Guests Not So Magical With Ecv

[Laurajean1014]

My DH had back surgery and we rented a ECV for our 2 week trip. Many of the WDW guests would stare and snicker at my DH (no visible scars, although at one point he did want to show someone). We were quite unimpressed by the rude behavior.

The best one was at the Contemporary waiting for a bus. The bus took a while and when it arrived, placed my DH on first. I waited with the others to board the bus. One woman made an outloud comment, "He's not hurt, he's faking. He's just trying to get sympathy, look there's nothing missing on him." Well, I couldn't let her ignorance be placed on another person.

After we loaded on the bus, I sat next to my husband and looked at her. When she looked my way, I asked her if she was just insensitive or just not raised properly. She became so embarassed by the situation, she kept her head down and quickly exited at the first stop.

Disabilities come in many forms, some we see and some we don't. Everyone should keep this in mind when at the parks. It's common decency and respect for others. Believe me, my DH would have definitely forgone the pain of the operation and heeling for an extra 20 minute wait on the rides.

May we all be blessed with health and respect for ourselves and others............

 

[Michigan]

Sorry about your experience with rude people but welcome to the world of the physically challanged and their families. We have all seen it all and heard it all. I have 2 girls with Spina Bifida in wheelchairs ages 3 and 11 and even though they have their own wheelchairs nothing like hospital or rented chairs they still get comments from people. Once on the bus a woman kept complaining to her adult daughter that because the wheelchair takes up three spots on the bus she has to stand the whole time my oldest DD was looking at her. Her DD kept nudging her to be quiet then she looked at my DD and said oh do you think she understands what I'm saying. When the door opened on the bus her DD pushed her off the bus so fast I thought she was going to fall off the steps.

 

[jusus3]

I can relate about the bus. My dd and dh are both in wheelchairs,(my dd has cerbral palsey and my dh is paralized) and when we would get on the bus we would have to deal with rude people, angry they had to wait for both of them to get strapped in. One woment was complaining because she had breakfast reservations and we were making her late. I wish these people could walk in our shoes just one day.

 

[Laurajean1014]

God bless you both and your families!

I don't understand how people can be so self-centered and thoughtless. Those woman (even if they feel that way) should keep it to themselves. It's just bad manners and low self esteem I guess. I mean, do they really think we are here to inconvenience them? Thoughtless!

I am thankful for the health bestowed on my family (good or bad). We are here together.

A person who helps others without retroprocity is a true hero

 

[lisapooh]

It's truly sad how some people act around people with disabilities. I'm aways amazed how the focus is on my disabilities and not on what I can do and contribute.
I've heard a few nasty comments from guests that do not like to wait for my wheelchair to be tied down. I've learned to bite my tongue.

 

[Wheelsie]

I just wanted to send everyone on this thread a *hug* and a *smile*

 

[TIGGERSMOM]

Makes me look forward to our convention trip with both my DF(cancer survivor with respitory challenges) and my Aunt (84 with arthritic legs/bronchial spasm) both in ECV's. Guess I will have to some comment cards with witty comebacks ready!!

 

[Amgrease]

The thing my mom hates the most is having attention drawn to her. Ever since having polio at age 4 and ending up with her left arm paralyzed she has gotten rude looks. At our stay at Coronado Springs it was just my mom and me and I managed to convince her to go on a bus in her chair. Well this was her first, worst and last experience. A very rude lady stood outside in line as we were getting onto the bus. She was making comments about how my mother having a useless arm shouldn't need a wheelchair and she could probably walk up the steps just fine. Ironically the bus we were taking wasn't the bus she was looking for and as she stood and complained her bus pulled away not to come back for 20 minutes.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Well, let's look at the positive. We've only met a handful of throw backs and millions of people visit WDW every year! The majority of folks are okay. The bite your tongue post is good words of advise from both sides of the wheelchair............................

Thanks, L

 

[Puffy2]

When my friend and I went and used an ECV (to keep her from wearing out since she has lupus and tires very easily - no one would ever know she has lupus just from looking) - we had a great time and the ECV was very helpful.
My tip is "don't look at anybody" or pay any attention at all to strangers - I'm sure we got quite a few looks and stares because we were having such a great time together - laughing and goofing around (yes, even at 37 and 47) and I'm SURE many thought "they don't need that EVC" - we didn't look at others because we just didn't want to deal with their ignorance and take the time to explain. I never heard any comments , although I wasn't listening for them either.
I guess , especially for the children in EVCs or wheelchairs, if I was the parent, I'd tell my child that some people are so ignorant that we really just have to feel sorry for them when they show their ignorance by making such rude comments.
Laura Jean, thanks for having the guts to speak up - I think you educated someone that day.

 

[SueM in MN]

My DH and I just got back from a trip alone to WDW. We tried to spread a little pixie dust in the path of people with wheelchairs or ecvs. That was very satisfying because they were not expecting anyone to wisk things out of their way or help direct them when they were backing up. Some of them were very surprized and obviously had some not so magical experiences that we were able to help make up for.

 

[mhopset]

This happened to me on or December 2000 trip. We were at DD and waited for a bus for about 30 min. Im in an ECV and my wife and son waited with me. I finally got on the bus and a lady in back of my wife and son said "Oh great a wheelchair we will have to wait another 30 min." My wife turned around and told her off, very loudly I might add. Needless to say that lady didn't sit in back of the bus with the rest of us handicapped people. People need to keep in mind. BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD THERE GO I

 

[Laurajean1014]

Mhopset,

It's nice to know that your wife sticks up for her man! My dh was not looking to ride a evc our last trip, and certainly did not expect the hype we received!

You may see me at WDW on your next vacation, I'll be the one helping you if you ever need assistance!

 

[ducklite]

It's amazing how rude people can be! I spent several WDW trips in a wheelchair after back surgery. I just couldn't handle all the walking. It simply amazed me how people treated me so very differently when I was in the chair than out. At many attractions we parked the chair and I stood in line like everyone else. At some I stayed in the chair as I wasn't feeling up to standing for a long time. But the looks I got from people when I got out of the chair and stood in line... The worst part was that I was STANDING IN LINE JUST LIKE THEY WERE!!

:::::::::::::::shaking head in amazement!::::::::::::::::::::

Anne

 

[ehagerty]

I often travel to WDW as the "primary" with my sister and brother, who both need wheelchairs. I have never heard anything rude about my brother, because his MS is so obviously debilitating - he can only walk by using two hand canes and dragging his feet.

(As an aside, I had some trying experiences with less than swift CM's - such as one starting up the Splash Mountain cart while my brother had one foot in and one foot out (he fell back in) - and tipping over when he couldn't load the WEDway people mover fast enough. I sent suggestions to WDW about adding information on the maps and signs indicating whether any walking is involved, etc. - and it was all added by my next trip - about 9 months later. However, he is very pleased with WDW's commitment to handicap access - although I don't think he would consider it a valid excuse to close down 20,000 Leagues......)

My sister, however, has no obvious disability. I consider responding to rude comments as a "teaching moment" as long as I have the presence to do it politely. This is my spiel:

"I know it is difficult to see why my sister needs a wheel chair - she has no obvious handicap. However, in 1995, she was struck at 60 miles an hour on the driver's door, while standing still. The impact broke all her ribs, collapsed both lungs, ruptured her aorta (which now has a Gore-tex patch) and shattered her left hip. The shrapnel from the hip punctured all of her lower organs, which had to be repaired. She also had two traumas to her head. Due to the hip and lung damage, she cannot walk for long without pain or shortness of breath. We are just grateful to have her here."

I resist the urge to summarize with "Any questions?" (even though I would like to), because that would undermine what I was trying to "teach".

It has occurred to me on more than one occasion that, with aging of the baby boomers and general decline in physical fitness in America, that the threshold for legitimating needing some sort of "walking assistance" is getting lower all the time. If Disney is going to expect people to "walk" an average of "x" miles a day, they will have to consider how this will be done - hopefully, they are way ahead of us in planning the solution!!!!

 

[nancycels]

I've run into a few real pips in the years we've gone to Dis, but I have to say, the people I really remember are the ones who held a door, helped by holding back a crowd so I cd get out w/o running over someone's toes, asked if they cd help me etc. There have been SO MANY of these generous people over the years! Yes, I've had a few who ask why I need a wheelchair(most of these are under age 8 or so, so I don't mind). And even the adults who ask have usually been curious rather than rude. Yes, I've run into a few witches along the way, but I've found that the way the staff in a park treat a person in a wheelchair or ecv directly correlates with the way the general public reacts. I don't ask to get in front of anyone in line, or even to take my party w/me if I MUST use the wheelchair area. Frankly, I'd rather avoid any preferential treatment if i can. Its a lot more fun to be in line w/everyone else! (Of course I talk to everyone in line w/me, after all, they might have a great ride or idea that i've missed out on!). Every trip is a learning experience, and if you have suggestions for the parks you visit, I'd like to encourage you to write to the companies who run them. What we'd all like is a smooth way to integrate the wheels and the temporarily able bodied customers! So, let them know what's a success and what isn't, it will make your next trip smoother, and maybe help a lot of others in the process!

 

[Alaska]

I have a son who uses a wheelchair, has a tracheostomy and a g-tube. His trunk muscles are so weak that he cannot sit up for long periods of time. He is cognitively intact and very sensitive. We too have had our share of negative experiences, but we have also had some very great experiences due to folks like Sue who have gone out of their way to help. The world is a better place because of Sue and folks like her.

Usually we have found the CMs at Disney to be accommodating. In fact, at the Animal Kingdom when they let our party onto the ride right away (due to our son's very real inability to sit up in line) some folks in the line tried to start a fight with the CM. We apologized to the CM's and they very graciously told us "don't worry about it. Some people are just difficult and don't think." During another part of that trip, we were taking our son through the lobby of the ride through the Epcot ball (the name of the ride escapes me now). A very young male CM approached us and asked us if we wanted to take our son on the ride. We explained that he could not sit up and he told us that they would stop the ride so that we could get him out of his wheelchair and get him positioned on our laps. We did not want to be a bother, so we said "thanks but . . ." He said "okay, but if you change your mind, just go talk to the CM up there." We finally decided to try the ride and our son had a wonderful time.

We have even found that once folks saw us around in the parks, they were more patient when we boarded the buses and even tried to help. Even on the Disney Cruise, folks were more accomodating after they got used to seeing us. At first, we had trouble getting around because folks would push past us and crowd onto the elevators. After the initial excitement of being on the boat, if we were waiting for an elevator, folks would often step back and let us on, or turn around and go to the stairs.

The point is that I don't think most people are mean spirited or inconsiderate. Many people just have not had the exposure to folks who are physically challenged that they may need to have in order to empathize. I do wish that Disney had a team or advisory board or something like that to address the access issues, including making more rides accessible. It is hard to look into your child's eyes and tell him that he cannot ride the rocket ship ride with his best friend.

The point of this long message is that for every mean spirited, inconsiderate person in the world there are probably thousands of very kind people.

 

[SueM in MN]

Since we weren't dealing with our DD on our last trip, we had more chance to observe things. One thing we saw was that in each park we saw at least one physically challenged CM. We saw ride greeters, theater hosts and clerks in stores in wheelchairs. It helps all people with disabilities if there are CMs who also have disabilities.
I have read that WDW works with disability groups in the Orlando area to check on accessiblity. One of the problems is that disabilities and abilities of different people vary so much. We saw a couple with paraplegia. They had a lot of upper body strength and easily pulled themselves in and out of the Snow White ride cars. They would probably rate the ride very accessible. We rate it as barely accessible since it is hard for us to lift our DD on the ride and get her off again. If WDW is not using advisory groups with different disabilities, it will be hard to make rides accessible for the majority of people.