Haunted Mansion

[surgefest]

Has anyone heard anything lately on the progress (if any) with the handicap buggy for the haunted mansion??? Thanks

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's a link to the last thread about HM after the recent rehab. There is a picture in that thread of the 'transfer' doombuggy which has a cut out side to make transfers easier.
No one has posted anything more about a wheelchair accessible doombuggy, so I don't know if it is continuing to be worked on or not.

One thing to keep in mind is that it was over a year from the time we heard they had a working prototype wheelchair accessible Jungle Cruise boat until they actually had a working protoype boat that worked consistently. And, on our trip earlier in October, it got stuck and the CMs had to tinker with it to get it to go down. They told us that happens at least once a day.
So, if they are working on a doombuggy, it may be a long time until they actually have one that works.

 

[zaksmom]

We had lunch with an Imagineer in early October. We asked a lot of questions about wheelchair accessibility -- mostly other stuff though. He said his wife was the project manager for the recent HM rehab. He said that they have not been able to develop a car that is able to take a wheelchair safely.

 

[Mickiethepooh]

I am not the least surprised. I can't imagine how you could safely tip wheel chair occupants over on their back and upright again as the ride does, It might be fine for some people, IF the chair could be so secured, but there are so many disabilities and medical conditions that I can't imagine taking on that kind of liability.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

One of the things for consideration would be the tiedown/lockdown necessary. I can visualize having a Doom Buggy that was equipped to handle a "standard" wheelchair (whatever that is).

The chair would have to roll in with the wheels going inside of guide tracks, the CM throwing a lever, and clamps locking all four wheels and also clamping to the frame. Then turn the base 90 degrees so the wheelchair faces forward and it locks in place.

Getting off the CM would have to rotate the base 90 degrees, throw the lever the other way to unclamp everything, and the wheelchair would then be backed out.

When I say a "standard" wheelchair, I would mean an adult chair of the variety that Disney rents out. As the latching mechanism would be based on the dimensions of that chair, it means that if someone rented a wide chair from Disney that would not work. Clearly it would not work for a transport chair, a power chair, or a pediatric chair. And if Disney ever changed the brand or model of the wheelchairs they rent out it might mean that this would not work.

I could see the possibility, if such a Doom Buggy were built, to require that people must transfer to a special wheelchair from whatever chair they were in to be able to go on HM.

(Note, this is just conjecture and is not to be considered anything official or anything that Disney may even be thinking of.)

 

[OneLittleSpark]

The chair would have to roll in with the wheels going inside of guide tracks, the CM throwing a lever, and clamps locking all four wheels and also clamping to the frame. Then turn the base 90 degrees so the wheelchair faces forward and it locks in place.

I'd thought about the same thing myself, but the problem with this kind of system is that, is the clamp went right the way across the back wheels, the spokes would have to be in just the right place. If they weren't you could get a spoke knocked out, which would not be a fun thing to have happen on holiday ! Please don't take this as any criticism of your idea, as I said I've thought of similar things myself, but I'm an engineering student, so get quite analytical when anything technical comes up (I know, I'm a geek! ).