Electric chair or manual?

[seabee]

Ok, quick summary of our story...DH is a quad. We finally talked the VA into letting him have an electric chair as well as his manual chair. It is so great for him because getting around outside is difficult for him, and now he can play more with the kids on the lawn. Anyway, we were pretty excited too to have the chair for Disney, talk about making things easier, but then we got to thinking about the rides that he can get on with his manual. The kids love doing Buzz, and riding the train with Dad. My question is, would he still be able to do those rides with the electric instead of the manual? I would hate to sacrafice that fun for a little ease. I have been trying to think about whether there were clamps or hooks that went around the wheels, I don't think so, the chair isn't an ECV, its a wheelchair so I didn't know if that would count. Do you think he could ride those rides that allow a wheelchair if he was in his electric instead of his manual? Thanks in advance for your help.

PS-We will be bringing both chairs with us, so if we couldn't get on with the electric we could just go back another day with the manual, but it would just be nice if we didn't have to worry about it. Thanks again.

 

[mykidsintow]

The accessability tends to depend on the size of the chair. Some power chairs are very large (the base of my DDs chair is 44X25). Its due to the hydrolics, etc. Her chair doesn't fit in many of the rides due to thebase size. If its a smaller base it would go on just like a manual chair!

 

[SueM in MN]

As mykidsintow pointed out, some of the 'whether it will fit' depends on the size of the chair. If it's no bigger than a manual wheelchair, it will probably fit. I don't know if he has the wheelchair yet, but if you know what kind he will be getting, that will help us help you better. The train is wheelchair accessible with nothing sticking up/clamps and his wheelchair should fit.

Some of the ride cars also have things that stick up, even if there is nothing that connects the wheelchair to the ride car. Aladdin's Magic Carpets is like that (and Triceratop Spin is the same). For others, like the Great Movie Ride, there is a sharp turn to get on and not much space. Buzz Lightyear doesn't have anything sticking up, but the space is not that big and there is a steep ramp to get on the wheelchair car.
This is the Buzz Lightyear ride car.

If you go to the disABILITIES FAQs thread, in post #3 there is a link to eternaldisneyfan's trip report; she was traveling with a power wheelchair and gives really good complete explanations.

 

[SueM in MN]

another thing I thought of - if he can transfer and is able to sit in a park wheelchair, he could still ride in those things that his power wheelchair doesn't fit into. They do have park manual wheelchairs at those attractions.

My DD can't ride in a wheelchair other than her own (she needs her seatbelt and her footstraps), but for some people making a transfer into a park wheelchair would not be out of the question if their power wheelchair won't fit.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would agree with Sue that for a few attractions he might have to transfer into a Park wheelchair, but they will provide the chair at the attraction and when he gets off transfer back to the power chair.

Because there is no such thing as a "standard size" wheelchair, and the need for short load/unload times, basically a power chair can go on anything that a wheelchair can go on since no attempt is made to tie down the wheelchair and there is no need because of the way the ride is set up.

 

[SueM in MN]

I forgot to mention, the park chairs that are available have fixed armrests and the footrests don't swing away. For some people, that might not make much difference in transferring, but for others, that makes it impossible.

 

[seabee]

As mykidsintow pointed out, some of the 'whether it will fit' depends on the size of the chair. If it's no bigger than a manual wheelchair, it will probably fit. I don't know if he has the wheelchair yet, but if you know what kind he will be getting, that will help us help you better. The train is wheelchair accessible with nothing sticking up/clamps and his wheelchair should fit.

Some of the ride cars also have things that stick up, even if there is nothing that connects the wheelchair to the ride car. Aladdin's Magic Carpets is like that (and Triceratop Spin is the same). For others, like the Great Movie Ride, there is a sharp turn to get on and not much space. Buzz Lightyear doesn't have anything sticking up, but the space is not that big and there is a steep ramp to get on the wheelchair car.
This is the Buzz Lightyear ride car.


If you go to the disABILITIES FAQs thread, in post #3 there is a link to eternaldisneyfan's trip report; she was traveling with a power wheelchair and gives really good complete explanations.

Thanks, I will check that report out. His chair is actually skinnier than his manual, which he has gone on all the rides with(except the carpets). What I was concerned with is if they would even allow it on the rides that say you need to be in a manual chair not an ecv. I figure we won't be able to do the Great Movie Ride, because even with the manual we couldn't turn and had to pick up the back and push it-not possible in the electric. Thanks for all your help.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks, I will check that report out. His chair is actually skinnier than his manual, which he has gone on all the rides with(except the carpets). What I was concerned with is if they would even allow it on the rides that say you need to be in a manual chair not an ecv. I figure we won't be able to do the Great Movie Ride, because even with the manual we couldn't turn and had to pick up the back and push it-not possible in the electric. Thanks for all your help.

For the attractions that say you have to transfer from an ECV to a manual wheelchair, they really are talking about ECVs. And, sometimes they are just meaning the park rental or heavy duty ECVs because those are larger than the small ECVs some people own or rent.
When they say wheelchair accessible, that usually means power wheelchairs too.
The length is a problem more than the width in many of the rides.
I'd suggest comparing his manual wheelchair with the power one. The power wheelchair should fit on the same attractions that his manual one did, if the power one has the same 'footprint' as the manual one (i.e. the power one would be no bigger in size or shape than the manual one).
The Great Movie Ride is very tight. DD's manual wheelchair sort of barely has room to turn on that.

 

[cmwade77]

Do you have a picture of the chair? It would make it easier to tell, I know here at DL, as long as it can fit in the same place as a manual chair would there is no problem.