First trip with disability, any help appreicated!

[kadesha]

Hi! I briefly visited this board last year but we ended up having to cancel our trip so I didn't spend much time here. We are planning to go back to Disney this May and it will be the first time since my husband's injury.

He has severe back problems. He was climbing a ladder to install a satellite and fell off. He hasn't been able to work since. (about 2 years now) He has been to many doctors and there isn't a lot that can be done for him. He walks with a cane and even going to the grocery store can be a painful ordeal.

However, he knows I love Disney and has agreed on a May trip. I need any tips or pointers that you can give me. I'm thinking we will need to rent an ECV. Can you do this at the park or is an outside company better? Will a GAC help him in any way? He can't stand for long periods of time. I'm not asking to skip in line or anything, but are there any accomodations for his condition while waiting? ANY and ALL tips are appreicated to help make this trip easier for him. I am clueless about how we are going to do this!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

The normal and official response to a request for a GAC for a mobility/stamina situation is the recommendation that you rent a wheelchair or ECV. The GAC does not do anything for distances between attractions, and most attractions do not have seating available in the queue.

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information, including in Post #2 where people rent ECVs.

Or, if you want an easier route to the FAQs, click on the link in my signature.

Our normal recommendation here is that you rent off-site so the ECV is available at all times, as well as the off-site rentals are much less expensive as well as much more maneuverable than the Disney rentals.

 

[Friend of a Mouse]

I would second what Cheshire says. Rent the ECV, get the GAC as a back up as it will allow you to use the wheelchair entrances even if you don't want to take the ECV in the line. Be aware that there are some lines that cannot handle the ECV. In those cases, he will bbe asked to transfer to a wheelchair provided by the ride. Make suer that you are prepared for that possibility.

Disney really is pretty friendly to those with disabilities, I think you guys will have a great trip/

 

[KGK]

In a similiar situation as your husband. Read Cheshire's post and read the FAQ. Lots of great info.

Here's my research in a nutshell: Get an ECV. Rent from Apple. less then half the cost of an ECV than at Disney, better units etc. Ask them to match the best prices out there. Alex is wonderful and will give you a good deal and will work to help you.

GAC should not be needed. I plan on getting one just in case my back and legs are feeling OK enough for me to walk thru special access lines instead of riding (we'll be going at the lowest crowd level - some attactions I may be able to walk on without waiting or standing.)

Have your husband practice with the ECV at your resort a little prior to trying to get on the bus.

No one knows how the ECVs should get on the bus. Main line or wait by the side. Apparently WDW is changing the procedure. I plan on waiting outside the line by where back door of bus is. ECV with up to 6 family members can load bus first if the bus has room. If more than two buses go by without loading ask next driver to request a special bus.

Don't let husband read the treads about being attacked by strollers or ECVs.

Find Cheshire's post about not caring what others say or do. It's your vacation and being in WDW with less pain due to riding an ECV is worth it.

This board is full of all of the answers you'll need. Have a great time at Disney.

KGK
Disabled American Vet
Life Member

 

[heimlichfan]

Thanks kadesha for posting!

My FIL will be traveling for the first time with limited mobility due to a serious foot injury during our upcoming trip. I want to make sure everything is doable for him and the info people will share with you here will be helpful for me as well! So thanks to all who are posting!

I'm very nervous about people - he is a larger-sized fella, and I'm concerned about people being judgemental... mostly because my MIL is very sensitive. The more prepared I am, the better it will be for everyone!

 

[kadesha]

Thank you all for the wonderful information! I appreciate it so much!!

 

[M5ward]

I agree with previous posters...rent your ECV from an off site vendor. We have used Apple the past several times and have had great service from them. Renting off site allows you to always have the ECV available. We wait outside the line at the parks, waiting close to where the rear door of the bus will be when it pulls in. The resorts seem to have a marked space for mobility aids to wait.

 

[Sandy321]

add to the renting of an ecv -

a good touring plan -

http://www.easywdw.com/ - - lots of articles, on the side they have links to their calendars and they help you understand the best park for each day - its a lot of information, but it is helpful and their forums (at the top of the page you just click on the word forum) - posters are very helpful

 

[Friend of a Mouse]

Thanks kadesha for posting!

My FIL will be traveling for the first time with limited mobility due to a serious foot injury during our upcoming trip. I want to make sure everything is doable for him and the info people will share with you here will be helpful for me as well! So thanks to all who are posting!

I'm very nervous about people - he is a larger-sized fella, and I'm concerned about people being judgemental... mostly because my MIL is very sensitive. The more prepared I am, the better it will be for everyone!

I'm going to be honest- he will at least get some dirty looks. Possibly comments. Yes, people will be thinking it. I will admit, I didn't always have the greatest attitude about ECVs until I experienced the parks with a friend who needed ne due to a medical condition. That really opened my eyes.

I have done the parks with my mom and my friend. Both are larger women. Both have medical conditiosn unrelated to weight that caused us to rent a wheelchair. While I'm sure people looked at us weird (particularly my friend since she was early 20's), I never noticed it. I was too busy having fun! Nobody made comments to us either. We had a great time, and didn't worry about what anybody else thought. I'm sure that if I had looked for it, I would have seen some dirtly looks. It may happen, but just let it roll off of your back. Have fun, and you probably won't even notice!

 

[momof5boys]

We are in the same predicament! My DH also has severe back issues that won't be getting better We leave in 12 days! He is renting an ECV offsite, this is the first time we have done that, in the past before things got this bad we occasionally rented them in a park depending on how he felt.

I have honestly felt like putting a note on the back of his chair explaining why he is using it, screws, rods, disc replacement, spinal stimulator.... (stupid I know, but people can be idiots sometimes!)

I'll let you know how it goes when we get back!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Please ask the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are traveling with, such as your family, know you are disabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probably No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!

 

[kadesha]

Are there any rental companies that will bring the scooter to your resort? Or do you have to go pick them up?

 

[kadesha]

Ok, I saw that Apple delivers. We stay at Pop Century. Do I need to choose for it to be left at conceirge or bellman?

 

[kadesha]

OP here, digging up my own old thread.

We rented an ECV from Apple but I was looking for an update about the bus lines. Earlier in the thread we weren't sure if they were going through the main line or waiting off to the side. Can anyone update? We are leaving soon and I'd like to be prepared! Thanks!

 

[SueM in MN]

Are there any rental companies that will bring the scooter to your resort? Or do you have to go pick them up?

All of the companies listed in post 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread will deliver the ECV or wheelchair to your resort and then pick them up again when you are ready to leave.

OP here, digging up my own old thread.

We rented an ECV from Apple but I was looking for an update about the bus lines. Earlier in the thread we weren't sure if they were going through the main line or waiting off to the side. Can anyone update? We are leaving soon and I'd like to be prepared! Thanks!

At your resort, there will be signs that say ECVs and wheelchairs will be loaded first.

At the parks, it is sort of up for grabs. THere are no signs and no specific place designated to wait. The lines have been widened to accommodate waiting in line.

 

[SenecaWolf]

I just got back a little over a week ago and used an ECV. At MK, Epcot and DHS each time I started to go thru the main line an attendant motioned me and my kids over to wait by the side (cue dirty looks from ppl in line). The monorail waits were just in the regular line.

Only one time did I go thru the line at the bus but it was really crowded and when he did notice he had me pull to the side once I got to the front and we waited for the next bus.

 

[SueM in MN]

i don’t think anyone pointed you to post 6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, but that post is about GACs.
You will not need a GAC to use an ECV or wheelchair in lines. For those lines which are not accessible to ECVs, as was already posted, guests can transfer to a wheelchair at the attraction. You would not need a GAC to do that.

Remember if you do walk in line, a GAC can allow you to use a path that avoids stairs, but in most cases, the distance walked will not be any shorter. Many of the lines are quite a distance - Soarin’ and Pirates are long. Someone measured Soarin’ as 1/4 mile.
PLus, there are attractions where all guests stand for a period of time, unless they have brought a seat with them (wheelchair, ECV, rollator). There is more information about those in a post on page 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

 

[SenecaWolf]

My apologies, I was referring to the bus lines outside the parks, not the ride lines. I should have clarified.

 

[appleorchard]

I used an ECV for the first time at disney two weeks ago. I was very nervous about it-I'm 61 and overweight, so I worried about the "comments." And I did get a few--mostly people my age just asking how it was riding it. I had one really obnoxious bus driver also--it was pouring rain, I knew I was holding people up and he kept YELLING telling me how to park it. He wouldn't let me get off and just move it into position, either--said I needed to learn how to do it! I was almost in tears. That ws my worst experience with it! I also had a big boot on my foot so it was obvious there was something wrong with it--that made it much easier for me, psychologically, too.

I rented off-site and had it with me the whole time. My DH, who normally rents a scooter just in the park since he has vertebral fractures caused by liver failure and transplant, rented one offsite for the last two days, when the MK ran out of them. I waited at the handicapped entrance for the bus lines, because loading the scooter is too difficult otherwise, as I found out the first time I waited in the "regular" line.

I got off the scooter and walked into lines a few times when the lines were short and also didn't take it in a few stores. Mistake. Now I'm completely non weight-bearing--at all- for the next 5 weeks. I just rented a nifty little knee walker to keep my foot UP and off the floor, even around the house. I'm going to Disney again the end of August and hope I don't need the scooter by then, but if I do, I'll be much more comfortable with the idea.

 

[jasminhatcher]

Thanks for these helpful tips. It's going to a magical time...SO excited!