Handicapped DVC

[Capt. Barbosa]

I'm starting this thread in hopes of finding HC rooms at DVC as a new member. We have stayed at OKW (before the renovations) and wouldn't stay there again because the rooms were retrofitted to become ADA compliant and didn't work for my wife. We are hoping the renovations have addressed this problem but we have not seen any new pictures of the HC rooms at that resort. So if anyone has new pictures and info of the HC DVC resorts please post them here.

 

[jmkjr72]

the only hc room we have stayed at was the hc grandvilla at okw

every thing seemed to work well for our family friend and grandmother in there chair the down side is if you are chair bound in that unit you will either be in the master bedroom or have to sleep on the fold out couch

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm starting this thread in hopes of finding HC rooms at DVC as a new member. We have stayed at OKW (before the renovations) and wouldn't stay there again because the rooms were retrofitted to become ADA compliant and didn't work for my wife. We are hoping the renovations have addressed this problem but we have not seen any new pictures of the HC rooms at that resort. So if anyone has new pictures and info of the HC DVC resorts please post them here.

It would be helpful to know what did not work for your wife.

I don't believe that they changed the handicapped accessible OKW rooms in the renovation. We have been members of DVC at OKW since 1993 and I can tell you that the handicapped accessible rooms with roll in showers were not retrofitted; they have been the same since they were built. Some have a bit different fold down shower seat than others because of being built in different phases. I don't know if they have changed the fold down benches because we have not stayed in a renovated unit yet.

This is a picture of one side of an OKW studio bathroom with roll in shower (or second bedroom of the 2 bedroom unit)

This is the toilet and sink side of the studio bathroom:

This is the roll in shower in the master bedroom:

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Can see how the bathroom doesn't have the most easiest set up for accessibility. For one; the very open shower. We all know curtains do not stop water that well. You could build a towel wall, but that would also require you to remove them after taking the shower to safely transfer. That picking up could become a risk for some, I know it is a big one for me. Others wont even be able to do so.

Another thing; the sink so close to that open shower area. Knowing myself I'll have the surrounded area flooded in no time. For me it's not safe to do any drying out myself.

Following through on the above; it's easier to get the floor wet and because of the (look of) relatively small floor moving space track one or more wheel through some of the wet and drag water along all across the bathroom, again creating risks for stuff like transferring to the toilet soon after taking a shower, any other form of transferring and/or standing or even walking for short moments.

I knew this coming into the story, thanks to your photos posted all over this board Sue. I could weight out this against booking other resorts. I decided for me that shower setup isn't such an ordeal it reduces the benefits of booking OKW enough for this particular trip. It is a budgetted trip (renting points) and the difference is too much so to say. Besides I'm used to a flooding shower, have one at home that floods all including the toilet. As a result I already know how to tackle to problem more or less. Combine that with showering taking up much energy I'ld rather spend on and offsite and easy decision to go "ok, not a shower daily, I can easily manage with using the sink most of the days". So for me it's no biggie. I can totally see where it can be for many others.


Having said that; we really liked SSR. We had a dedicated 2BR, so can't talk about the studios. The set up of that bathroom was SO much smarter. Most of the shower was protected by there being a wall between shower and bathroom area. Obviously it had a wide opening and showercurtain for that, but by using the heandheld showerhead it is a lot easier to not soak up the whole bathroom without running risks like building towel walls etc. Looks like there was a lot more room to move around, which could be expected from a master bathroom. Didn't like the 2 doors into the bathroom but can see how that would work when with larger parties and using that bathroom for the daily stuff. Had no problems at all moving around that unit. We did re-arrange some of the furniture but very little. One warning though; one has to be able to make rather tight turns if one needs to take the mobility aid into the master bathroom and bedroom. It was very doable for me with a tight turning powerchair and being used to tight spaces but I can see an ECV being a possible problem.

Kitchen; tight space also. Not really workable with 2 people in it, even when just using a manual wheelchair. It's constant moving around to make space for the other. But as said the bathroom and bedroom; very spacious to move around in. Which included the 2nd bedroom and vanity area, both no feeling of crowded with either chair. Bathroom was only possible for me to enter and move around freely enough with the manual chair. (had to go in their a couple of times to steel my shampoo back from my mom )

Oh and loved the extra closet with door in the master bathroom "behind" the bathroom! Such a convenience to store that ever growing pile of "we do not have this in our country, let's drag along lots back home".

 

[SueM in MN]

Can see how the bathroom doesn't have the most easiest set up for accessibility. For one; the very open shower. We all know curtains do not stop water that well. You could build a towel wall, but that would also require you to remove them after taking the shower to safely transfer. That picking up could become a risk for some, I know it is a big one for me. Others wont even be able to do so.

Another thing; the sink so close to that open shower area. Knowing myself I'll have the surrounded area flooded in no time. For me it's not safe to do any drying out myself.

Following through on the above; it's easier to get the floor wet and because of the (look of) relatively small floor moving space track one or more wheel through some of the wet and drag water along all across the bathroom, again creating risks for stuff like transferring to the toilet soon after taking a shower, any other form of transferring and/or standing or even walking for short moments.

I knew this coming into the story, thanks to your photos posted all over this board Sue. I could weight out this against booking other resorts. I decided for me that shower setup isn't such an ordeal it reduces the benefits of booking OKW enough for this particular trip. It is a budgetted trip (renting points) and the difference is too much so to say. Besides I'm used to a flooding shower, have one at home that floods all including the toilet. As a result I already know how to tackle to problem more or less. Combine that with showering taking up much energy I'ld rather spend on and offsite and easy decision to go "ok, not a shower daily, I can easily manage with using the sink most of the days". So for me it's no biggie. I can totally see where it can be for many others.


Having said that; we really liked SSR. We had a dedicated 2BR, so can't talk about the studios. The set up of that bathroom was SO much smarter. Most of the shower was protected by there being a wall between shower and bathroom area. Obviously it had a wide opening and showercurtain for that, but by using the heandheld showerhead it is a lot easier to not soak up the whole bathroom without running risks like building towel walls etc. Looks like there was a lot more room to move around, which could be expected from a master bathroom. Didn't like the 2 doors into the bathroom but can see how that would work when with larger parties and using that bathroom for the daily stuff. Had no problems at all moving around that unit. We did re-arrange some of the furniture but very little. One warning though; one has to be able to make rather tight turns if one needs to take the mobility aid into the master bathroom and bedroom. It was very doable for me with a tight turning powerchair and being used to tight spaces but I can see an ECV being a possible problem.

Kitchen; tight space also. Not really workable with 2 people in it, even when just using a manual wheelchair. It's constant moving around to make space for the other. But as said the bathroom and bedroom; very spacious to move around in. Which included the 2nd bedroom and vanity area, both no feeling of crowded with either chair. Bathroom was only possible for me to enter and move around freely enough with the manual chair. (had to go in their a couple of times to steel my shampoo back from my mom )

Oh and loved the extra closet with door in the master bathroom "behind" the bathroom! Such a convenience to store that ever growing pile of "we do not have this in our country, let's drag along lots back home".

We did figure out the secret to keeping the floor dry. I don't know if I have any pictures of it, but we could not figure out why the shower curtain is so long that it drags on the floor.
Well, if you fan the bottom of the curtain out away the shower, it actually does keep the water in the shower and off the floor. You get very little water outside of the shower and the floor does not get wet.
We have found that building towel dams just ends up with a lot of wet towels and it actually wicks water out of the shower.
Also, there is a hand held shower at OKW in the roll in showers - we have occasionally checked in and found only the 'regular' showerhead. We called Engineering and they came to change it. Some have a set up with the handheld showerhead on a track along the side; the less accessible ones have it attached to the showerhead at the top of the shower. I am hoping that the renovation will address that.

Your post points out something very important though - there is no 'perfect' set up that works perfectly for everyone. And, what makes it perfect for one person, may make it not easily usable for someone else.

We have stayed at SSR also and found that the shower did not work well for us at all. Because DD requires a lot of assistance and is not able to sit securely on a bench, we need the open space of the OKW shower. We were also able to rent a shower chair to use in that open shower. If would not have been usable at all in the SSR shower. Because of the tight spaces, SSR doesn't work well for us. In order for DD to get past the table into the living room, we need to move the table all the way toward the wall and sometimes move chairs. DD does not have a large wheelchair, she has a narrow adult manual wheelchair.
We do choose to got there sometimes because of the easy walk to Downtown Disney if you are located in one of the closer buildings to the path.

So, the more information we can get out there about what each place is like, the better decisions people can make about what will work for them.

Here are some pictures of the SSR bathroom in the one bedroom (or master bedroom of a 2 bedroom unit). This is the bathroom part with the sink and toilet showing. The shower is to the right of the picture:

Incidentally, the shower curtain in this unit was fairly long. We have stayed in SSR units where the shower curtain was several inches off the ground. We found when we used those that we had lots of splashing outside of the shower.

This is a picture straight on of the shower - you can see the edge of the sink to the left of the picture:

And this is a picture of the inside of the shower, showing the bench:

This is a picture of the toilet side of the SSR bathroom:

This is the second bathroom area, which contains a whirlpool tub and the closet that was mentioned:

I don't have pictures of the studio portion and also don't have pictures of other resorts. But, I can say that the setup of the accessible bathrooms at Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge and Boardwalk are very similar to SSR.

 

[dclfun]

I agree with Sue- what works for one person may not work for another. While this is not DVC, in most of the moderate/value resorts the shower is large and open, some with benches provided and some with the fold-down seat. The smaller ones are more difficult for me -it's harder to transfer next to the seat without going in forward and then having to swivel your body around. Sometimes just that extra motion can be a big challenge depending on someone's disability, balance, need for support, etc. As to the DVC resorts, we stayed recently at BCV's and the shower was also large and open as was the shower in AKLV's, at least at Jambo House. For someone with specific needs, special services should be able to research for you, including whether it will be a right or left transfer, the height of the bench, etc.---Kathy

 

[Capt. Barbosa]

The Bathroom that Sue posted in the studio is not like the one we stayed in at a 1bdrm. That Toilet would would actually work for her.

When we stayed at OKW it had a setup similar to this BC bathroom

We understand that making a HC accessible room that functions for everyone is next to impossible. DW has MS so alot of her problems come from feeling steady, these grab bars that drop down feel wobbly to her and she loses confidence to be able to transfer by herself.
Our last stay at WL the toilet in the bathroom was standard height and she felt like she was free falling everytime she used it. I will post up the video of the bathroom later.

 

[SueM in MN]

The Bathroom that Sue posted in the studio is not like the one we stayed in at a 1bdrm. That Toilet would would actually work for her.

When we stayed at OKW it had a setup similar to this BC bathroom

We understand that making a HC accessible room that functions for everyone is next to impossible. DW has MS so alot of her problems come from feeling steady, these grab bars that drop down feel wobbly to her and she loses confidence to be able to transfer by herself.
Our last stay at WL the toilet in the bathroom was standard height and she felt like she was free falling everytime she used it. I will post up the video of the bathroom later.

That's interesting - what area were you in? Were you in a room with a roll in shower or a tub with grab bars?
We have stayed at various areas in one and 2 bedroom OKW units and never had a toilet with one of those drop down grab bars.
I wonder if they are in one certain area that we have never been in?

I agree that some people find those drop down ones to feel wobbly because there is a little 'play' in them.

I don't know if I have a picture that shows the toilet area in the OKW Master bedroom, but I will look.

Because you have very specific needs, you may need to contact Special Reservations directly and ask some very specific questions. The phone number is in the disABILITIES FAQs (near the top of this board or follow the link in my signature). You would call them after making a reservation.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Sue, look to the right on the pic. We can just about see the drainage of the shower so it's a roll in probably?


Definately a big point about no one size fits all.


Captain; as the pictures of Sue also let us see, the master bathroom of the bigger units at SSR have the toilet relatively close to the wall. Can be a love or hate, depening on how she transfers and what type of stability she's looking for. Also these pics are of one set up, there are also units that are the same but mirrored. Which could be a big thing when looking for a wall on a certain side.

Having said that, most accessible public restrooms seem to have the same drop down grab bars set up as in the pics you've posted. How does she manage those? Guess those are a problem also? If that is the case I'ld also consider looking into possible aids or techniques that might make it easier for her. No perfect solution but having more options if at all possible makes transferring so much easier and thus our world so much bigger. As far as WDW goes, I'ld follow the path Sue has also suggested. Contact special reservations, be clear in what she needs and find out together which resorts and units do and don't fit her needs. Hopefully they can not only provide you with good info but also a good variety of options.

 

[Capt. Barbosa]

When we looked into buying DVC we knew that most of the resorts were built after the Mid 90's so we wouldn't have a big problem finding rooms that would work for her. It came between OKW and SSR for our home we chose SSR, we will be doing our first stay DVC stay in the THV in April.

I will post the video of the WL bathroom in a few minutes just have to upload it off the flip camera.

Here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSzM5hS9Hrs

 

[Capt. Barbosa]

Having said that, most accessible public restrooms seem to have the same drop down grab bars set up as in the pics you've posted. How does she manage those? Guess those are a problem also? If that is the case I'ld also consider looking into possible aids or techniques that might make it easier for her. No perfect solution but having more options if at all possible makes transferring so much easier and thus our world so much bigger. As far as WDW goes, I'ld follow the path Sue has also suggested. Contact special reservations, be clear in what she needs and find out together which resorts and units do and don't fit her needs. Hopefully they can not only provide you with good info but also a good variety of options.

Most of the times in WDW she can use the HC restrooms without trouble unless she is having a flare up then we use the campanion restrooms.
We have been on a learning curve with her handicap WDW seems to be one of the best at getting what we need, other hotels its constant calling up to the day we arrive and even then we will run into troubles at check-in. Not always mind you but we have fond we do have to be alot more careful in general travel then we are with our trips to the World.

 

[ILuvMulan]

We had an accessible room at Kidani in October and it was very nice. The accessible bath was in the room with the double beds which worked out great for our son. Our son has no trouble with transfers (he can walk on his stumps) so I can not give any info in that area. I wish I had taken a picture... sorry.

 

[SueM in MN]

Sue, look to the right on the pic. We can just about see the drainage of the shower so it's a roll in probably?


Definately a big point about no one size fits all.


Captain; as the pictures of Sue also let us see, the master bathroom of the bigger units at SSR have the toilet relatively close to the wall. Can be a love or hate, depening on how she transfers and what type of stability she's looking for. Also these pics are of one set up, there are also units that are the same but mirrored. Which could be a big thing when looking for a wall on a certain side.

Having said that, most accessible public restrooms seem to have the same drop down grab bars set up as in the pics you've posted. How does she manage those? Guess those are a problem also? If that is the case I'ld also consider looking into possible aids or techniques that might make it easier for her. No perfect solution but having more options if at all possible makes transferring so much easier and thus our world so much bigger. As far as WDW goes, I'ld follow the path Sue has also suggested. Contact special reservations, be clear in what she needs and find out together which resorts and units do and don't fit her needs. Hopefully they can not only provide you with good info but also a good variety of options.

Thanks, I missed that. I am using a laptop and the way that the screen was angled, it just looked black over there. The picture is from Beach Club according to the poster.

When I asked the question about whether they had a roll in shower room, I meant was it a roll in shower at OKW.
I've never seen those kind of fold down grab bars at OKW before and wondered if it was in a roll in shower room at OKW or just a handicapped accessible room with grab bars?

I have been in handicapped restrooms most in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida, but have very seldom seen that kind of grab bars. They are most common in the areas I travel in people's homes.

 

[Capt. Barbosa]

Sorry Sue I meant to answer that question. Yes it was a rollin shower at OKW.

We are usually pretty good about taking pictures of each set up when we stay. I think its important to document. I will look through my pictures and see if we do have them. We stayed in Bldg 28.