Going to DL with someone in a wheelchair. A couple of questions.

[Laz]

I didn't know if I should put this on the DISabilities board, so it will be no problem if a Moderater moves this.

I am traveling with a group of 8 teenagers to DL/DCA this month. One of them is in an electric wheelchair. She can not use a manual chair very well and needs the assistance of her older sister (who is traveling with us) to get in and out of the chair. Her sister also helps her attend to all her needs. If she uses a manual chair, someone else needs to push it. The neat thing is that to the rest of the teens she is part of the "gang" (for lack of a better word) and they all want to do everything together. I have suggested she look at the disabilities section of disneyland web site. My question is how difficult will it be for the young lady in the chair and the rest of the teens to be together on the attractions? What attractions will she be denied from getting on? Can we all be together for Fantasmic? Thanks for the help!

 

[fairycat]

Others can probably offer more information on this topic but I can offer a little help going with people with special needs and having been in a wheelchair one trip myself.

First if she uses a motorised chair why would she switch to a standard chair? There are no issues using a motorised chair while at Disney.

With a GAC pass (which she should not need since she is in a chair) you can ride with up to 5 people (that is six total for each pass). Since your group is larger you would have to mix up the way the kids ride with her using the "handicapped" line or entrance of each ride. Some of the newer rides you wait in the regular line and split off at the end, these will be easier for the larger group. Other rides have special entrances.

As to what she can ride it depends on her disability. If she has neck, back, heart or other issues that a ride has warnings against she will not be able to ride. Otherwise if she can transfer to the ride, she can ride. I know IASW and TSMM have the ability for you to actually stay in your chair and ride as well.

Those kids are going to have a great time, have fun!

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

We went to DLR with a wheelchair this past April and there was 6 of us including the one in the wheelchair and the CMs let us go through the exits together with no problem. I think more than 6 they would have asked us to split up.

The hardest part, IMO (especially being the DL expert in the group) was finding the exit (wheelchair entrance) for certain rides. I guess I never paid attention where we exit. Most of the rides in DCA (and some in DL) you enter the normal standby line and then once you reach a certain point you go in a different line, like fairycat said.

 

[Laz]

Others can probably offer more information on this topic but I can offer a little help going with people with special needs and having been in a wheelchair one trip myself.

First if she uses a motorised chair why would she switch to a standard chair? There are no issues using a motorised chair while at Disney.

With a GAC pass (which she should not need since she is in a chair) you can ride with up to 5 people (that is six total for each pass). Since your group is larger you would have to mix up the way the kids ride with her using the "handicapped" line or entrance of each ride. Some of the newer rides you wait in the regular line and split off at the end, these will be easier for the larger group. Other rides have special entrances.

As to what she can ride it depends on her disability. If she has neck, back, heart or other issues that a ride has warnings against she will not be able to ride. Otherwise if she can transfer to the ride, she can ride. I know IASW and TSMM have the ability for you to actually stay in your chair and ride as well.

Those kids are going to have a great time, have fun!

No head, back or heart problems, but she will need help in and out of the rides. Will they let us take the time do this?

 

[mechurchlady]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=31683754&highlight=lightyear#post31683754

Due to health issues and my full time job of caring for my mom I have not been able to up date that post recently but did add a bit of new stuff I found.

Yes there is an issue with powerchairs in the parks. Some powerchairs may not fit the smaller ride vehicles that allow wheelchairs like Pooh.

Some rides have separate areas to allow boarding like Space Mountain and others she could roll onto the ride like Small World. Big Thunder tells you that you have 30 seconds to load. Read my guide and all your answers should be met as to rides. Most rides allow the disabled guest to roll right up to the ride vehicle like Dumbo, transfer then have the chair put to one side.

She and 5 guests will be allowed to ride. If all 8 want to ride then the group would wait in the stand by or fast pass line and when they are at the loading dock she and her group would join them.

She will not need a GAC since she is in a powerchair. The nurse's station has a room with a cot, sink and toilet for guests to lay down or for aides to change disabled guests for example. Rancho Zocalo has a companion bathroom to the east and Bug's Land has a companion bathroom on the north side near the entrance.

For FAntasmic she and her group can stake out spots in the main area toward the back so her chair does not obscure the view of others. She and her group can also use the disabled areas on either side of the wharf area along Rivers of America but the view is not as good as being at the center.

If she was in a smaller group she would have no problem staying with her group but due to the size they will have to split up. Talk to a CM and they may let the whole group ride if they are not busy. Space Mountain holds a lot of people so they may let 9 people ride together especially if they are not busy and if the guest is a charming young lady. Ask and you might receive.

All restaurants have chairs that can be moved at the tables. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

[Laz]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=31683754&highlight=lightyear#post31683754

Due to health issues and my full time job of caring for my mom I have not been able to up date that post recently but did add a bit of new stuff I found.

Yes there is an issue with powerchairs in the parks. Some powerchairs may not fit the smaller ride vehicles that allow wheelchairs like Pooh.

Some rides have separate areas to allow boarding like Space Mountain and others she could roll onto the ride like Small World. Big Thunder tells you that you have 30 seconds to load. Read my guide and all your answers should be met as to rides. Most rides allow the disabled guest to roll right up to the ride vehicle like Dumbo, transfer then have the chair put to one side.

She and 5 guests will be allowed to ride. If all 8 want to ride then the group would wait in the stand by or fast pass line and when they are at the loading dock she and her group would join them.

She will not need a GAC since she is in a powerchair. The nurse's station has a room with a cot, sink and toilet for guests to lay down or for aides to change disabled guests for example. Rancho Zocalo has a companion bathroom to the east and Bug's Land has a companion bathroom on the north side near the entrance.

For FAntasmic she and her group can stake out spots in the main area toward the back so her chair does not obscure the view of others. She and her group can also use the disabled areas on either side of the wharf area along Rivers of America but the view is not as good as being at the center.

If she was in a smaller group she would have no problem staying with her group but due to the size they will have to split up. Talk to a CM and they may let the whole group ride if they are not busy. Space Mountain holds a lot of people so they may let 9 people ride together especially if they are not busy and if the guest is a charming young lady. Ask and you might receive.

All restaurants have chairs that can be moved at the tables. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Thanks for the link and the advice. BTW, she can charm you right out of your next 6 paychecks if you are not careful!

 

[OrthoDad]

My son has cerebral palsy and is in a power wheelchair. We go to DL regularly, and it is his favorite place to be! We always have a blast!

I agree with all the points of the previous poster: you need to look at where each ride loads (because DL was built so long ago, some of the older rides weren't made ADA-accessible, so you may enter the exit, etc.) and it seems that each ride is a little different. It's true the CM's will tell you about guidelines, like 6 people with a disabled person loading, the 30 sec rule on BTM, etc.

It's been our experience that most CM's are wonderful to us, and we rarely have any issues. I'm sure your group will have a great time. My advice: make sure you make that extra effort for patience. There is some variability in how the CM's handle wheelchairs, and on some of the rides, the wheelchair entrance may have a LONGER wait that the regular queue, because of the limits of how many wheelchairs can load at a time. HM, Pirates, Indy, and Space are the usual rides where this can be true, especially later in the day. We always hit those first thing.

Have a great time!
W

 

[SueM in MN]

There is not a lot about DisneyLand on the disABILITIES Board, but there is some information that might be helpful. This is a quote of the post about DisneyLand from the disABILITIES FAQs thread:

Questions come up often enough about DisneyLAND, that I thought it was worth a section of the disABILITIES FAQs thread about DisneyLAND.

Link to the official DisneyLAND page about touring the park with mobility disabilities. There is a link on the right hand side of that page to download a pdf file of the DisneyLAND Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities.
It includes information about which rides/attractions are wheelchair accessible and what to do for access.
Disneyland is older and less accessible, although they have added accessibility as areas/attractions in the park were renovated. Disney's California Adventure was built more recently and all attractions have Mainstream (accessible) queues.

The information about GACs (Guest Assistance Cards) in post #6 of this thread applies to DisneyLand as well as to WDW. Some of the access is a little different at DL than at WDW since DL is an older park.

Several people, here and on other boards, have recommended Deckert's Medical Supply at (714) 542-5607 as a good company for renting ECVs at Disneyland. There has also been a strong recommendation for Orange County Medical Supply at (714) 956-4690

Links
DL trip report from ReAnSt with a temporary disability - many pictures.
Thread in this forum with lots of information.
Thread from DL forum - page 2 has a good list of attractions.
Thread about Gluten Free dining at DL