Good Idea/Bad Idea: Powerwheel Chair @ Disney World

[thecoilofsihn]

This is my very first post but, not my very first visit. disboards.com has been ESSENTIAL to all of my Disney trip planning over the years. Now, we have a power chair and in June 2013, we are going on our 2nd Disney Cruise and visiting Disney World.

I have read through the disABILITIES FAQ partially(Lots of awesome info there!) but, I have more of an emotional question:

Would it be better to bring a manual wheelchair to Disney World than a power chair?

My son, Alex, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He has been in his power chair since February, 2012, this year. Our last recent previous visits, other than when he was really young(Alex is 14 now), we have used various manual chairs because he could not walk the long distances because he was still ambulatory. This worked out great as Dah-Dee(That's me ) could transfer him from chair to ride, where needed.

Now, Alex is a lot bigger. Since our last trip(2011) he's grown eight inches and gained more weight(65" inches tall and 208lbs currently). So, around home and school, the power chair has become an invaluable extension of his body(He calls it his Iron Man Suit ).

So, my concern is that if we bring the power chair, he will not have access to the rides that people in manual chairs can access easily. Like Toy Story in Hollywood Disney, we could get on that one NO problem. But, with his power chair (Pride Mobility Q6 Edge), I am afraid it will be too big to get on the "accessible" rides (Length: 35.6in(without footplates) Width: 24in.).

My gut tells me that we should bring a manual chair and I can get my awesome Disney aerobic/weight training workout with the high speed walking and transfers. But, I really want to hear from all of you about your feelings on this subject.

Also, I was thinking of purchasing a "lift vest" to assist me in getting him into rides like Star Tours. Then, at home before we go, we could practice using it with simulated conditions like the rides have. But, never having used one and not being able to get feedback from others about them, I am curious if anybody here has used them in general or at Disney.

You see, this trip is very special. Over this summer, with many trips to Children's Hospital to see various pulmonologists and cardiologists, complete with overnight stays, we have found out that Alex's heart is severely affected by his DMD. He has DMD related dilated cardiomyopathy with an ejection fraction of 12%. Alex's doctor has explained that at any moment, his heart could go into arrhythmia, which he would fall into unconsciousness and die. This could happen today or some future day.

So, I have arranged this trip so that our entire family is going together. I am a single parent with a frayed and almost non-existent support system.(Took a lot to get the whole fam together on this one. ) And I want it to be the best trip ever. I am sure the eyes that are reading this understand the emphasis when I type "best trip ever". For me, "best trip ever" means a trip that one, Alex will get everything he wants and can do as much as he wants. He does understand he is bigger and Dah-Dee is not Superman and cannot toss him around like a ping pong ball like when he was smaller. He knows that there will be some rides(Test Track - His favorite ride. Last trip nearly broke myself getting him in and out of the car. If only Disney would have a wheelchair van test vehicle that they could trundle out onto the track when people on wheels get in line, that would be AWESOME!) that he will not be able to ride.

Okay, I am going to stop writing now before this becomes a journal entry.

 

[Vickyrowe]

Hi, my husband has Cerebral palsy , he's quadriplegic and cannot support himself in anyway and he uses a large quickie salsa power chair, which measures 24 by 44 inches.

we honestly found this invaluable for our trip, there is no way we would have coped with a manual,

my hubby is not big my any means about 5 ft tall and no more than 10 stone, and we were quite prepared for him to not be able to do any rides , but we were so surprised how accommodating the rides were , we had no problem getting on jungle cruise, small world , living with the land etc, and we even fitted on Buzz and Nemo without a hitch, so great,

Toy story was Fab, they pull the wheelchair car into a different section and load you without any rush or pressure then feed you onto the ride!

My self and my husbands carer did lift him out for a few must do rides ( it was our honey moon so i didn't want to leave him out completely lol)

We lifted him for haunted mansion- quite easy they stopped the walkway for us,
Thunder mountain ( you get 2 goes round as you need to get back to the first station)

We did transfer him for pirates but wouldn't again , getting in was fine but lifting him out nearly killed us , also it gets a little undignified for hubby if we are throwing him around , he's used to it but it can look really rough .

You know what you can manage and how easy you find transfers so play it by ear, we made sure to do the transfer rides early in the day so we were fresh and ready to go, nothing worse than being tired and risking hurting yourself or your sun .


We loved the whole trip so much we are booking again and taking the in laws with us ( yes we are that crazy)

Hopefully your trip is truly magical

Vicky x

 

[Vickyrowe]

Personally I have never used a lift vest but my best friend also has CP and he has one for his carers to get him into and out of the car, they seem to get on well with.
Generally for my husband we use ceiling track hoists and slings , but if i do transfer him myself I prefer to get hold of him and pick him up , he feels more comfortable this way so it is personal preference , Could you hire one and have a play with one to see if you get on with it?

 

[Elvskitty]

My advice is bring the power chair. My husband has ALS, and is 6'6" tall. No way can I push him around a park all day. That being said, he was able to get his chair onto many of the accessible rides. For those rides that are wheelchair accessible, but his chair was tight or top heavy - tall rider equals tall power wheelchair, there was always a manual chair there that we could transfer him into. We don't do it any more, as he is really progressing in his weakness, but for anyone who can do a stand-pivot, that is all it takes. The CMs cannot assist with the transfer, but will bring the manual chair nice and close and there was plenty of room for this at the rides where we did this.

The ones we transferred from PWC were Toy Story Mania - they were willing to take him in a power chair, but due to length, we were having difficulty with a second tie down, and hubby felt safer transferring to the manual chair. Also transferred for the Safari at Animal Kingdom. Rode this in his PWC once and nearly tipped as a tie down came loose, and as I said, he is top heavy in this chair. This one really is a bit rough in any chair and he no longer rides this one at all.

Good luck and blessings. Let me know if I can be of any more help.

 

[Justin Jett]

Also transferred for the Safari at Animal Kingdom. Rode this in his PWC once and nearly tipped as a tie down came loose, and as I said, he is top heavy in this chair. This one really is a bit rough in any chair and he no longer rides this one at all.

The Safari has indeed been rough in the past. I rode the new version of the Safari on October 12, 2012. I am 5'8 and 98 lbs. and remain harnessed in my Invacare TDXSP.

The new version does not have a chase sequence, and is a whole lot slower and smoother than the previous version.

As far as Toy Story Mania, here is video of me riding in my power chair:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izEw3mVTsnM&feature=share&list=UUMXr2f0_8x8udzkVEZWvIjg

 

[Bete]

There are wheelchairs available at some rides for transfer purposes. It would mean leaving or someone else using the power chair, but you can get into a park provided wheelchair if it will help for boarding a ride in some instances. This way you can have the best of both worlds.

My concern would be that your son doesn't get into trouble using his power chair at DW. In unfamiliar territory and with big crowds he needs to make sure he uses the ramps that are available. For example, around the front of the castle in MK it's not even. There are curbs and you certainly don't want to jump a curb with a power wheelchair.

I think the power chair will be a back saver for everyone concerned. You will enjoy longer days at the parks with it.

Hope the trip is grand and good luck.

 

[Justin Jett]

The Safari has indeed been rough in the past. I rode the new version of the Safari on October 12, 2012. I am 5'8 and 98 lbs. and remain harnessed in my Invacare TDXSP.

The new version does not have a chase sequence, and is a whole lot slower and smoother than the previous version.

As far as Toy Story Mania, here is video of me riding in my power chair:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izEw3mVTsnM&feature=share&list=UUMXr2f0_8x8udzkVEZWvIjg

http://www.disunplugged.com/2012/11...m/?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=twitterfeed

 

[Clover_Girl]

Here's my experience; take it for what it's worth.

I'm disabled and used a scooter. A couple hours into our trip last year, my sister broke her foot. (The Celebrations ER was a trip!)

We thought we'd be fine to rent her a manual wheelchair, since we were traveling with a male friend who is well over 6 feet, over 250 pounds and strong. She's not heavy.

He gave up after half a day and we called to rent another scooter. Even if you're used to walking and you're strong, what he said killed him was that there are long inclines everywhere, and steep ramps up to a lot of rides. His day was ruined by being sore and winded.

You may be strong, but the average person walks about 8 miles a day at the parks. Add pushing another person uphill half the time for an entire day, and you will be tired.

I would recommend bringing his power chair, then if possible, transferring him to the manual chair a lot of rides have, just for access. Someone can wait with his power chair, if you're worried it will be stolen (or if it has a key, take the key or somehow disable the power).

Again, just my experience, but I worry that even taking turns it'd be exhausting to push him all day every day.

Good luck! I hope your trip is great!

 

[Talking Hands]

Since he is using it in his regular life he will be much happier having it and not being in a manual wheelchair. I use one at Disney and any place that requires a lot of walking and it is a godsend. Not only does it allow me to get around without pain, it gives me independence.
Take his powered wheelchair

 

[KPeveler]

I heartily suggest bringing the power chair with you - that is his primary seating system and will likely therefore be more comfortable than any manual chair you could bring or rent.

I rented a powerchair last time I was in WDW (Pride Jazzy), since my powerchair (Quantum Q600) was not working. It was amazing the difference it made, not only to me, but to my wife not having to push me all day! And I am literally half the size of your son!

I cannot think of anything I was not allowed to do with my powerchair. Occassionally a CM would say "ECVs are not allowed in this line," to which I would reply "I am in a powerchair. This is not an ECV." They would always allow me into the line after that (RnR and ToT are two that come to mind.)

He should have no problem fitting on the train, TSMM, Jungle Cruise, etc with his powerchair. At least, that was my experience.