How to Tag Your Wheelchair So It Doesn't Get Taken

[Pooh667]

Hi,

How do you mark your wheelchair so it doesn't get mistakenly taken? The last time we went to DisneyWorld someone mistakenly took it and removed the bandanna we had tied on it. She was holding the bandanna in her lap. A similar incident happened on our last Disney cruise too. So, what do you do to the wheelchairs you bring from home to make sure stuff like this doesn't happen? Thank you in advance for any ideas and tips you can give us.

 

[Michigan]

Don't have that problem because my girls chairs are custom lightweight rigid chairs.

Does your chair have a cushion in it? If not you might want to get one and maybe wrap it in a towel. What about decorating the spokes?

 

[kaytieeldr]

That wasn't a mistake.

Get a bike lock and loop it through two wheels, or a wheel and the frame.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

Agreed. If there was a bandana tied to it then they'd have known it wasn't theirs!

I read on another forum about a family whose double pushchair went missing at Epcot (not a Disney one). It was eventually spotted parked up outside Garden Grill, where they took it back. But there are some people out there with such barefaced cheek.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

That wasn't a mistake. Get a bike lock and loop it through two wheels, or a wheel and the frame.

1) Your lock might very ell be cut off by Disney CM's if it is immobile. *
2) They must be able to move the chair/ECV/stroller.
3) The ride CM's frequently cut off locks, as these items are re-parked to make room.
4) There is no way to stop people from stealing the chair.

* You could lock just one of the small wheels. As long as the CM can
move the device with little effort, the lock will be safe.

 

[Pooh667]

Hi,

Thanks for all the tips and advice. I agree the chair wasn't taken by accident in Epcot,I was trying to be nice. I guess I will just put stickers and other stuff on it so that it will be easily identified if it is taken again.

Thanks again,

 

[WheeledTraveler]

If it's your own personal chair, I'd suggest making a cover for your backrest that really separates it from looking like any other wheelchair and actually temporarily sewing it onto the existing backrest. The reason I suggest going as far as temporarily sewing it on is because then it will be harder for someone to remove the cover.

You could do similar with a rental chair (especially if it's an offsite rental), just without sewing the backrest on. If it's an offsite rental, you could probably still figure out a way to make it hard to remove (possibly by having holes for the push handles to go through and then sewing it up the sides; you could then cut it off before returning). If you're renting at WDW it's going to be hardest.

You can lock the chair to itself to make it hard to move. You cannot lock it to any outside object. CMs do need to be able to move wheelchairs parked outside attractions.

Of course, you could also bring it in queues with you. I haven't had issues leaving my manual wheelchair just at boarding the ride (I need it in queues). While mine doesn't look like a rental, I know from other situations that not everyone puts that together. (The number of people who will just plop themselves in the first wheelchair they see when leaving an airplane is ridiculous.)

 

[kaytieeldr]

1) Your lock might very ell be cut off by Disney CM's if it is immobile. *
2) They must be able to move the chair/ECV/stroller.
3) The ride CM's frequently cut off locks, as these items are re-parked to make room.
4) There is no way to stop people from stealing the chair.

* You could lock just one of the small wheels. As long as the CM can
move the device with little effort, the lock will be safe.

Little effort: roll the wheelchair on the two adjacent unlocked wheels.
Great effert: walk away from duty station, locate and apply cutting device.

 

[FoxyGranny]

Oh course this person was aware it was not her chair. Holding the bandana. Ugh
Just unbelievably wrong, on so many levels.

 

[thorn]

this was for our stroller not a wheelchair, but I made it after renting a stroller from kingdom strollers the year before - they had a laminated sign with our name on it, attached with those plastic zip ties that you need to cut off.

I made it bright orange to be even more obvious. The picture is before I punched holes in it and put the zip ties on.

 

[Pooh667]

Thanks again for all the ideas.

 

[shrinkydinky]

That's terrible. If they untied the bandana, they knew it wasn't theirs. We will be renting ECV's in November and we plan to put very large luggage tags on them, maybe even some extra hoo-ha's on the handles, like tinsel garlands. i know they need a key to work, but want to make sure everyone knows they belong to someone.

 

[mathdisney]

I am so glad I read this tonight. I had not considered making my DH's scooter easily identifiable. I will have to come up with something creative!

 

[Yoshiandi]

we had this and then for at night, we bought a small string of battery operated christmas lights and wrapped that around the handles. It was great!! Easy to spot as soon as we walked out of a ride.

 

[JenniBugInPink]

... But there are some people out there with such barefaced cheek.

I LOVE this phrase! sometimes you folks across the pond have a much better way of putting things. I've worked with international staff on projects, and was used to hearing 'cheeky', but 'barefaced cheek' is even better!

...we bought a small string of battery operated christmas lights and wrapped that around the handles. It was great!! Easy to spot as soon as we walked out of a ride.

Great idea about the lights. I'm a sparkle glitter sort of person anyway, so now I'm just going to have to get myself some lights for the ECV for decoration if nothing else!