Have you stayed in a Handicap room - whats your opinion?

[Nanajo1]

I think the main problem is the H/C studios. They lack a tub. The 1 and 2 BR have a tub. The problematic shower seems to be a design flaw. I have used roll-in showers and the surrounding room does not get flooded. The pitch is off if the water flows outside the shower area. Also the shower curtain is too short. Flooded floors are a danger to everyone. Disney should be looking to correct this. Even though I use mobility aides I find the H/C rooms inapproprite for me because I don't use them in the room the lowered counters etc are a hazzard to me. So I request a non H/C room. But would not refused one as an only option.
One of my concerns is being told there is nothing else available but if someone complains loud and long enough another room materializes!

 

[CarolA]

While I agree that it is your right to ask not to have a handicap room, the fact still remains that at busy seasons someone is going to HAVE to stay there and it could be you. If the resorts are full, you just may not have a choice.

The original question seemed to imply that by getting the room they had not gotten the accomodations they were promised when they signed up and I just don't see that. The other thing I always find amazing is that if people don't like their hotel room (or DVC room) they seem to act like their entire vacation is ruined. I guess that is your choice, but my life is too short to allow the minor things in life to upset me that much. My feeling is that attitude is 90% of life so you choose how things affect you. (I realize that everyone will NOT agree with this and it is only my personal theory!)

 

[sandieb]

Hi, I prefer not to have a handicap assessible room, and I made that clear when I made my reservation. If at the time of check-in I am told that I must stay in a HA room, then I will be unhappy.
I think that this issue should have a policy addressing it, and that it would be approriate for members to participate in the development of such policy. I think that HA rooms assigned to those who do not need them should be done only with the knowledge and permission of the member.
I agree that we all have our own opinions, and no one need be made to feel guilty. I think requesting a view is sort of silly, but if it is important to someone else, well, be glad there are folks like me who are flexible on the issue. Sandie

 

[TwirlerGirl]

Wow! I never dream that this would become a heated arguement. I was torn emotionally with my own feelings. I understand why some of you think we should just be glad we don't live with a handicap. I have, I watched my mother struggle to make do in her wheelchair. I also know she would have wanted us to have the room we wanted and paid for.

DVC is our only vacation. We work extra jobs just to pay for this vacation, our choice of course. Expectations are high making the hard work worth while. This year was special, the first WDW trip with the grand kids. We started planing 1 1/2 yrs in advance. DH has worked 70 - 80 hrs a week all year, we borrowed pionts from next year to make this dream come true. Reservations were made day by day, just to a sure we got what we needed. We took two days just for ourselves and that is where we had our problem. We decided to take a Fri and Sat in a studio. Our days did not fit
neatly into the room planners puzzle. "Yes, your reservation were made before other guest but we couldn't make them move the last part of their stay." Yes, there are other rooms available, a smoking room which will take approximately 3 - 4 hrs to prepare and several upgraded rooms. When you are using 60 points for a stay or around $500 if we were renting points, would you we less than happy?

We felt that DVC management was taking advantage. If we had made our reservation
late and nothing else was available may be I could understand.


When we purchased, we were shown a lovely studio and one bedroom. All the room layouts show fully equipped rooms. No one even suggests that you would ever get anything other than what you have been shown. This is what I purchased. If the possibility that a substitute could be made was in writing or that you were informed before check-in, it would be understood. I can not understand the way DVC treats this type of situation.

TwirlerGirl

 

[LindaDVC]

This topic reappears every now and then.........

My husband has a power wheelchair so we obviously NEED the accessible room. However the issues of less counter space and water on the floor are issues Disney needs to address. They are problems for the handicapped and non-handicapped.

I think we should all advocate for changes that would meet all our needs! Mount the microwave on a bracket that will lower if access is needed! Have extra bathroom shelving that could fold if not needed or an extra rolling storage cart! Their are lots of solutions to these issues !!!!! Fix the water drainage problems!!!

Rather than refuse the rooms we need to fix the problems!!

Linda (OT and wife of w/c user )

 

[SueM in MN]

I was going to write just what Linda wrote.
The rooms are not going to go away and there will be times when someone who has not requested one of them will end up in one.
Many of the things that are being complained about are also a problem for people with disabilities. If they were addressed by DVC, everyone would have a better experience in those rooms. One of the things that was mentioned, the loud doorbell and blinking lights are not a standard part of accessible rooms. Those are part of a package that can be put in any room for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Form what I have read, it sounds like they are installed and activated/de-actived on request. So it may be that someone just missed a step in the process.

 

[TwirlerGirl]

LindaDVC,

Thank you for your positive ideas response. If these items had been incorporated into
the room there would be little difference. I wonder why this hasn't been done?

Why are the bathtubs removed? Not enough space? When we had my mothers bathroom redone the space was smaller than in the studios. She added a sink, small, lower one for her and a seat/bench for the tub/shower. This was 10 years ago and I'm sure things have improved.

I guess that for those with more sever problems this would not help. If you need someone to do everything for you, you need all the space you can get.

Twirlergirl

 

[SueM in MN]

Why are the bathtubs removed? Not enough space? When we had my mothers bathroom redone the space was smaller than in the studios. She added a sink, small, lower one for her and a seat/bench for the tub/shower. This was 10 years ago and I'm sure things have improved.

There are different levels of handicapped accessible rooms at WDW resorts. Some have tubs with grab bars and seat/benches built in. Those are fine for someone who is able to get into a tub or stand in a shower with a little assistance and support. Many people get those rooms and don't even notice the handicapped accessible features.

There is another level of rooms where the whole room is accessible to someone while using a wheelchair. Those are the ones with the roll in shower. Some people can't walk or stand and the only way they can use the shower is if they have a special chair that can be rolled right into the shower. Once they get into the shower, some people are totally independent and some people need everything done for them.

You are right that the more space, the better. My DD is small enough to lift fairly easily, but some people may need to rent mechanical lifts or other equipment for their stay, so there needs to be room for those too. Some people need more space on the right for transferring, some need more on the left. It all depends on what the abilities of the person/assistants and how a transfer is being done.
Not having enough room (or enough room in the right place) is dangerous for the person being lifted (they could be dropped) or the person doing the lifting (back injuries).
There are things like Linda mentioned that could keep the room accessible while still having features that other people expect.

 

[Fenceman]

We were offered a one bedroom HC room at HH so we could check in early. They did let us look at the room first and we did not see a problem so we took it.

After staying a week in the room we would not want to stay in another. The counter tops are lowered and at just the right height that puts strain on my back when I am preparing a meal. We also were not crazy about the shower. Although big, it seems the shower curtain was always sticking to me. The bed was to low and we missed the extra storage in the kitchen.

I think DVC has really spoiled us. If this was the first room we had stayed in we would have thought it was great.