height req for rides when in wheelchair

[mcmom]

How do they make sure a child is tall enough for a ride when they are in a wheelchair. My little guy is gong to be 5 when we go in Feb but is right on the 42 inche requirment for some of the rides. Will they make us take him out of his chair to measure him at each of those rides or will they take our word for it?

thanks for any info
Lori

 

[JinniLynn33]

I don't know this for a fact, but I would seriously hope they would not be so terrible as to make you have him stand by the sign to make sure he is tall enough. That would be an absolutely atrociuos spectical to say the least.

good luck

virginia

 

[ducklite]

Depending on his disabilities, some of the rides with height requirements might not be wise for him to ride to begin with.

Stop at Guest Services after you enter the parks for advice and assitance.

Anne

 

[SueM in MN]

My DD uses a wheelchair and can't walk or stand, so there would have been no way to accurately measure her size. It's not obvious that she can't stand just from looking at her. At various times, she has been on everything except Space Mountain, Rock N Roller Coaster, and Big Thunder Mountain.
She's now over 60 inches tall, so size is not an issue. When she was younger and smaller, we were sometimes asked if she met the height requirement, but no one ever asked if she was able to get out and be measured. It was our responsibility to make sure that she was OK for any restrictions for that ride.

Some people (like my DD) are not able to get out of the wheelchair or are only able to stand with difficulty. From our experience, they don't make a big deal of measuring those people, as long as the parents know the child's height and verify that they are tall enough. I don't think that getting measured for some rides where the child is kind of "iffy" is unreasonable to ask for someone who is easily able to get out of the wheelchair and stand for a few minutes for measuring. (I do understand that some kids who can physically do it easily, might not be able to do it easily for behavioral reasons).

If you are going to the doctor before your trip to WDW, you might want to get something official looking from the doctor that states the child's height. I don't think you would need it, but it might be useful (I definately would not make a special trip to the doctor to get measured, but if you don't have a visit scheduled, you may be able to have the nurse send you something indicating the last measurement).

 

[SueM in MN]

This link to the official Disney website includes links on the top of the page to the text portion of the Guidebooks for Guests with Disabilities for each park. They list all the requirements/warnings for each ride. It's very basic info, but at least will give you a start.
If you have specific questions about rides, we can help you out if you give some info regarding your child's abilities/disabilities and the rides you are interested in.

 

[mcmom]

Thanks everyone. Hunter has CP. He has good head control and truck control but can't walk or balance. We could hold him upright but the way his knees bend it would not be accurate without laying him down and stretching him out.

I don't have any specific rides in mind yet. Just trying to get an idea of what we will face at the park. He loves rides. He has no fear.

We will be having doctor appt right before we leave so I will get a note that has his height listed just to be on the safe side. Thanks for the idea!

Lori

 

[SueM in MN]

My Dd also has CP. She has good head control (except when she's really tired or is sick) and has pretty good trunk control. My oldest DD (who is not disabled) is the more cautious of my girls. Younger DD is my fearless daredevil and she's been on everything that we think is safe for her to go on.
Here's alink to the DIS site's height calculator. It lets you put in the child's height and get a list of the rides they will not meeet the requirement for.