I posted this on the thread on the Podcast Board, but thought some people may not see it there, so I am reposting it here.
The quote from Justin Jett is from the Podcast Board thread and someone jcb posted this picture of Disney’s standing mobility device on that thread
on this post.
..............
As a disabled person who knows how hard it is to obtain medical mobility devices, I have a very hard time with people claiming that an off the shelf Segway is a medical mobility device, and accusing Disney of an ADA violation.
Page 112 of the Segway Getting Started Manual states:
The Segway PT has not been designed, tested or approved as a medical device. You must be able to step on and off the Segway PT unassisted, which requires physical abilities similar to ascending and descending stairs without assistance, and without holding the handrail.
Here is a link to the manual:
http://www.segway.com/downloads/pdfs/Getting_Started_Manual.pdf
Please look at Page 112!! This is not perception! This is fact! The link proves it.
I am not against new technology for people with disabilities. There are some things that were designed for people without disabilities that are extremely usable by people with disabilities. The iPhone, iPod touch and iPad are wonderful examples; many people with disabilities are using them in place of dedicated (and very expensive) communication devices.
But, substituting an iPad for some other, more expensive dedicated device is does not have the potential to hurt anyone.
Power wheelchairs,
ECVs and other devices designed for use by people with disabilities have safeguards to stop them quickly and safely - they basically have brakes that are on unless the user is doing something to make the device go.
With an
ECV, if you let go of the throttle, it stops.
With a power wheelchair, let go of the joystick, it stops. Because they have 3 wheels or more, they are stable and can stand by themselves (as opposed to a Segway, which has 2 wheels and is kind of in a “permanent wheelie” situation while it is being operated).
The iBot wheelchair worked the same way, but to get FDA approval as a medical device, it also had to prove that when it was operating on 2 wheels, it would automatically and safely stop and come down to a stable position, with all wheels on the ground.
When I first heard about the Segway, heard that it was ‘self-balancing’ so the user did not have to balance, I could see some uses for people with disabilities.
I lurked on some forums for people with disabilities who were using Segways where people said it was wonderful for them because even though they did not have the ability to balance, the Segway “did it for them.”
Many of the people posting on those forums did not have the basic physical abilities that are in the part of the Segway manual that Justin Jett quoted and were trading tips about how to get on and off a Segway without the balance or ability to lift a foot up on the Segway platform.
A quick internet search or a search of youtube brings up many examples of people who are using various devices to get onto the Segway because they don’t have the ability to get on/off by themselves. There are videos of people who require help from one or more people to get on and off, people who use straps or bars attached to the wall or roof racks on their car to pull themselves on and lower themselves off or people using a strap under a foot to pull it up since they can’t step up with it.
(I have noticed that most of those videos disappear after someone posts a link to them - so I’m not posting any links.)
I can understand why someone who walks with difficulty or has poor balance from conditions like a stroke, MS or other conditions would
want to use a Segway. Even as an able bodied person, there is something almost magical and freeing about gliding pretty effortlessly around on a Segway.
I can understand that someone who has difficulty moving would want that feeling. I remember the joy in my daughter’s face the first time she “ran” in her power wheelchair. To do something she was not otherwise able to do, to move much faster than her muscles will allow her to move. I don’t begrudge anyone that joy, but safety is more important than joy.
My son-in-law has MS, so when I first heard about Segways, I was looking at them as a possible eventual mobility device if he needed one.
But, then I actually took the Epcot Segway tour - I don’t claim to be an expert or even have that much experience after taking the tour 4 times.
But, it was enough to know that the Segway only balances within certain limits, as the manual says on page 57:
Avoiding Tips
The Segway PT balances front to back but not side-to-side.
You are responsible for maintaining side-to-side balance by leaning into turns. If you fail to actively maintain this side-to-side balance, the Segway PT can tip sideways and fall.
And even with it balancing front to back, there are many ways to get in trouble discussed in the manual. In fact, one of the biggest problems I can see with the Segway being used as a mobility device is that it is not stable. No matter what you say about it, it is a single set of wheels - kind of a high tech unicycle.
The manual is full of all sorts of warnings like this from page 2:
WARNING!
RISK OF DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY
Whenever you ride the Segway PT, you risk death or serious injury from loss of control, collisions, and falls. To reduce risk of injury, you must read and follow all instructions and warnings in the User Materials.
The manual also warns on page 43,
You have approximately 10 seconds from the start of a Safety Shutdown to come to a controlled stop and step off. After 10 seconds, the Segway PT will immediately shut down when the Wheels reach zero speed.
If a Safety Shutdown occurs:
1. Immediately come to a controlled stop.
2. Carefully step off one foot at a time.
This is one of the reasons a rider needs to be able to get on and off without assistance and why the Segway is not a safe mobility device for some people with disabilities.
There are also warnings about environmental dangers, like this warning on page 45 of the manual,

WARNING!
Theft detection systems, such as the type used in some libraries and retail stores can interfere with the Segway PT’s ability to balance and/or cause the Segway PT to perform a Safety Shutdown. Do not ride within 5 feet (1.5 meters) of any theft detection system.
One of the Segway’s safety features is described on pages 48 and 49 (I’m just quoting the short part on page 48:
The Segway PT has four sensors located beneath the Mats. Rider Detect Sensors detect the presence or absence of a rider while the Segway PT is powered on.
and on page 50:
WARNING!
Never place anything on the Mats, except your feet. Doing so could interfere with the Rider Detection system and allow the Segway PT to travel on its own, risking running into a person or property, and causing injury or damage.
Someone mentioned on this thread that some people have added seats to Segways to make a Segway wheelchair. The ones I have seen on the internet add something over the mats to activate all 4 sensors and bypass the safety mechanism.
I wonder if the people who allowed them to be written into the ADA as Other Power Driven Mobility Devices or those professionals who are suggesting them to patients who can't step on and off unaided have read the manual?
I know there are people who are using Segways as mobility devices, and (my personal opinion) I think for those who have the ability “to step on and off the Segway PT unassisted, which requires physical abilities similar to ascending and descending stairs without assistance, and without holding the handrail,” they may be a safe device in some circumstances.
I can see them safely operating in zoos or outdoor parks, possibly stores or shopping centers (except for needing to avoid those pesky security theft security systems.)
But, not WDW - it’s too busy, too full of children and people who are already wandering into the paths of other guests because they are busy looking around. There are other, safer devices, including the one that was already pictured on this thread. Maybe not as sleek or envy inducing as a Segway, but safer.
One argument in favor of allowing Segways was that only people with their own Segways would be coming to the parks. But, once upon a time, only people with their own ECVs used them in the parks. Then companies from outside started renting them. I have no doubt (my opinion) that the same thing would happen with Segways. And, since all it would take to use it would be an assertion on the part of the user that they had a disability and were using it as a mobility device, that would be it.
