Hoveround Wheelchair

[peachiemom]

Has anyone visited WDW with a Hoveround? How was it? Any difficulties?

My family and I are going to WDW in September and staying at Pop Century Resort. I have MD and use a Hoveround power wheelchair cause I can not walk more than a few steps. We are driving and bringing my own chair with us.

I am concerned about being able to use the "accessible" bus transportation.
I am concerned about the rides when they say to transfer from ECV to available wheelchair. Does that mean, I have to get out of my power wheelchair and get into another manual wheelchair if one is available?

Thanks for any help.

Jodie

 

[Cheshire Figment]

If your powerchair has about the same footprint as a stasndard wheelchair you should not have any problem. An ECV, especially the ones Disney rents, are much large than wheelchairs.

If you go to the "disABILTIES! FAQ" (3rd item down on the index page) you will get qa lot of information.

Almost all the buses are accessible, as well as the larger boats and the monorails.

 

[SueM in MN]

I am concerned about being able to use the "accessible" bus transportation.
I am concerned about the rides when they say to transfer from ECV to available wheelchair. Does that mean, I have to get out of my power wheelchair and get into another manual wheelchair if one is available?

Thanks for any help.

Jodie

The Hoveround wheelchair site is not very helpful with specifications, but it says the wheelchair is "Portable—can be disassembled for transporting in a car trunk". That makes me think that it doesn't have any appropriate places for attaching tiedown straps for transport (plus the pictures I've seen of the Hoveround doesn't look like it does). If that is the case, it won't be able to be transported on the buses (which require tiedowns), but you could travel in it on most boats and all the monorails.

There are some rides (the Safari at AK and Backstage Tour at MGM) where the ride car has the same type of tiedowns as the buses do.

 

[Biscuitsmom31]

I don't know anything about the hoverround but my DH has MD too and he was able to ride several rides last year without transferring from his chair (a Jazzy 1103).

 

[thop529]

I have MD also (Limb-Girdle) I have a Jazzy powerchair. Just got back from WDW and did many rides.

Buzz Lightyear
Stitch
Jungle Cruise
Safari
Great Movie Ride (Watch that one, my wheel got stuck between the platform and car
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Little Mermaid
Philharmagic

I'm not much of a "rider", but I won't transfer to a ride. I just won't ride it. It's to much trouble to transfer and I feel like I'm holding everyone up.

 

[Biscuitsmom31]

I have MD also (Limb-Girdle) I have a Jazzy powerchair. Just got back from WDW and did many rides.

Buzz Lightyear
Stitch
Jungle Cruise
Safari
Great Movie Ride (Watch that one, my wheel got stuck between the platform and car
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Little Mermaid
Philharmagic

I'm not much of a "rider", but I won't transfer to a ride. I just won't ride it. It's to much trouble to transfer and I feel like I'm holding everyone up.

Throp529, My DH also has LGMD. We're going to find out exactly which type tomorrow. Do you know which type you have?

 

[thop529]

No, I'm sorry I don't know which type of LGMD it is. They have mentioned to me several times that I may also have Becker MD.

I didn't even know there are several types of LGMD.

 

[Biscuitsmom31]

No, I'm sorry I don't know which type of LGMD it is. They have mentioned to me several times that I may also have Becker MD.

I didn't even know there are several types of LGMD.

My husband also has more of the classic Becker MD symptoms but was diagnosed with LGMD after a muscle biopsy ruled out Becker's (16 years ago). We found out today that he has Miyoshi Myopathy. If you have been diagnosed with LGMD but have Becker-like symptoms you may have Miyoshi Myopathy. You might want to check into it. There are still no treatments available but at least if they have a clinical trial you will know if you qualify. There are many different types of LGMD. I'm surpised your MDA doctor hasn't discussed any of this with you.

 

[thop529]

I go to a MDA Clinic at Ohio State University Hospital. They are very good. Dr Mendell is one of the best in the country. They may have mentioned it to me before, but I may have not been paying attention. Sometimes they really bug me, and I block them out.

As far as the studies... I have tried to be a candidate and been through testing to be one, but for some reason or another I never qualify.

Hope your husband is doing well. Is he in a powerchair? How long has he had LGMD? I was diagnosed at 18 and I'm now 42. Just went into the chair 2 years ago.

 

[Biscuitsmom31]

Philip (my husband) was also diagnosed at 18. He started using the powerchair full-time about a year ago. He's 34 now. The last straw was when he fell and put his head through the metal part of our screen door. He was alone with our 3 year old son "Biscuit". Philip was laying on the ground bleeding and poor Biscuit was traumatized by it.