Disney with autistic dd and dh who broke his tibia!!!

[lostmom]

Ok any suggestions here? Electric or reg wheelchair? SHould we rent one when we get at airport? Or before we leave? How is this going to effect our bus rides? Thanks!

 

[chirurgeon]

Can he bend his leg?, if he can, I would recommend an ECV. There are subtle inclines at WDW and a manual chair will wear you and your DH out. Good luck and have a good trip.

 

[Dis1978]

Ecvs are great. My parents have used them a lot as disney. There is so much walking you might get worn out pushing a wheelchair. I have one aspie son and one who was in a wheelchair last year, so I know a little about where you are coming from! I also have a toddler. Trying to push wheelchair, stroller and deal with aspie meltdown -what can I say, I sometimes am amazed that I can remember how to type! Actually I think I have just forgotton
Remember though it can be done and you will have a wonderful time. You can arrange for help in the airport and at disney there is a lot of help available. Everyone was wonderful to us.
Anyway if you fancy chatting feel free.

 

[SueM in MN]

If you haven't looked at it yet, check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

There is information there about renting wheelchairs (manual is the only kind of wheelchair you would be able to rent) and ECVs. My FIL used to call the ECVs "electric carts". Some people call them scooters.

There is also information in the FAQs about riding on the buses with wheelchairs or ECVs. Your DH will probably not need a GAC (Guest Assistance Card), but your dd may benefit from one. THere is information in the FAQs about GACs also.

 

[lostmom]

Thanks! I have got a few prices for ecv's. It should be interesting though. I have requested a ground floor room and dining should be fun...
We will need to tell the resturants. I hope to read the other posts later!

 

[lostmom]

Any suggestions about boardwalk villias? We need to get a handicapped room? I called and the hotel told us we need to call 1 week before andrequest a ground floor room. ANy suggestions?

 

[SueM in MN]

Any suggestions about boardwalk villias? We need to get a handicapped room? I called and the hotel told us we need to call 1 week before andrequest a ground floor room. ANy suggestions?

There are elevators at Boardwalk Villas, but there is only one set of elevators and they are near the lobby. When we stayed there last, we were on the end of the hall farthest from the elevators. That made for some pretty long walks, but at least you can get upstairs no matter where your room is located.

Boardwalk is arranged so that the main entrance/lobby (where you check in from ground level) is not the same level as the Boardwalk. In order to get to the Boardwalk level from the lobby, you need to go down an elevator. There are a few ground floor BWV rooms that are right on the Boardwalk, but most are on the reverse side compared to the Boardwalk. I don't know if this map will post as an image or not. If it doesn't, here is the link to the map.

It's an old map and P on the map, where it says DVC Sales Office was renovated into several Boardwalk view villas - not sure what sizes they are, but you are not likely to get one of them because ones overlooking the Boardwalk are in high demand.
Boardwalk Villas are on the right side of the map; you can walk out to the walkway that borders the water. If you go up on the walkway on the map, you will end up at the Studio. If you go down on the map, you will end up on the Boardwalk (going down a hill, but no need to use an elevator if you start out on the ground floor). The boats that go to Epcot are in the middle of the map (at Y).

If you actually need the features of a fully accessible handicapped room (roll in shower, roll under sink), you may not have a choice of location and you should call right away to see if there are any available. You would be able to get a wheelchair into a regular room - the difference comes in being able to drive the wheelchair into the bathroom and kitchen area and the bathroom changes that I mentioned.

We will need to tell the resturants. I hope to read the other posts later!

You can tell the full service restaurants when you check in for your ADR. The person assigning tables is the one who really needs to know.

 

[minkydog]

We recently went to WDW with my autistic 11yo and my DH had just gotten out of the hospital following a serious bout of heart disease(pericarditis). So we had an ECV for DH and a manual w/c for DS--he has some mobility issues. I have to say, that ECV saved the day! DH fatigues easily and the ECV made it so that he could participate more without causing symptoms. I pushed DS mostly, until my foot just gave out(I had broken my tibia & fibula about 6wks prior and had just gotten out of my cast).

We got our ECV from Randy's in Orlando and they brought it to our room, set us up and we were good to go. If you ask them, they can add on an apparatus to hold the crutches on the back.