Finally taking mom to WDW (Long)

[kimysbug]

Here is our story & some questions.

My dh & I got married in 1995 in NY & Honeymooned at Disney & Anguilla when at Disney DH promised my a 10th Anniverary VR at WDW.

Jump to 2005 wwe planned on having a DFTW VR in July Mom ended up with emergancy surgery in Feb & got a temp colostomy. In May she wanted it reversed so she could go to disney without her"bag" in pre surgical testing they found she needed stents around her heart & put her on blood thinners. so in June she had that done, my family & Doctors felt she should not go to WDW I was broken hearted but promised we could go that December for DH's Birthday & booked all the same things we were ding for the VR.

In October mom started hemerging sp? in her ostomy bag and almosted died.
The Doctors did surgery to save her life re-hooked her up and we still planned our Dec. trip. Then the **it hit the fan and mom got every complication under the sun, including but not limited to MRSA infection VRE infection another type of staph infection, a fistulas in her intestion, 2 Major heart attacks more stents, wound infections/open wounds hymatomas, she went blind in one eye not to sure torn retna the list does go on.
so 16 months in the hospital later and a perm. illiostomy later. Mom is on her way to recovery and I am darn sure going to live up to my promise of taking her to WDW.
So mom can not walk too far as she has some blockages in her legs
she is now blind in one eye
has very little intestine and can dehidrate very easily

So my plans tentivly is Oct. 4 nights so not too long.
Staying at the Poly (maybe)
conecting rooms
Going to MNSSHP so I can wear my VR Princess dress and take pictures with her.
I have read everything I could here but have some more questions.

So her are my questions
1) Do we ask for a GAC?
2) Does the Poly have Ajoining rooms one Handicaped for mom?
3) Can we get a Handicaped room w/2 beds not just a king?
4) I want to bring her walker & wheel chair.
I will use the wheel chair in airports & Resort grounds.
She would like to walk onto buses
Wheel chair from bus/monorail to park entrance. then rent a ECV for her.
Can they keep her wheel chair there till we leave the park? and her walker?
Should we keep her walker w/us so she can us it on lines & stuff?

Thanking you in advance

 

[OneLittleSpark]

I'll answer what I can, before the real experts turn up. It sounds like she might benefit from a GAC to reduce sun exposure and to allow her to sit closer to the front in shows (though a lot of the time, the wheelchair and ECV seating will be right at the front anyway).

I'm afraid I'm not that familiar with the Poly, having never stayed there myself, but I'm sure someone here can help with that.

If she's in an ECV, for the majority of rides she can ride that through the length of the queue and board at the wheelchair boarding (normally the ride exit). A few rides will require her to transfer to a wheelchair for the queue, but those will have chairs you can borrow to get her to the ride, then back to the ECV. I think there is somewhere to store the wheelchair and walker, but I'm not sure as I've never tried. Anyone know?

Hope this helps a little, the cavalry will be here soon to give you a better answer. I hope you all have a wonderful time !

 

[Cheshire Figment]

So her are my questions
1) Do we ask for a GAC?

Yes, for the invisible needs, such as vision.

2) Does the Poly have Ajoining rooms one Handicaped for mom?

Be sure you state connecting rooms and not adjoining. You want to go from one room to the other without going into the corridor.

4) I want to bring her walker & wheel chair.
I will use the wheel chair in airports & Resort grounds.
She would like to walk onto buses
Wheel chair from bus/monorail to park entrance. then rent a ECV for her.
Can they keep her wheel chair there till we leave the park? and her walker?
Should we keep her walker w/us so she can us it on lines & stuff?

I would suggest renting an ECV from an off-site company. This will eliminate the need for the wheelchair. Your airline will provide a wheelchair at no cost between curbside and the aircraft itself (except the skycap providing the assistance is a tip positon) and from the aircaft through baggage claim to curbside.

If she is unwilling to drive the ECV onto the bus someone else in your party can do that for her. The offsite ECVs are much easier to use than Disney's and cost less. You can also get one with a crutch holder or even a walker holder. Also, since you will be staying at the Poly you will be using monorail for both MK and Epcot and will only need buses for AK and MGM.

 

[Haley Whippet]

I would suggest renting an ECV from an off-site company. This will eliminate the need for the wheelchair.

The WDW ECV's are really big and clunky We always rent offsite too..
I think a call to WDW special needs people will be helpful too..
Deb

 

[kimysbug]

Thank you everyone

I ment connecting rooms

Her needs are
Sight needs to be close
Sun exsposure - due to meds
not being able to stand too long

Mom really does not want to rent a ECV all the time as she is affraid of the nasty looks on the busses and my dear brother told her that the busses that kneel are always breaking down & people will get mad at her.

I think we are skipping MGM
1-2 days MK & MNSSHP
1-2 EPCOT
1/2-1 Animal Kingdom

maybe if we skip AK we wont need a bus and that maybe easier,

although we have to take her to DTD as she is dying to go to Lake Bonavista & shop like we did in the 70's.

Boy is mom gonna have fun

 

[SueM in MN]

(though a lot of the time, the wheelchair and ECV seating will be right at the front anyway).

For most of the shows, the wheelchair seating is in the very back row.
For some of the live theater shows, there is some in the back and a smaller number of seats in the front row. 3 that have some seats in front are Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones and the Lion King.

For any that involve movies or audioanimatronics, the seating is in the back row.

If you have not checked it out the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there is a portion on renting ECVs and wheelchairs and about GACs (Guest Assistance Cards).
One area of that thread has some links to past threads; the one about Boarding rides with moving walkways would be helpful and there is also a post about handicapped rooms.

Before requesting a handicapped room, it would be helpful to think about what she needs. If she needs a roll in shower, then you want a fully handicapped room. Many of those have a king bed to make room for a wheelchair to get thru.
If she walks around with her walker all the time at home, she may want one of those rooms.

If she doesn't use the walker and/or moves around the house by 'cruising' around furniture, you might want a regular room or a handicapped room with a tub with grab bars.

If she has not used an ECV, she may want to practice at places like Walmart, Target, grocery store, etc. She may find that being blind in one eye, it makes her too nervous to drive around in crowds or unfamiliar places. If nothing else, someone in your party should act as a 'spotter' for her on her blind side.
We also use the buses all the time at WDW and the ones that kneel have not broken down for us ever. It is not that difficult to get an ECV on them and people tend to 'glare' at people they think don't need an ECV (like young or healthy looking people). Besides, she and your family know that she needs a mobility device and you are the only ones who matter.

 

[SueOKW]

I am sure that 99% of the people you meet will NOT glare at your mom when the bus is loading... it's the 1% jerks you have to ignore.

We get it all the time, the problem is we are so used to not looking at other people we miss the understanding smiles of others.

Please do convince her that the off-site rental is the easiest... and putting an ECV on the monorail is a breeze.

 

[Pat]

I always rent an ECV from an outside source. We also have a rental vehicle while there. If we drive to a park, we load the ECV in the back of our vehicle. I have not taken an ECV on one of the Disney buses in years, but do find the monorail very easy to board. At some of the parks, it is quite a walk to get to the spot where you can rent one of their ECVs. Occasionally you will find a wheel chair at the front of the parking lot for use to get into the park.

I have learned to ignore the people who would give me a dirty look. There are also some people who are very nice and go out of their way to hold open a door, etc.