Disney Transportation with Wheelchairs

[connolly14620]

My 10 year old son has cerebral palsy and can walk short distances with foot and ankle orthotics, but needs a wheelchair for longer distances. We are considering bringing his fold up wheelchair or possibly a power wheelchair on our visit in June 2009. We are looking at booking a villa at one of the DVC resorts. Is access better at any particular resort, or are they all about the same. We area also considering not renting a car and utilizing the Disney transportation. How well does the Disney transportation work for those with a powerchair or a small lightweight collapsible wheelchair. Right now we are considering booking at FT Wilderness villas or Beach Club Villas. We will be park hopping to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Studios, Animal Kingdom and potentially one of the water parks. We are also interested in renting one of the boats to ride along the lake.

Thanks for your help!

 

[SueM in MN]

Is access better at any particular resort, or are they all about the same.

Do you mean access of the facilities in the room or facilities in the resort?
What size room are you considering?
Do you need a roll in shower?
Would he be parking the wheelchair and walking in the room or need to use the wheelchair in the room too?

How well does the Disney transportation work for those with a powerchair or a small lightweight collapsible wheelchair.

Almost all the buses are wheelchair accessible. The older ones have lifts; the newer ones have ramps. They all have tiedown spots for 2 wheelchairs or ECVs. If you want to carry the collapsible wheelchair on, it can be carried on and held pretty much like a stroller. Post #4 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread has information about riding the buses.

The monorail and boats are probably the easiest to use because you can roll right on. With a manual chair, you may not need a ramp, but there are ramps available. Post #8 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread has information about the monorails and boats, including some pictures.
The boat that goes between Wilderness Lodge and MK is occasionally not accessible because the water level and boat level are too different to roll right on. With a manual wheelchair, that would sometimes not mean you can't get on. With a power wheelchair, it might prevent you from getting on. If the boats are not accessible, you will be able to take a bus.

Right now we are considering booking at FT Wilderness villas or Beach Club Villas. We will be park hopping to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Studios, Animal Kingdom and potentially one of the water parks. We are also interested in renting one of the boats to ride along the lake.

Thanks for your help!

The floor plan of the DVC villas at Wilderness Lodge and those at Beach Club are pretty much the same. It is the decor that is different.
This is a link to the DIS page about the villas at WL.
And a link to the page about Beach Club Villas. You may see some information that Beach Club has a zero entry pool (pool with a ramped area to walk or roll in), but the zero entry goes only to a small wading area, not into the actual pool area.

You can rent boats at any of the resorts with a marina - Beach Club Resort, WL, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporary, Old Key West, Port Orleans.
A wheelchair can be driven onto the pontoon boats and if he can step down into a very low little boat, you could rent one of the water mice.

 

[brenalexacamp]

everytime we have gone- the busdrivers tell us to go to the front of the line so they can see us- they load the person in the chair on 1st and then the family and then the other passengers. So many times i have folded the chair and the busdrivers yell and say no way- stay in the chair -I didn't want to take up a seat becuase we got loaded on 1st and a driver said- you absolutely take a seat- you deserve it.

the drivers are great- some of the people see you as "cutting the line" or special treatment

let me tell you- it is the LAW for disabled people to have the seats on the bus and to go on 1st. our kids have so many challenges the whole rest of the year- if a driver wants to make it a little easier for my child- I am thrilled!

one even gave my ds trading cards with the names of the busses on them.

 

[mechurchlady]

The disability guides for various parks show that there is a much greater amount of rides available for a person in a wheelchair compared to a Powerchair. At Universal Studios a person in a powerchair must transfer to a wheelchair on every ride. At WDW few rides are open to powerchair users. Being a kid he will be easy to push in his chair. I plan to use my wheelchair on my trip to help me walk around then I will plop and roll for a while. He does not have to stay in the chair but most lines, even the handicapped ones, can be very long.

As for the room the obstacle is the tub. Can you have him transfer into a tub via a shower chair or lifting him? Would the edge of the tub be an inconvenience or obstacle? If yes then you would need to consider making a request for a roll-in-shower.

You will need to watch the orthotics for heat related problems. June is warm and can cause problems but there are the Nurse's Stations and companion bathrooms if you need to remove them for a while.

 

[connolly14620]

The disability guides for various parks show that there is a much greater amount of rides available for a person in a wheelchair compared to a Powerchair. At Universal Studios a person in a powerchair must transfer to a wheelchair on every ride. At WDW few rides are open to powerchair users. Being a kid he will be easy to push in his chair. I plan to use my wheelchair on my trip to help me walk around then I will plop and roll for a while. He does not have to stay in the chair but most lines, even the handicapped ones, can be very long.

As for the room the obstacle is the tub. Can you have him transfer into a tub via a shower chair or lifting him? Would the edge of the tub be an inconvenience or obstacle? If yes then you would need to consider making a request for a roll-in-shower.

You will need to watch the orthotics for heat related problems. June is warm and can cause problems but there are the Nurse's Stations and companion bathrooms if you need to remove them for a while.

Mechurchlady-

Thank you for this information. My wife and I have been debating about the manual chair versus the Power Chair, so I appreciate the advice about the different levels of accessability for the two chairs. We can manage a tub in the room, so no roll in shower is required. Currently we have a Courtyard View room booked at the Wilderness Lodge with no HA options. My concern is that if we decide to bring his Power Chair, will there be enough room for the three of us, our luggage and the Power Chair. My wife would also like to bring the manual chair incase the Power Chair breaks down. The Power Chair would be new, so my son is very interested in using it as it provides him with a greater sense of independence and allows us to walk next to him instead of behind him all the time.

Thanks for the warning and suggestions regarding the heat and the orthotics.

John

 

[connolly14620]

Do you mean access of the facilities in the room or facilities in the resort?
What size room are you considering?
Do you need a roll in shower?
Would he be parking the wheelchair and walking in the room or need to use the wheelchair in the room too?

SueM -

Thanks for this information. As it turns out, we most likely will not be in a Villa unless we run into a fantastic deal. Currently, we are booked at the Wilderness Lodge in a typical Courtyard View room.

By access, I meant both at the resort rooms and resort facilities.

We don't need a roll in shower, I can lift my son into a tub, however grab rails would be welcomed in the tub and by the toilet.

He does not need to use the wheel chair all the time. My son can walk short distances with foot and ankle orthotics, and even in his bare feet for very short distances if he is close to walls and other furniture for support. We would be parking the wheelchair and walking in the room. Is there enough room in the typical resort room for the three of us, our luggage, and parking a Power Chair in the room. I believe the room we booked has two Queen or two double beds.


Almost all the buses are wheelchair accessible. The older ones have lifts; the newer ones have ramps. They all have tiedown spots for 2 wheelchairs or ECVs. If you want to carry the collapsible wheelchair on, it can be carried on and held pretty much like a stroller. Post #4 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread has information about riding the buses.

Thanks for this link. It has answered my questions regarding the transportation.

The monorail and boats are probably the easiest to use because you can roll right on. With a manual chair, you may not need a ramp, but there are ramps available. Post #8 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread has information about the monorails and boats, including some pictures.
The boat that goes between Wilderness Lodge and MK is occasionally not accessible because the water level and boat level are too different to roll right on. With a manual wheelchair, that would sometimes not mean you can't get on. With a power wheelchair, it might prevent you from getting on. If the boats are not accessible, you will be able to take a bus.

The floor plan of the DVC villas at Wilderness Lodge and those at Beach Club are pretty much the same. It is the decor that is different.
This is a link to the DIS page about the villas at WL.
And a link to the page about Beach Club Villas. You may see some information that Beach Club has a zero entry pool (pool with a ramped area to walk or roll in), but the zero entry goes only to a small wading area, not into the actual pool area.

Thanks for these links. I will keep them for future reference. For now our booking is at the Wilderness Lodge resort, not at the Villa.

You can rent boats at any of the resorts with a marina - Beach Club Resort, WL, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporary, Old Key West, Port Orleans.
A wheelchair can be driven onto the pontoon boats and if he can step down into a very low little boat, you could rent one of the water mice.

What is a "water mice"? He can step down into a low boat with my assistance.


John

 

[SueM in MN]

What is a "water mice"? He can step down into a low boat with my assistance.

I tried to find a picture, but was not successful when I looked before. Here's a picture I was able to find on allearsnet.com

They are very small little 2 passenger boats. Not easy to get into because they are kind of floaty on the water and can be a tight fit. We have never tried to get our DD into one because I am not sure we could get her out again.

The Power Chair would be new, so my son is very interested in using it as it provides him with a greater sense of independence and allows us to walk next to him instead of behind him all the time.

Thanks for the warning and suggestions regarding the heat and the orthotics.

John

Because he can walk a short distance, he could get out of the wheelchair and sit in the ride car for the rides that are not accessible to power wheelchairs. The wheelchair would be parked at the exit, so he would get out for the ride and back in to leave.

I'd suggest bringing the manual chair too. You may find that using the power wheelchair is just too tiring for him for a whole day at the parks. It takes a lot of concentration to use a power wheelchair in any kind of busy environment and there are a lot of other distractions/different things to look at in the park. The wheelchair driver has to be prepared for people coming out right in front of them suddenly from behind or alongside. People will also stop suddenly in front of you, so you need to be ready for that.
Since he is a new user, it will be even more tiring for him because he's getting used to 'just how do I use this thing...how far away do I have to be to make a turn....how much space do I need....how fast can I go and still be in control.'
My DD is an excellent power wheelchair driver and started driving it almost 8 yrs ago, but we have still not brought it with us to the parks because it is too tiring/stressful for her to drive it for a whole day in crowds (besides we are afraid of it getting damaged on the plane trip). A few hours at the local mall pretty much wipes her out if it's busy. And, a power wheelchair is much harder/heavier to push or have someone drive from the side (even though I am very skilled at doing that).

If you do decide to bring it, I'd suggest:

• a lot of practice beforehand in busy places like local malls or if you have a local amusement park.
• practice for yourself driving it from the side (and/or from behind since there may not always be enough room for you beside the wheelchair).
• maybe use the manual wheelchair in the parks and the power wheelchair for getting around at the resort. That would give him a lot of practice in a not so busy environment.
• if you do take the power chair into the park, he will need to be able to manouver himself accurately in a line that is sometimes not more than 3 feet wide and there will not be room for you to always be beside him. You may have to be in front or behind him during the time you are in lines. (Most of the lines are wider than 3 feet, but a few will have places that narrow).
• For getting on buses and into rides, he should practice being able to accurately drive into a specific area (you can mark out some 'parking spots' with masking tape on your driveway to practice). For some rides, he will need to be able to drive up a 3- 3.5 foot wide ramp and possibly turn either sharp left or right when he gets to the top. Practice turning left and right while going forward and backward; going straight forward and backward.
• I'd suggest taking the power wheelchair into the park at times you plan to be there only a few hours at a time. That way you will leave before he becomes too fatigued driving it.
• Set up some ground rules about driving - if you see he is becoming too tired to drive safely or is going too fast for conditions, you will take over.
• If he has capability to set up more than one driving program, set one up for faster speed driving and one for slow. My DD's wheelchair has 4 driving programs. #1 is set up to be slower speed for in more congested/busy conditions. I think that one is set at about 50% of maximum speed her wheelchair can go. We can also use the 'turtle/rabbit' slider to make it go even slower in that program (if the wheelchair all of a sudden seems like it will only inch along, check that the slider didn't get pushed all the way to turtle). Her #2 program is set at about 80% of maximum (her wheelchair could possibly go 6.5 mph, but we could not catch her if she took off, so we have no programs set that fast. #3 is sort of between #1 and #3. Program #4 controls the 'attendant' joystick on the back of the wheelchair so someone can drive it from behind. I have never gotten the hang of driving with that - a very small touch on that produces a very large movement of the wheelchair.
• If he is stopped for a while, turn off the wheelchair. Not only will that save power, but it will also prevent the chair from moving if the joystick gets bumped (DD's has gotten bumped by people trying to squeeze past her at times).
• Check out what program the wheelchair goes into when it is turned back on. DD's old wheelchair went back to drive #1, and if you wanted to use one of the others, you had to scroll thru to the one you wanted. Her new power chair 'remembers' what program it was in when it was turned off. That's great for situations where you want to be in that program again when you start out, but not so good if, for example, you drove to the bus stop in a fast program, turned the wheelchair off to wait for the bus and then turn it on to get on the bus.
• The last piece of advice I have is to not necessarily look at the programming done initially on the power wheelchair as the final programming. In DD's case, she was having a lot of trouble driving her first power wheelchair. It seemed like it took off too fast on her, causing her to startle, which caused her to extend her arm, which caused the joystick to go even farther forward, making her go even faster. We thought she just needed more practice, but one day in her wheelchair dance class, I traded partner and another mother was partnered with my DD. After dancing for a while, that mom was able to give me an assessment of what the problems were - the chair was set to accelerate too quickly from a stop, had too fast a turn speed and was way too fast in reverse. After we got it re-programmed, DD quickly learned how to control it. With her new power wheelchair, we had some problems initially with her going straight; when she tried to drive straight, the wheelchair kept wanting to go to the right a little bit. Tweaking the program for turning and re-positioning the joystick a bit more to the center helped a lot.

If you have any more questions, either ask them here or PM me.

 

[SueM in MN]

Forgot to answer a question...
Here are some pictures of a WL standard room:

There should be enough room for a power wheelchair and a manual wheelchair. There may be enough room to park the manual wheelchair by the bed by the window. You can also move the table and chairs to make more room, or could even ask Housekeeping to remove them if you want to make more room.
I think (but am not sure) that there is a closet when you come into the room where you could keep your luggage.

 

[connolly14620]

Sue -

Thank you very much for this very helpful information on the Power Chair set up. We are still in the ordering phase for the chair, but this information will be a great help when our son begins to practice with the chair. Turning the power off at stop is one we already encountered during the demo. The power was left on during a stop and my son accidently bumped the joystick and the chair bumped into one of the therapists.

Thank also for the picture of the "Sea Mice". He definitely wants to ride in one of these. We use to have a ski boat that he loved riding in and driving. I realize that he won't be able to drive these due to his age, but he would love riding in them. I thought these boats were called Sea Raycers. With assistance, we should be able to get him in and out of the boat.

John

I tried to find a picture, but was not successful when I looked before. Here's a picture I was able to find on allearsnet.com

They are very small little 2 passenger boats. Not easy to get into because they are kind of floaty on the water and can be a tight fit. We have never tried to get our DD into one because I am not sure we could get her out again.


Because he can walk a short distance, he could get out of the wheelchair and sit in the ride car for the rides that are not accessible to power wheelchairs. The wheelchair would be parked at the exit, so he would get out for the ride and back in to leave.

I'd suggest bringing the manual chair too. You may find that using the power wheelchair is just too tiring for him for a whole day at the parks. It takes a lot of concentration to use a power wheelchair in any kind of busy environment and there are a lot of other distractions/different things to look at in the park. The wheelchair driver has to be prepared for people coming out right in front of them suddenly from behind or alongside. People will also stop suddenly in front of you, so you need to be ready for that.
Since he is a new user, it will be even more tiring for him because he's getting used to 'just how do I use this thing...how far away do I have to be to make a turn....how much space do I need....how fast can I go and still be in control.'
My DD is an excellent power wheelchair driver and started driving it almost 8 yrs ago, but we have still not brought it with us to the parks because it is too tiring/stressful for her to drive it for a whole day in crowds (besides we are afraid of it getting damaged on the plane trip). A few hours at the local mall pretty much wipes her out if it's busy. And, a power wheelchair is much harder/heavier to push or have someone drive from the side (even though I am very skilled at doing that).

If you do decide to bring it, I'd suggest:

• a lot of practice beforehand in busy places like local malls or if you have a local amusement park.
• practice for yourself driving it from the side (and/or from behind since there may not always be enough room for you beside the wheelchair).
• maybe use the manual wheelchair in the parks and the power wheelchair for getting around at the resort. That would give him a lot of practice in a not so busy environment.
• if you do take the power chair into the park, he will need to be able to manouver himself accurately in a line that is sometimes not more than 3 feet wide and there will not be room for you to always be beside him. You may have to be in front or behind him during the time you are in lines. (Most of the lines are wider than 3 feet, but a few will have places that narrow).
• For getting on buses and into rides, he should practice being able to accurately drive into a specific area (you can mark out some 'parking spots' with masking tape on your driveway to practice). For some rides, he will need to be able to drive up a 3- 3.5 foot wide ramp and possibly turn either sharp left or right when he gets to the top. Practice turning left and right while going forward and backward; going straight forward and backward.
• I'd suggest taking the power wheelchair into the park at times you plan to be there only a few hours at a time. That way you will leave before he becomes too fatigued driving it.
• Set up some ground rules about driving - if you see he is becoming too tired to drive safely or is going too fast for conditions, you will take over.
• If he has capability to set up more than one driving program, set one up for faster speed driving and one for slow. My DD's wheelchair has 4 driving programs. #1 is set up to be slower speed for in more congested/busy conditions. I think that one is set at about 50% of maximum speed her wheelchair can go. We can also use the 'turtle/rabbit' slider to make it go even slower in that program (if the wheelchair all of a sudden seems like it will only inch along, check that the slider didn't get pushed all the way to turtle). Her #2 program is set at about 80% of maximum (her wheelchair could possibly go 6.5 mph, but we could not catch her if she took off, so we have no programs set that fast. #3 is sort of between #1 and #3. Program #4 controls the 'attendant' joystick on the back of the wheelchair so someone can drive it from behind. I have never gotten the hang of driving with that - a very small touch on that produces a very large movement of the wheelchair.
• If he is stopped for a while, turn off the wheelchair. Not only will that save power, but it will also prevent the chair from moving if the joystick gets bumped (DD's has gotten bumped by people trying to squeeze past her at times).
• Check out what program the wheelchair goes into when it is turned back on. DD's old wheelchair went back to drive #1, and if you wanted to use one of the others, you had to scroll thru to the one you wanted. Her new power chair 'remembers' what program it was in when it was turned off. That's great for situations where you want to be in that program again when you start out, but not so good if, for example, you drove to the bus stop in a fast program, turned the wheelchair off to wait for the bus and then turn it on to get on the bus.
• The last piece of advice I have is to not necessarily look at the programming done initially on the power wheelchair as the final programming. In DD's case, she was having a lot of trouble driving her first power wheelchair. It seemed like it took off too fast on her, causing her to startle, which caused her to extend her arm, which caused the joystick to go even farther forward, making her go even faster. We thought she just needed more practice, but one day in her wheelchair dance class, I traded partner and another mother was partnered with my DD. After dancing for a while, that mom was able to give me an assessment of what the problems were - the chair was set to accelerate too quickly from a stop, had too fast a turn speed and was way too fast in reverse. After we got it re-programmed, DD quickly learned how to control it. With her new power wheelchair, we had some problems initially with her going straight; when she tried to drive straight, the wheelchair kept wanting to go to the right a little bit. Tweaking the program for turning and re-positioning the joystick a bit more to the center helped a lot.

If you have any more questions, either ask them here or PM me.

 

[connolly14620]

If we had a choice of staying at a Studio Villa at the Wilderness lodge instead of the standard lodge room, would this provide us more room? Are the Studio Villas bigger than the Standard room at the Lodge. What are the Pros and Cons of staying in a Studio Villa at VWL versus the standard room? The one advantage I see is the Microwave in the Villa.

Renting points from an owner would actually cost less than the Wilderness Lodge Standard Courtyard View room. Not sure if there is a Villa available on the dates we need to go, but if the dates are available, would you choose the Studio Villa instead of the Lodge Courtyard View Room?

John

Forgot to answer a question...
Here are some pictures of a WL standard room:

There should be enough room for a power wheelchair and a manual wheelchair. There may be enough room to park the manual wheelchair by the bed by the window. You can also move the table and chairs to make more room, or could even ask Housekeeping to remove them if you want to make more room.
I think (but am not sure) that there is a closet when you come into the room where you could keep your luggage.

 

[SueM in MN]

Sue -

Thank you very much for this very helpful information on the Power Chair set up. We are still in the ordering phase for the chair, but this information will be a great help when our son begins to practice with the chair. Turning the power off at stop is one we already encountered during the demo. The power was left on during a stop and my son accidently bumped the joystick and the chair bumped into one of the therapists.

Thank also for the picture of the "Sea Mice". He definitely wants to ride in one of these. We use to have a ski boat that he loved riding in and driving. I realize that he won't be able to drive these due to his age, but he would love riding in them. I thought these boats were called Sea Raycers. With assistance, we should be able to get him in and out of the boat.

John

Those are some of the things I found out later about power wheelchairs that I wish I had known before. Have you chosen the chair he will be getting?

You are correct that those little boats are actually called Sea Raycers, but being WDW, they call them "Sea Mice" or "Mice".

If we had a choice of staying at a Studio Villa at the Wilderness lodge instead of the standard lodge room, would this provide us more room? Are the Studio Villas bigger than the Standard room at the Lodge. What are the Pros and Cons of staying in a Studio Villa at VWL versus the standard room? The one advantage I see is the Microwave in the Villa.

Renting points from an owner would actually cost less than the Wilderness Lodge Standard Courtyard View room. Not sure if there is a Villa available on the dates we need to go, but if the dates are available, would you choose the Studio Villa instead of the Lodge Courtyard View Room?

John

We have stayed at the villas in a 2 bedroom (which is a studio plus a one bedroom), but we have not stayed in the regular WL rooms.

The WL studios have on queen size bed and a sleeper sofa that is full size. That would give more room when the sleeper sofa is up.
Here are some pictures of a studio from the wdwinfo part of the DIS site:

Here's a link to the official WDW DVC site's page about WL Villas. You can click on a link to a floor plan of the room. I have not been able to get the link to work lately to look at a 360 view, but the virtual tour link on the left side of the page has one picture of the studio (you can tell from the bed plus sofa).
Besides the microwave, you will also have an undercounter refrigerator and there are 2 closets in the room. DVC villas usually have a pack and play infant bed, a high chair and a vacuum cleaner in the closet. You can ask for those to be removed to make more room in the closet.

Here's a site that has a 360 view of a standard WL room (link to the view is on the left side of the page). The bedroom part looks fairly close in size to the WLV studio room. But, the studio would also have the 2 closets and a bit of counter where the microwave is. From what I have found, the standard room is about 340 square feet and the studio is about 356. So a little more, but not that much.

 

[connolly14620]

Those are some of the things I found out later about power wheelchairs that I wish I had known before. Have you chosen the chair he will be getting?

We are trying for a chair called the Xtreme X4, which is a 4 wheel drive wheel chair capable of running on the beach, snow, and mountain trails. My son and I are involved with Cub Scouts / Boy Scouts (next March). The most challenging part of this activity for him is keeping up with the other scouts on the hikes. Our current manual wheelchair/stroller just is not set up for these type of activities. We also live fairly close to the beach and like to go frequently, but have curtailed our visits due to the effort it takes to get all of us on to the beach with our gear.

You are correct that those little boats are actually called Sea Raycers, but being WDW, they call them "Sea Mice" or "Mice".

Thanks - I thought they might be the same boat.

We have stayed at the villas in a 2 bedroom (which is a studio plus a one bedroom), but we have not stayed in the regular WL rooms.

The WL studios have on queen size bed and a sleeper sofa that is full size. That would give more room when the sleeper sofa is up.
Here are some pictures of a studio from the wdwinfo part of the DIS site:

Here's a link to the official WDW DVC site's page about WL Villas. You can click on a link to a floor plan of the room. I have not been able to get the link to work lately to look at a 360 view, but the virtual tour link on the left side of the page has one picture of the studio (you can tell from the bed plus sofa).
Besides the microwave, you will also have an undercounter refrigerator and there are 2 closets in the room. DVC villas usually have a pack and play infant bed, a high chair and a vacuum cleaner in the closet. You can ask for those to be removed to make more room in the closet.

Here's a site that has a 360 view of a standard WL room (link to the view is on the left side of the page). The bedroom part looks fairly close in size to the WLV studio room. But, the studio would also have the 2 closets and a bit of counter where the microwave is. From what I have found, the standard room is about 340 square feet and the studio is about 356. So a little more, but not that much.

Thanks for the pictures. Someone offered us points to rent for a studio, so I am going to check to see if there is availability for the week we want to go.

John