ECV and Wheelchair? Questions for upcoming trip

[Mrs. Bob Loblaw]

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry if my questions have been answered before. I have tried to search for answers and I am usually great about finding the info I need, but this time I am striking out. I think I'm just not using the right terminology.

I am hoping to have my mom with me on an upcoming WDW trip. As I was growing up, we would watch Walt Disney World Inside Out together and we dreamed of taking a Disney vacation. I saved for a year when I was 19/20 and took her for her 50th birthday. It was magical. Now.. a couple decades later .. she's had a stroke, back surgery (still in lots of pain), has lymphedema, and her health seems to be steadily declining. Her mobility had taken a huge hit. We are hoping to get her to WDW one last time, so she can have a trip with my two children.

My mom cannot stand for very long without lots of pain, and sometimes without getting lightheaded. She has trouble stepping up - we need a step stool for her to get into my Toyota Sienna, and even with the step stool, I sometimes have to physically pick up her foot and place it on the stool so she can get up. She has trouble raising her feet, in addition to the standing/walking issues.

We plan for her to rent an ECV so she can use that in the parks and at the resort. My concern is with the lines. Even with fast passes, I don't know that she can stand the whole time she's in line. For the rides without fast passes, I don't think she can manage unless it's SHORT. I'm a teacher, so we have to travel during the busier times. Short lines is not an expectation for spring break.

Is there a way to attach a manual wheelchair to her ECV so I can push her when we're in lines? For rides like Haunted Mansion, in the past they have slowed down the walkway when loading on a ride. Will they ever stop it? Her balance is an issue, so even slowed down getting in could be rough for her.

Are there any tips you can offer? Rides that I can help her with? Rides that we should avoid, even with offering her my help? Should we get a walker with a seat (do they come wide - no offense to mom, since I share her hips, but we're pooh-sized and w-i-d-e, lol). I want to make this vacation as stress-free for her as possible, since she's already apologizing like crazy and is even considering not going.

Thank you in advance for any tips you can offer!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Is there a way to attach a manual wheelchair to her ECV so I can push her when we're in lines?

No. No no no no no no no. What you propose is entirely unsafe.You can borrow a wheelchair at any attraction which does not allow an ECV in the queue. Talk to the Greeter at each attraction.

For rides like Haunted Mansion, in the past they have slowed down the walkway when loading on a ride. Will they ever stop it?

Yes. The only moving sidewalks that cannot be stopped are Peter Pan and the People Mover.

 

[Bjkandma]

Your mom will be able to use her ecv through most ride lines. Some rides cast members will direct you to an alternative entance. Some it will be necessary to transfer to a wheelchair to get to the ride. There will be wheelchairs available for her use (No need to bring one in park).

Some of the rides will have "handicap accessible" vehicles, where she will stay in the wheelchair.

(Since she has trouble with her legs, I suggest you bring a wheelchair pad or even a bed pillow, place behind her back while in scooter. The wheelchairs have a "dip or fold" in the middle, that sometimes causes problems for me.

 

[SueM in MN]

As others already mentioned, many lines are ECV accessible and those that are not will have an attraction wheelchair you can use in line. The ones that require a transfer from ECV to wheelchair for lines are marked on the park map and at signs at the attraction with a symbol showing someone getting out of an ECV and getting into a wheelchair. Let the CM greeter at the attraction know she needs to borrow a wheelchair.

(A few lines with that symbol are ECV accessible, but have a ride car that is wheelchair accessible, but not ECV accessible.
And, some have lines that may allow ECVs at times - depending on size of ECV, how busy it is, etc.)

All shows are wheelchair /ECV accessible.
All attractions are wheelchair accessible to the point of boarding; most are accessible using the regular line.
Attractions with a wheelchair accessible ride car are marked with a wheelchair with someone sitting in it. An icon with a person getting out of the wheelchair means a transfer is required.
Some have a different boarding area for guests using mobility devices; the pull off for those is usually close to the regular boarding area. For most, a wheelchair can be placed as close as needed to the ride car, even almost touching. Let the CMs know how far she can walk and if you need a moving walkway stopped.

You can find a lot of information in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. It is located near the top of this board or you follow the link in my signature. The first post in that thread is an index.
I marked the posts that might be most helpful to you.

 

[Selket]

I think the FAQ post about rides with a difficult step will be very helpful. Many rides have a step up/down or over - not sure if she could do this step while holding onto the ride vehicle? Are you staying on or off-site? I'm guessing onsite as she can use the ECV to go all the way from the hotel room to the parks and back - which is a nice perk.

I often go during spring break (the week before or after Easter for our school system) and it's super super busy. Have you been during this time? It's WAY busier than the summer. You will definitely want to maximize your use of fast passes - if you are onsite then get them as soon as they open up for your trip. If your kids are older they may want to do thrill rides that she will not or cannot do - so this may involve some picking and choosing. I find for spring break trips that I tend not to ride as many things because it's just so crowded. However the weather is usually good, if not amazing. There's also the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot which she may enjoy. There's so many lovely topiaries and scenes made with flowers. If you are on-site, she could go back to the room and rest a bit or enjoy the resort. It's wonderful you are taking a family trip! Hopefully she will be able to see and do more than she thinks - Disney really is very good with mobility challenges.