elevated cushion for person w/severe arthritus

[tallvine]

This board has been terrific in helping to plan my trip I hope you can help me with one more thing. My 81 year old mother is coming with us to Disney in June. She will be in a wheelchair due to her COPD and she also has severe arthritus in both knees. although she can transfer from the wheelchair to most of the rides, it is very difficult for her to get up and down/ in and out of the rides in the time alloted. I've been trying to find a lightweight, portable elevated seat cushion( at least 5-6 inches) I could bring and place on the ride seat for her. Similar to what they use on toilets ( the height) but w/out the attached arms - which would be too bulky to carry around. Does anyone know of anything like this or have any other suggestions? thank you

 

[Mrsjvb]

I'd look in the local Craft store for some foam squares. they can be covered with any fabric to personalize it. Plus I imagine it wouldn't be too terribly hard to attach some sort of fabric carry handle to it as well.

I feel her pain. I JUST started a new regimen of drugs and for the first time in years I can actually stand up from a regular couch without it being a major endeavor.

 

[SueM in MN]

I suggest you contact WDW to see if that would be allowed. In some cases, that increase in height might bring her too high compared to the side of the boat. If you go to post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there is a link to the Disney website, where you can get the email address for WDW.

 

[merryweather20]

I'm not sure if they have stiff enough foam at a craft store. The only thing I can picture would flatten right out if a person sat on it. I have a spare wheel-chair cushion that I use for this purpose, this also has the advantage of being slightly rubberized on the bottom. I think if it was just covered in fabric it might be too slippery in the hard plastic seats.

I'm not sure how many rides this would be Okay with the CMs, hopefully someone will chime in that knows for sure.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

although she can transfer from the wheelchair to most of the rides, it is very difficult for her to get up and down/ in and out of the rides in the time alloted.

With the exception of Peter Pan, which cannot be stopped except for an emergency, there is no "time allotted" for transfer to or from a ride vehicle. Where there is a moving walkway, the walkway can be slowed down or even stopped to facilitate a transfer. Where there is no moving walkway, a ride vehicle cannot be dispatched until everyone is in and secured. The ride operator may want to speed things up, but just tell them that you need additional time to complete the trransfer.

 

[SueM in MN]

With the exception of Peter Pan, which cannot be stopped except for an emergency, there is no "time allotted" for transfer to or from a ride vehicle. Where there is a moving walkway, the walkway can be slowed down or even stopped to facilitate a transfer. Where there is no moving walkway, a ride vehicle cannot be dispatched until everyone is in and secured. The ride operator may want to speed things up, but just tell them that you need additional time to complete the trransfer.

Good point. And, if she is using a wheelchair, she will be boarding the moving walkway rides at the exit (usually the line routes wheelchair/ECV users to that area for boarding close to when the regular line reaches the boarding area). At the exit, the CMs have more control of starting and stopping the moving walkway, plus you have more space when boarding because others are not boarding at the same place.

Also, many of the rides have a very shallow seat and most of the ride car seats are made of slippery plastic. Putting a seat cushion on it would mean the some of the cushion would not be on the seat and because the seat is slippery, the cushion could slip off. If she is using the seat cushion as a support to help her rise, it may also increase her risk of slipping.
Another possibility would be to use a cane. With careful placement of the cane and the assistance of one or more members of your party, she would probably be safer and feel more secure.