here but this is quite offensive. Not one person on this thread said that they can tell who is faking it or who isn't. The point that was brought up was that yes, some people do rent ECV's because they are lazy and not because they really need one. That doesn't mean that every person who rents one is faking it etc. It just means that SOME people are. It's the same thing as the people who pretend to need a GAC pass. Yes, those people are out there. We all know this. It is no different.

I really find it offensive that you consider people to have a "small mind" when you are clearly missing what some of us are trying to say. If you have a medical condition then none of this even applies to you. This complaint, for lack of a better word, is about those people who are full of it and rent the ECV. I would think that as a person with a true medical condition would find it very offensive and hurtful and rude that somebody would make such light of it that they would fake an illness to get their perceived "perks".

The point is that not everyone truly needs one. I have no idea which people those are nor will you. However, you are not going to convince me that every person riding one genuinely needs it.

 

[bavaria]

I started writing a post very much like this, but deleted it knowing it would not change the small minds. Sadly, people feel THEY are able to tell who is "faking" and who isn't. They just "know". All with never having set foot in medical school. I have heard the complaints and seen the eye rolls.

The people with those superduper medical degrees who can diagnose and prescribe treatment in one glance can actually also diagnose over the interweb, believe it or not!

I was giving advice to someone about flying with a minor injury and received nasty mail that I had no idea about the subject. Er, okay!

I am flattered that some people have a mental picture of me and apparently know my medical history, but it did make me chuckle based on my real life situation.

For those people who post 'I don't mean those who really need it', does it matter in the end if we believe that someone 'needs' an ECV or not? It costs a lot of money to rent an ECV for a week, and if someone does so they will learn very quickly that it gives them no perks, and makes their trip usually more miserable with increased wait times, looks, and comments. For those who really need an ECV, even the increased wait times, looks, and comments will be an improvement over what their trip would be like with no ECV.

If someone goes to that effort and still keeps the ECV then I would assume that they feel that they have a valid reason for doing so. It really isn't my place to decide for them.

 

[tink1969]

Wow! I never expected my post to cause such a stir! Warning...this is a long one.

I do agree with some of you regarding people who "abuse the sytem". These are the people who don't REALLY require an ECV/disability placard, etc.
A few years ago, I broke my foot. I was in a cast for 3 months and used crutches. I still parked in the regular parking area and hobbled along. (Luckily it was my left foot that broke so I could still drive).
A month after my cast was taken off, my neighbor broke her left foot. (how ironic is that?) Well, the day after she had her cast on, I see a disability placard in her car windshield. I couln't believe it! I spoke with her and asked her about the disability placard. Her response was "Well why not? I might as well take advantage of having a broken foot."
Are you kidding me? That's just plain ignorant!

Now to those of you who argue that not all disabilities are visible. I agree 100%. Up until March 16, 2009. I was disabled for 1 1/2 years. Why?....you wouldn't know it to look at me. I wasn't able to wear a shoe on my right foot for 1 1/2 years. I'm not kidding.....I was in agony. The pressure on my foot was unbearable. I had a lump growing on the side of my foot and doctor's couldn't dianose it. The only thing I could stand to wear were loose fitting fuzzy slippers. Boy, I looked great at the office wearing business attire and fuzzy slippers. Finally!...finally! After more x-rays, (the first radiologist read my xray wrong) the surgeon found that the K-wire in my big toe from bunion surgery 18 years ago, decided to make a left turn in my bone and was making it's way out of my foot. So on March 16/09 I had surgery to remove this wire from the bone in my foot.
The whole point of my "foot" story is that when I was in Disney last August, I could barely walk. I padded the lump on my foot with gauze and bandages and as much as it pained me, I wore Crocs. Fuzzy slippers in August would have been brutal on my feet. So yes, I was a little disgruntled when at the end of a long day, I had to wait in a long line for 2 or 3 busses before I got on one of them. Now, had I decided to abuse the system, I would have rented an ECV and would have been happy that I was given priority seating on the Disney busses. My integrity wouldn't allow me to do that. I felt that the rental ECV's should be saved for those who really need it.
I kept seeing a man and a woman both on ECV's booting around the parks on their ECV's. Yet, somehow, when back at the resort, they were able to walk back and forth from the pool to their hotel room then to the bar, etc. No problems walking there? Now I wonder why that is?

To get back to my original post....I was only questioning why ECV/wheelchair users were given priority on a bus. I felt thay they should wait like those standing in line and who were there ahead of them. Again, I wasn't questioning their need for an ECV, just their priority in a waiting line.

 

[crashbb]

I really find it offensive that you consider people to have a "small mind" when you are clearly missing what some of us are trying to say. If you have a medical condition then none of this even applies to you. This complaint, for lack of a better word, is about those people who are full of it and rent the ECV. I would think that as a person with a true medical condition would find it very offensive and hurtful and rude that somebody would make such light of it that they would fake an illness to get their perceived "perks".

But the OP (quoted below) did NOT start a thread about people who cheat the system the "complaint" was about anyone in a scooter (her/his term). So, yay, it does apply even to those with a medical condition.

And, I agree - people trying to cheat the system really annoy me. However, since I can't tell the difference between those with a need and those without, I just don't even bother worrying about it.

I just wanted to get other people's opinions regarding people on scooters and the Disney transportation buses.
I remember being at Disney a couple of years ago and waiting in the bus line at the end of our day at MK. The lineup was huge and people were hot and tired. The lineup was so long that it probably was about 3 busloads.
About 1 minute before the bus arrived, a couple, each on scooter, showed up at the "disabled" gate. Of course the driver got off the bus and then had to go through the whole routine of getting them on the bus and secured in positon before he allowed the able bodied passengers on.
Just because they ride on a scooter they get ahead of everyone else?
How is that justifiable? We have to stand in line after day on walking and being in the hot sun while they have been sitting down.....why shouldn't they have to wait like the rest of us?
Am I wrong to feel this way?

 

[Chuck S]

Now to those of you who argue that not all disabilities are visible. I agree 100%. Up until March 16, 2009. I was disabled for 1 1/2 years. Why?....you wouldn't know it to look at me. I wasn't able to wear a shoe on my right foot for 1 1/2 years. I'm not kidding.....I was in agony. The pressure on my foot was unbearable. I had a lump growing on the side of my foot and doctor's couldn't dianose it. The only thing I could stand to wear were loose fitting fuzzy slippers. Boy, I looked great at the office wearing business attire and fuzzy slippers. Finally!...finally! After more x-rays, (the first radiologist read my xray wrong) the surgeon found that the K-wire in my big toe from bunion surgery 18 years ago, decided to make a left turn in my bone and was making it's way out of my foot. So on March 16/09 I had surgery to remove this wire from the bone in my foot.
The whole point of my "foot" story is that when I was in Disney last August, I could barely walk. I padded the lump on my foot with gauze and bandages and as much as it pained me, I wore Crocs. Fuzzy slippers in August would have been brutal on my feet. So yes, I was a little disgruntled when at the end of a long day, I had to wait in a long line for 2 or 3 busses before I got on one of them. Now, had I decided to abuse the system, I would have rented an ECV and would have been happy that I was given priority seating on the Disney busses. My integrity wouldn't allow me to do that. I felt that the rental ECV's should be saved for those who really need it.

There is no way in the world I would have hobbled around in pain, with my foot wrapped in gauze, bandages and tape. What does integrity have to do with not getting an ECV when you obviously should have had one. Whenever I've had medical issues, doctors have said if you are in pain, you aren't healing. Why in the world would anyone think that is an "abuse" of the system?

I kept seeing a man and a woman both on ECV's booting around the parks on their ECV's. Yet, somehow, when back at the resort, they were able to walk back and forth from the pool to their hotel room then to the bar, etc. No problems walking there? Now I wonder why that is?

There could be lots of reasons people could walk around a resort and not the several miles a theme park requires. That is the point of a "hidden disability." Heart problems, breathing problems, stamina issues, there are a LOT of conditions that would allow someone to do that at a resort, but not at the parks. Most people in ECVs have limited mobility, allowing them to walk comfortably at home...but they can't run a marathon or walk several miles in a stretch.

Mom does fine around the house, goes a little slow in the grocery store, but still gets around. But she's wiped out from pain by the time she'd walk from a bus to Tomorrowland. And after being in a pool or hot tub, it is like she has a second wind. Hydrotherapy for joint replacements can do wonders. She also has a wire clip, from her first botched hip replacement, imbedded in her muscle. It couldn't be removed without causing so much tissue damage to the muscle and nerve, she may never be able to walk again. Too much walking causes her extreme pain, but again, she gets around the resorts and at home, just fine...not the parks. And steep ramps for her are killers.

Again, there is no way to know just what someones medical problem may be, and I honestly have no desire to waste time on my vacation trying to judge whether someone really "needs" that ECV or not. Honestly, regardless of what everyone that doesn't use one thinks, using an ECV or wheelchair at Disney is no picnic. Go ahead, spend one full day in one, seriously, see how you like it.

 

[honugirl]

I saw one that said "keep watching-I might do a trick" LOL

I like that one! That's one's good. I might have to add that to my arsenal.

I do agree with some of you regarding people who "abuse the sytem". These are the people who don't REALLY require an ECV/disability placard, etc.
A few years ago, I broke my foot. I was in a cast for 3 months and used crutches. I still parked in the regular parking area and hobbled along. (Luckily it was my left foot that broke so I could still drive).
A month after my cast was taken off, my neighbor broke her left foot. (how ironic is that?) Well, the day after she had her cast on, I see a disability placard in her car windshield. I couln't believe it! I spoke with her and asked her about the disability placard. Her response was "Well why not? I might as well take advantage of having a broken foot."
Are you kidding me? That's just plain ignorant!

Just because YOU could get around with a broken foot, doesn't mean others can and aren't deserving of a disability placard. I had a full right ankle reconstruction in 2007. This was before we realized how sick I was. All I knew was that I couldn't walk far on my crutches at all. Did I need a disability placard to go places? Yes indeed I did. Otherwise I would have been stuck at home.

Now to those of you who argue that not all disabilities are visible. I agree 100%. Up until March 16, 2009. I was disabled for 1 1/2 years. Why?....you wouldn't know it to look at me. I wasn't able to wear a shoe on my right foot for 1 1/2 years. I'm not kidding.....I was in agony. The pressure on my foot was unbearable. I had a lump growing on the side of my foot and doctor's couldn't dianose it. The only thing I could stand to wear were loose fitting fuzzy slippers. Boy, I looked great at the office wearing business attire and fuzzy slippers. Finally!...finally! After more x-rays, (the first radiologist read my xray wrong) the surgeon found that the K-wire in my big toe from bunion surgery 18 years ago, decided to make a left turn in my bone and was making it's way out of my foot. So on March 16/09 I had surgery to remove this wire from the bone in my foot.
The whole point of my "foot" story is that when I was in Disney last August, I could barely walk. I padded the lump on my foot with gauze and bandages and as much as it pained me, I wore Crocs. Fuzzy slippers in August would have been brutal on my feet. So yes, I was a little disgruntled when at the end of a long day, I had to wait in a long line for 2 or 3 busses before I got on one of them. Now, had I decided to abuse the system, I would have rented an ECV and would have been happy that I was given priority seating on the Disney busses. My integrity wouldn't allow me to do that. I felt that the rental ECV's should be saved for those who really need it.
I kept seeing a man and a woman both on ECV's booting around the parks on their ECV's. Yet, somehow, when back at the resort, they were able to walk back and forth from the pool to their hotel room then to the bar, etc. No problems walking there? Now I wonder why that is?

You may see me on an ECV in the parks because I don't have a lot of stamina, but you will see me walking at the resort. Why? Because it's good for me to walk. I can sit on the benches when I need a break which is often (which means in the parks I'd ride 2-3 rides per day) and honestly, there really isn't very many places I go at the resort. I pay for a preferred room so I'm near the front of the resort and the dining area so I don't have to walk far. Most of the time the pool is very close to my room so why would I drag my ECV out for that?

To get back to my original post....I was only questioning why ECV/wheelchair users were given priority on a bus. I felt thay they should wait like those standing in line and who were there ahead of them. Again, I wasn't questioning their need for an ECV, just their priority in a waiting line.

Many of us do wait, you just don't see it. Many of us hang back in the parks or will wait until the line is almost clear to go. You have no clue how long I've been waiting. I could have been waiting as long or longer than you.

There is no way in the world I would have hobbled around in pain, with my foot wrapped in gauze, bandages and tape. What does integrity have to do with not getting an ECV when you obviously should have had one. Whenever I've had medical issues, doctors have said if you are in pain, you aren't healing. Why in the world would anyone think that is an "abuse" of the system?



There could be lots of reasons people could walk around a resort and not the several miles a theme park requires. That is the point of a "hidden disability." Heart problems, breathing problems, stamina issues, there are a LOT of conditions that would allow someone to do that at a resort, but not at the parks. Most people in ECVs have limited mobility, allowing them to walk comfortably at home...but they can't run a marathon or walk several miles in a stretch.

Mom does fine around the house, goes a little slow in the grocery store, but still gets around. But she's wiped out from pain by the time she'd walk from a bus to Tomorrowland. And after being in a pool or hot tub, it is like she has a second wind. Hydrotherapy for joint replacements can do wonders. She also has a wire clip, from her first botched hip replacement, imbedded in her muscle. It couldn't be removed without causing so much tissue damage to the muscle and nerve, she may never be able to walk again. Too much walking causes her extreme pain, but again, she gets around the resorts and at home, just fine...not the parks. And steep ramps for her are killers.

Again, there is no way to know just what someones medical problem may be, and I honestly have no desire to waste time on my vacation trying to judge whether someone really "needs" that ECV or not. Honestly, regardless of what everyone that doesn't use one thinks, using an ECV or wheelchair at Disney is no picnic. Go ahead, spend one full day in one, seriously, see how you like it.

Thanks for that Chuck! Many of us do fine at home, but can't manage a day in the parks. Not because we don't want to, but because it's PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

 

[bavaria]

I do agree with some of you regarding people who "abuse the sytem".

To get back to my original post....I was only questioning why ECV/wheelchair users were given priority on a bus. I felt thay they should wait like those standing in line and who were there ahead of them.

After 8 pages and 115 responses I believe that there are still many readers who don't understand, and I don't see any point for me to continue this discussion.

I have the utmost respect for those of you who manage the physical challenges and then deal with the responses here and at WDW. Like Aubriee's mother, I have decided that I will not go to WDW when I am no longer as mobile as I am today. The threads here over the years, combined with what I have witnessed in person, have led me to that decision.

Once my time comes (and I am quite literally racing in fear from the time that other parts of my body fail as some have already done) I will visit DLRP and EuropaPark for my theme park fixes. While they may not be as accessible as WDW, the general population there does not appear to have the same attitude towards those requiring assistance.

Again, to those of you who have so much mental and physical strength, I truly admire you. You are better than I at managing and do so with more grace and good humour, and you have my continued respect. I wish you well.

 

[SueM in MN]

There is no way in the world I would have hobbled around in pain, with my foot wrapped in gauze, bandages and tape. What does integrity have to do with not getting an ECV when you obviously should have had one. Whenever I've had medical issues, doctors have said if you are in pain, you aren't healing. Why in the world would anyone think that is an "abuse" of the system?

Obviously, it's not an abuse.
If someone chooses to go to the parks and do things that put them in pain instead of using an ECV, that is their choice. It's not something I would choose to do, but it is some people's choice.
But, just because some people choose to be in pain rather than use an ECV, that does not mean people who have chosen to use an ECV or wheelchair to avoid pain are abusing anything. They have just made a decision that made sense for them.
My FIL had very bad knees and hips for about 30 years before his death. He and my MIL went with us to WDW every Spring for many years. And, over the years, we saw him able to do less and less and in more and more pain every evening, taking pain pills and with ice on his knees. He talked about renting an ECV almost every day, but just never could make himself do it. (Mostly because he thought people would think he didn't need one and he didn't want anyone thinking he was abusing anything).
FINALLY, we convinced him to rent an ECV one day at Epcot. He was able to see some things he had not seen in years because they were too far for him to walk to. At the end of that day, he said it had been the first evening in many years that a few hours in the park had not meant an evening of intense pain.
I felt bad for the things he had missed and the many evenings he spent in pain because he worried more about what other people might think than about his own needs and his own pain.

There could be lots of reasons people could walk around a resort and not the several miles a theme park requires. That is the point of a "hidden disability." Heart problems, breathing problems, stamina issues, there are a LOT of conditions that would allow someone to do that at a resort, but not at the parks. Most people in ECVs have limited mobility, allowing them to walk comfortably at home...but they can't run a marathon or walk several miles in a stretch.

Mom does fine around the house, goes a little slow in the grocery store, but still gets around. But she's wiped out from pain by the time she'd walk from a bus to Tomorrowland. And after being in a pool or hot tub, it is like she has a second wind. Hydrotherapy for joint replacements can do wonders. She also has a wire clip, from her first botched hip replacement, imbedded in her muscle. It couldn't be removed without causing so much tissue damage to the muscle and nerve, she may never be able to walk again. Too much walking causes her extreme pain, but again, she gets around the resorts and at home, just fine...not the parks. And steep ramps for her are killers.

Again, there is no way to know just what someones medical problem may be, and I honestly have no desire to waste time on my vacation trying to judge whether someone really "needs" that ECV or not. Honestly, regardless of what everyone that doesn't use one thinks, using an ECV or wheelchair at Disney is no picnic. Go ahead, spend one full day in one, seriously, see how you like it.

Again,

 

[C.Ann]

I'm still trying to figure out where this "bus priority" comes into play.. As I stated in a previous post, I had to rent an ECV for my sister on one of our trips and there wasn't any "priorities" given that I could see..

Each bus can only accomodate a certain number of ECV's - 2 to 3.. For the safety of all passengers, the ECV's have to be loaded first.. If there are 4 people sitting there in ECV's waiting for a bus, the 4th person has to wait for the next bus - they don't make "extra room" for the 4th ECV..

What am I missing?

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm still trying to figure out where this "bus priority" comes into play.. As I stated in a previous post, I had to rent an ECV for my sister on one of our trips and there wasn't any "priorities" given that I could see..

Each bus can only accomodate a certain number of ECV's - 2 to 3.. For the safety of all passengers, the ECV's have to be loaded first.. If there are 4 people sitting there in ECV's waiting for a bus, the 4th person has to wait for the next bus - they don't make "extra room" for the 4th ECV..

What am I missing?

You aren't missing anything (although, there is room for a maximum of 2, so a 3rd to arrive would be out of luck).
Other than that small correction, you are not missing anything.