Excuse me lady, but, get off my scooter!

[Ashton7]

It just boggles my mind the lack of respect for personal space and property I've seen surrounding wheelchairs/ECVs. And in almost every instance where it's happened to me personally, it's been adults, not children.

One time I had parked in the German area of EPCOT to do a little shopping (I walk with a cane). I came back to find a man, a total stranger, just sitting there on my ECV. I stood there a moment until he finally said "What?" I said, "You're sitting on my ECV." His reply? "You weren't using it." And then he acted put out that I told him to MOVE.

I have come back to find that people have used the basket of my ECV as a trash can. I have found the seat put up with evidence that someone has helped themselves to a seat. I have had people lean on the back of my chair. Children climbing and jumping up and down on the front grill (and not stopping until *I* finally tell their parents to have them stop). I had a friend (also in an ECV) who had a man while waiting in line who just started leaning on the front of her ECV. When she told him to stop he refused to until she started *moving* the vehicle to force him away.

As I said, it just boggles my mind.

 

[VanniGirl]

I thought we were the onhy ones that had happened too. In January a 'lady' sat on DH's ECV, boy was she annoyed when I told her to move. He would rather stay on, but the drivers won't let him.

 

[Mama Who]

I had a lady get mad at me because I would not let her use DHs powerchair as a seat when DH was sitting on the floor talking with our youngest DD.She gave me dirty looks as she sat on a nearby bench.Her Son came up to us later saying how sorry he is for his Moms behavior and explained their Mom s disability. A friend of mine has a cloth he put on his seat that feels wet to the touch that he puts on his scooter-seat when he moves to the bus seat.He enjoys watching folks touch it when they try to take his seat.

I was unaware that "rude and stupid" had been designated a disability.

My all time favorite entitlement story was a friend's girlfriend who threw a hissy fit when a cop gave her a ticket for parking in the disabled spot at the atm. She wanted to know, "what would disabled people be doing at the atm at 3 in the morning anyway?"

Uh... same as you?

 

[pampam]

I'm always amazed at the rudeness of some individuals. I guess it shouldn't surprise me, but it does.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I'll never understand why people believe it's ok to touch other people's private property. Especially something like a mobility device which really is an extension of the individual in a sense. You would reach out and lean on a person's leg, would you? I just can't understand what people who do this are thinking.

I was unaware that "rude and stupid" had been designated a disability.

Wow, that was judgemental and rude. I'm pretty sure the guy meant that his mother had some kind of cognitive disability and couldn't perceive of her behaviour as unacceptable. He appologized for her behaviour and explained the she has a disability. Remember that lots of disabilities are invisible. I'd hate to have somebody like you judge my autistic daughter as rude and stupid because she says or does something that isn't right, especially when I appologize and explain that she has a disability. I don't let her get away with socially unacceptable behaviour but chances are you won't see me correcting the behaviour; you'll just receive the apology and we'll go somewhere private to correct the behaviour. When somebody states they have a disability, how about some compassion rather than judgement and mean comments?

 

[LoveMMC]

Some people will do anything. We use a special needs stroller for our son and one night while waiting for the parade in the HC viewing area I sat down on the ground next to my son ( who was sitting in the stroller). I noticed the stroller moving a bit and looked up to see a woman hod sat her child ( maybe about 2 yr old) on the sun shade part of our stroller. I asked her to please get her child off and she looked me dead in the eye and said " he's not hurting anything". I told her the second time to get her child off my stroller. She again refused. I found a CM walking by and asked for help. The was great. I thought that she would have asked the lady to get her kid off my stroller, but all she did was ask who the lady and child where with. She said it was just the two of them so she asked to see their GAC. When she could not show one she had to leave the area . It seams that not only was she rude, she had ducked under the roped off section when the CM was not looking.

I cannot believe that!!! I cannot believe she didn't move when you asked her! What a selfish person!
I am shocked by these stories. People just sitting in someone elses wheelchairs/ECV. Its so rude!

 

[C&G'sMama]

I'm glad on found this thread. We were at La Hacienda this past Memorial Day. We were there until after Illuminations. we had a wheelchair that we had brought with us for my 93yo mom. My brother had put stickers from his business (which has our family name on it) on all the different parts in case any came off.

So we get out of La Hacienda and mom's chair is gone. I look a few feet away and there is a boy about 12 or 13 in a wheelchair I think is moms. Then I see the stickers. I asked him to please get out, it's my mother's. Parents never apologized or said anything.

If my children ever did anything like that, they would be apologizing and wouldn't be spending any time in the parks for awhile.

 

[momejay]

I have a very old towel. A basic white towel and it used to have large yellow spots on it. Well, it was a much loved towel and was washed often. It now looks like a white towel with a yellow stain. I make sure we use it for our Disney trips. I lay it on the seat of my son's chair and we haven't had a problem with anyone sitting in his space.
I have had adults insist that their child can sit on my child's foot rest for a parade with ice cream in hand. Not only is my son allergic to ice cream, but he attacks those invading his space.
I have been asked why my son needs to sit up front as he is in a chair and doesn't need to see anything anyway.
I have had people lean on his chair and hang their belongings from his chair only to have his chair tip over. Our vacation could have ended in the ER because of their stupidity.
People are nuts!

 

[NONPROS]

This is awesome HAHAHA!

 

[Captain's Wife]

It's more than just about property, as far as I'm concerned. I'm not a scooter user, but I'm married to someone who uses an ECV at WDW. I have to admit, I'm a bit of a hard-a** when it comes to these things - even my own kids are not allowed to sit on the Captain's scooter or wheelchair. Occasionally, he will choose to walk short distances and we will push the empty chair, for example. When the kids were smaller but had outgrown strollers, they'd say, "Can we take a turn?" or "Can I ride, my legs are tired." The answer, 99.5% of the time is "No." I've attempted to make sure they grow up understanding that the chair or the scooter do what Captain's legs and feet can't and none of us would dream of saying "Can we walk on your feet for a while?"

It's one of my minor irritations- I see little kids, or teens, playing around with a wheelchair while the wheelchair user looks on, and I just want to say, "Do you know how many people would give everything to be able to NOT be in a wheelchair?You want to go on a ride, get in line for Space Mountain."

JMHO

 

[LuvEeyore]

Last Jult, my best friend, my mom, my Goddaughter age15 and myself went to WDW for a girls weekend. My Goddaughter is a beautiful 5"7' blond that loves my mom. We have a wheelchair for trips and shopping if we are going to be a while to prevent confusuion and falls. We were at the parade in MK during the evening and fireworks. We parked on the side walk and put her in front of us to watch. AS we were trying toleave the area after the fireworks, people were pushing and shoving as we were trying to get to the ramp to get down onto the pavement. Someone hit Morgan and tried to push her and mom off the curb. We later had our GAC and went to the Handicapped parade viewing for the later parade. We looked over at Mogan and she was sobbing. She wanted to know what happened to respecting their elders and the handicapped.
mom never said anything about someone sitting in her chair and all got up when she came out. Now we were using a lightweight manual chair because mom has alzheimers and teaching her to use a scooter has not worked. Because the chair folds, most resturants folded the chair and put if out of the way while we were eating as Mom prefers to sit at the table with us and not in the chair.

 

[FlyingPegasus]

Well I am heading out Thursday after work for my 11 day 4th of July/birthday vacation with my sisters.

My sister got me a very nice present. It is a 4-wheel Pride Ultra Deluxe scooter. So no more little go-go 3-wheel for me.

I am a little concerned about leaving it anywhere now, and will insist on taking it into restaurants with me. I can pull up to the table sideways and swivel the seat so I am facing the table.

We are staying at the Contemporary so hopefully our bus rides will be kept to a minimum.

I still feel uncomfortable even sitting on it on the monorail, and if anybody tries to sit on it they better watch out as I will have my "guard dog" daughter with me! LOL

I will let you know if anything unusual happens when I get back!

Fly