ECV, stroller, or wheel chair for my adult nephew with cerebral palsy

[Theta]

My brother has asked me to take him and his adult son with cerebral palsy to WDW. I am concerned about his limited mobility. He can walk around a house or in a restaurant, but that would be about it. My brother thinks he can push his wheelchair around Disney, but I know that will not work for 5 days in the parks.

I was thinking about renting a scooter, but I don't think he has enough control to steer it safely. I was thinking about something like the double strollers, because he is only 100 pounds, but he is 24 years old. So what I need is a self-propelled wheel chair where my brother can do the "steering" and my nephew can just go along with the ride.

Could someone help me with suggestions?

 

[alizesmom]

Does he already have a wheelchair? Who pushes him now? If it's his dad then I see no problem with going to the world. You'll have to go slower and take breaks but it's very doable.

 

[PatMcDuck]

i need a "power assist" pushing my adult son around too, but it is not available?? We have a convaid chair for DS, age 23, 160 pounds/

I could use help with the hills. Also hard to hold onto him on lines that have downward slopes.

 

[SueM in MN]

Does he already have a wheelchair? Who pushes him now? If it's his dad then I see no problem with going to the world. You'll have to go slower and take breaks but it's very doable.

Those would be my question.
Does he have something for when he goes longer distance?
If he does, he can bring that with free of charge on an airplane.

Your brother might also want to check with his son's doctor or any specialty clinic he goes to. They at be aware of lending closets for equipment that could be loaned to him.

I agree that pushing a wheelchair in general is not that difficult, especially with a smaller person in it.

My brother has asked me to take him and his adult son with cerebral palsy to WDW. I am concerned about his limited mobility. He can walk around a house or in a restaurant, but that would be about it. My brother thinks he can push his wheelchair around Disney, but I know that will not work for 5 days in the parks.

I was thinking about renting a scooter, but I don't think he has enough control to steer it safely.

I takes a fair amount of concentration and alertness to safely drive an ECV. The driver needs to be ready to stop at any point if people step out in front of the ECV. The driving can be tiring because of the need to stay alert.

I was thinking about something like the double strollers, because he is only 100 pounds, but he is 24 years old.

Double strollers push quite easily, but your nephew would be too large to fit easily and the low to the ground stroller would be difficult for him to get in and out.

So what I need is a self-propelled wheel chair where my brother can do the "steering" and my nephew can just go along with the ride.

Could someone help me with suggestions?

Unfortunately that doesn't exist.
I would suggest checking out post 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. There is a list of off site companies that rent wheelchairs
Apple Scooters and CARE rent narrower wheelchairs that might be more suitable for a smaller person.
Orlando Stroller Rentals has special needs strollers for rent. Those are like umbrella strollers for people up to 100 pounds.

 

[Bete]

A wheelchair sounds like the best idea. If you alternate the walking and pushing with shows, parades, rides, eats, it's manageable to push a wheelchair. If you can help push yourself some I think this will be very doable.

If the two of you get tired from pushing then maybe you should rent a scooter between you and your brother and share it. This way you would get a better rest in between taking turns pushing the wheelchair.

I was 59, overweight and I pushed my mom, who was around 110 pounds through all four parks across 7 days. I did this more than once. I will say we were never in the park for more than 7 or 8 hours. Sometimes we took a break in the afternoon. I used a travel, portable wheelchair which weighed around 15 pounds. A lightweight wheelchair is what I would use.

Also, depending on your finances you may be able to hire a helper who would push the wheelchair for you.

 

[cmwade77]

So what I need is a self-propelled wheel chair where my brother can do the "steering" and my nephew can just go along with the ride.

Could someone help me with suggestions?

If you know anyone techy, it is possible:
http://www.cwhaticando.com/view/?t=... Chair Wireless Remote Control&itemParent=304

I have seen people in the California parks use something similar and it seems to work for them.

I would think that you might want more than a $20 remote though, as more expensive ones will probably be more responsive. But that would be up to the person figuring it out.

 

[SueM in MN]

If you know anyone techy, it is possible:
http://www.cwhaticando.com/view/?t=... Chair Wireless Remote Control&itemParent=304

I have seen people in the California parks use something similar and it seems to work for them.

I would think that you might want more than a $20 remote though, as more expensive ones will probably be more responsive. But that would be up to the person figuring it out.

But, first you have to have a power wheelchair to control. Those are thousands of dollars. And, not all can be wirelessly controlled.
If you have one, you can get what is called an attendant control from the company. That is a small joystick mounted somewhere on the power wheelchair where the attendant can use it to control the wheelchair. It's similar to the regular joystick, but needs to be programmed separately.
My DD has one on her power wheelchair; I find it harder to control than just reaching over and driving her chair with the regular joystick if she is not able to.

Power chair also needs some way to be transported since they can't be folded and put into a trunk.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

Has anyone asked your nephew what he'd prefer or if he has any ideas? I do know adults with CP who have been able to use an ECV in WDW. If he has his own wheelchair that he or his father already push, then they'd probably be fine with that as well. If your nephew can push at all, it means his father won't have to do as much work. And, again, I have been to WDW with someone with CP who was able to self-propel a manual wheelchair through the parks. If your nephew can't self-propel at all, his father probably has some experience pushing and, as Bete points out, there are many different ways to make it easier on people pushing.

Personally, I wouldn't ever ask an adult to use a stroller, especially if they stopped using one years before (which it sounds like your nephew did). There's a lot to be said for thinking about what's age-appropriate not just what's easiest.

 

[Theta]

Has anyone asked your nephew what he'd prefer or if he has any ideas? I do know adults with CP who have been able to use an ECV in WDW. If he has his own wheelchair that he or his father already push, then they'd probably be fine with that as well. If your nephew can push at all, it means his father won't have to do as much work. And, again, I have been to WDW with someone with CP who was able to self-propel a manual wheelchair through the parks. If your nephew can't self-propel at all, his father probably has some experience pushing and, as Bete points out, there are many different ways to make it easier on people pushing.

Personally, I wouldn't ever ask an adult to use a stroller, especially if they stopped using one years before (which it sounds like your nephew did). There's a lot to be said for thinking about what's age-appropriate not just what's easiest.

Thank you to all for your information.

To answer a few questions.

Yes, his father pushes him now, but my nephew is too weak to push himself. I am just a little concerned about a week in the parks because we vacationed in Vancouver together and my brother got pretty tired pushing his son around the downtown area after a couple days. We took turns pushing him, I am now thinking his wheelchair is not very good because both my brother and I are very active and we both tired very quickly. Maybe if we rented a different wheelchair it could be doable??

Would you have recommendations about a place where we could rent a lighter more efficient wheelchair?

 

[peemagg]

I don't know if it is possible as far as time line, but if he is using the run of the mill wheelchair now, maybe getting him a chair that is ultra light and built custom for him.

I know my chair weighs about 25lbs and I weigh over 200. My Mom who is 69 pushes me when I am too tired and says that it is nothing to push with me in it. We used it last year in Disney and the only time we had any issue is on the ramp going up to the Monorail at Mk.

Maybe if you have time you could look into one of these chairs for him.

 

[Theta]

Does anyone have any experience with the "Freedom" pushchair? It says it holds up to 200 pounds and the chair weighs about 30 pounds.

I can rent this from a place called Kingdom Strollers and they will deliver to the WDW resort.

 

[lanejudy]

Does anyone have any experience with the "Freedom" pushchair? It says it holds up to 200 pounds and the chair weighs about 30 pounds.

I can rent this from a place called Kingdom Strollers and they will deliver to the WDW resort.

The Liberty Freedom is a special needs stroller...sort of like a large jogging stroller. If using WDW transportation, it maybe heavy and cumbersome to take on buses because it must be folded and carried (unlike a wheelchair). It has quite a bit of recline to it as well, though that is adjustable. It does stick out front quite far, much larger footprint than a wheelchair or standard stroller.

I would think at 24 yrs old he'd rather NOT be in a "stroller" unless that has been his usual mode of transportation. But I don't know your nephew and it may not bother him. In all honesty, I'd ask him first. He deserves to voice his opinion on the matter.

As to wheelchair rentals...check out the disABILITIES FAQ sticky at the top of this forum. There is a list of vendors for ECVs and they will also rent wheelchairs (generally quite inexpensive). If your nephew is only 100lbs, he may fit more comfortably in a "pediatric" wheelchair (I think it's a 16-inch seat) rather than a standard adult chair. I'd also suggest that your brother look into getting him a different wheelchair if the one they currently use isn't adequate anymore; quite possibly his insurance will cover it. But there may not be time for that before your trip.

Enjoy your vacation!