collapsable wheelchairs?

[Humphrey53209]

Hi all-

Taking mother-in-law to WDW in December. She can walk a bit but gets easily tired. I've heard that resorts can provide wheelchairs for a deposit. The questions: She can get on and off buses just fine, but are the wheelchairs easily collapsable to take on the bus? Do they take up too much space?

Regards,
Humphrey53209

 

[Cheshire Figment]

All wheelchairs are designed to have the two sides fold together by pulling up on the seat. I'm not sure of the policies concerning a folded up wheelchair on a bus.

However, Resort wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. You are not guaranteed availability, and they may not have any at all, or they may have only an incorrect size available (extra-wide only while a normal is needed). If you rent from one of the off-site companies you will be able to get one that will properly fit, along with possible accessories such as a cane holder, if needed.

Also, consideration should be given toward renting of an Electric Convenience Vehicle (ECV) which will give her more of a measure of independence. Also, unless you are very healthy and experienced in pushing a wheelchair it can get very tiring and also you will learn theat there ARE hills in WDW.

 

[SueM in MN]

Some people have wheelchairs that they own which are not able to be folded, but all the rental/lent out wheelchairs should fold.
This FAQs thread has information about borrowing wheelchairs from the resorts and renting wheelchairs/ecvs.
It also has information from bus drivers about the bus transportation. I have never personally seen a wheelchair folded on the bus, but the information I have gotten from bus drivers indicate that folded wheelchairs can be stowed on the bus. They would still be loaded via the back door as far as I know.

 

[cupcake]

I had my personal wc for our recent trip. We didn't use the bus much (we drove except for the MK and then also had to take the Fort Wilderness bus as we went to the Hoop De Doo). I guess I could have hopped up and had my dh fold the wc, but there I was, sitting in it waiting for the bus. When it arrived, taking the path of least resistance, I simply stayed in my wc. The driver did not ask if I wanted to transfer and I didn't volunteer to do so (when in an ECV, they always asked and when I said I could transfer, they had me do so). They loaded me in with the lift and then strapped me in with a big seatbelt and strapped my wc in with FOUR different belts. Like Sue, I believe that a folded wc would be boarded at the rear. I assume that they would strap it in with the standard collection of tie down straps so whether she sits in it or not, it would take up the wheelchair spot (eg a bench worth of seats). I have no basis to say this, but I can't imagine they would let it stay folded and not tied down. What if the bus stopped suddenly and it rolled and hit someone?

Like Cheshire Figment says, if you are going with a wc, it's better to rent offsite. The resort wcs are variable in terms of condition and availability. Before I found this board and learned about offsite rentals, I had to wait almost 2 days for my resort to borrow one from another resort one time as they were out. The offsite ones are also far more comfortable in terms of back support and adjustability of footrests plus the better condition makes them easier to push. Note that the Swan and Dolphin do not have wcs to borrow.

I'd also think about an ECV. If your MIL wants to do that, she will absolutely want to rent offsite.

Have a fun trip!
Cupcake

p.s. A big THANK YOU to Sue and Figaro for the helpful posts re taking my wc on a plane. It worked like a charm! (armed with the great info, we were able to stash it in the first class closet both ways).

 

[tci1212]

humphrey53209,
We will be going in 2 weeks and are bringing our own wc for my 87 yr old mother. She is able to walk onto the bus herself so we will be folding our wc up. I will let you know how it works out. Our wc is much lighter than some of those super deluxe cadillac strollers that are folded up on the buses. so I don't see that it should be a problem.

 

[Humphrey53209]

tci1212-

I would much appreciate your report. Your situation seems very similar to ours. Also, thanks to all the posters.You give me much to think about. One point I forgot to mention: My MIL had a stroke 11/2 yrs ago and can't manipulate an ecv. My apologies for not mentioning that before.

Regards,
Humphrey53209

 

[clkelley]

One time we borrowed a wheelchair from All-Star Music and although it was a collapsible brand, it had a bar welded on so it would not collapse. This was in December 2000.

Carol

 

[SueM in MN]

Originally posted by clkelley
One time we borrowed a wheelchair from All-Star Music and although it was a collapsible brand, it had a bar welded on so it would not collapse. This was in December 2000.

Carol

They do that sometimes so that people are not able to fold them and place them in their cars to steal. Most of the resort ones I have seen do fold, some of the ones from the parks (which may end up in the resorts if they run out) do have the bar so they can't be folded.

 

[tci1212]

Hello,
We just returned from a 7 day Disney Vacation with my Mother who is 87. This was probably one of the best trips we have had in the last several yrs. We brought our own wheelchair and took it everywhere with us. She was able to walk on and off the bus by herself so we just folded the Wheelchair up and the Bus drivers opened up the rear door so we would not have to carry it down the aisle. My Mom was able to go out with us everywhere.
And we only lost her one time! She decided to go looking for us at the pool in FW. Well she went the wrong way and was walking in a circle. We quickly ran to her with the Wheelchair and brought her back to our cabin. She was overheated and tired but ok. Humphrey53209, if you have any questions I will be glad to help.

 

[tmli]

I was wondering where the chair was stowed once you got on the bus. Also approximately how heavy would it be? My ds could certainly walk on and off himself but I am worried about carrying the wc as my dh does not travel with us.

 

[tci1212]

The wheelchair I had was actually called a transporter. Small wheels on the front and back. It was very light and we folded it up and put it between the last seat before the wheel chair seats. I carried it myself my husband was not with us on this trip.

 

[Talking Hands]

I have frequently had people place a folded wheelchair in front of my power wheelcahir on the buses. It is out of the way and doesn't both me since my footrest keeps it from touching me. ONce we had 2 of us in wheelchairs and one folded wheelchair back in the wheelchair area with no problem.

 

[scroot]

Like a lot of things with busses it seems to depend on the driver. If the bus isn't full DW prefers to transfer from her chair to a seat. Sometimes the driver will let us fold up the chair and store it in avialable space. We have also have had them go through the chair lock down procedure even if she is going to transfer which is awkward as we hope to save a couple of minutes by not having to use all the belts and stuff to lock the chair down. We have decided the best thing for us is for her to just stay in the chair and have me adjust the belts across her body. Drivers tend to put them on a bit too tight for her liking.

Buses are the reason we try to stay where we can boat or monorail. They work but we find them to be a pain.

 

[Humphrey53209]

tci1212-

Thanks much for your report. I'm glad things went smoothly. I was wondering, do bus drivers go to open the back after asking if you're going to transfer or do they do this automatically? Is it best to have the chair folded before the bus pulls up? Can other riders board while loading the chair or must they wait until driver returns to his/her seat? That's all I can think of now Thanks for your patience.

Regards,
Humphrey53209

 

[tci1212]

My Mother usually stayed in her chair until the bus pulled up. Then we would fold the wheel chair and ask the bus driver if he could open up the rear door. Everyone was able to get on the bus while we took the wheel chair to the back. The driver never got out of his seat.

 

[lucky978]

tci1212-
I'm so glad I read your posts. We are taking my grandmother in December. She is 83 and able to walk on her own for very short distances, but tires easily. We are staying off-site and I'm not sure what to do about the wheel-chair situation. The problem is that I also have twins who are 6 and we will probably be bringing them a double stroller, too. My mom and I will have to take turns pushing everyone. I'm thinking about renting a wheel chair from an off-site company and using it for the week. Do you think they fold up enough to fit in the trunk? I don't think she would be comfortable in an ECV.
I'm glad your trip went so well!

 

[tci1212]

I purchased our Wheelchair at a medical supply store. It is actually called a transporter and it would easily fit in the trunk of a car. The only difference between that and a regular wheel chair is the size of the wheels.
The wheels on a transporter are not made for the rider to manuever. They are more like large stroller wheels.

 

[Humphrey53209]

tci1212-

Hi again

Was your chair more difficult to push than a regular wheelchair? Also, did you go to Animal Kingdom? I've read that pushing wheelchairs is especially difficult there. Thanks again but I'm sure something will come into my head again.

Regards,
Humphrey53209

 

[tci1212]

Hello,
I thought the wheelchair was actually easier to push than a regular wheelchair. It was very light. Yes we did go to Animal Kingdom I didn't think it was any harder to push there than any other park. Animal Kingdom is large but there are plenty of places to stop and rest if you need to.

 

[SueM in MN]

The parts that some people find difficult at AK are that the pathways are "themed" to be like rough mud paths in places (they are paved though), the pathways feel fairly narrow at times ( there is a lot of vegetation close to the edges of the paths, so it feels narrower) and the whole park is more "maze-like" than any of the other parks (it was designed differently to encourage exploration).
I have personally not had any problems with AK, but I am pushing 85 pound DD in her lightweight custom wheelchair.