Insight for wheelchair bound guest, please.

[Hoosier_at_Heart]

My wife and I plan on going to Disney World this year [multi-family trip]. My wife uses a wheelchair [electric].

Any comments/tips about what we might encounter [good or bad experiences] with regard to attractions, rides, etc... would be great.

As I'm new to the site and sort of unfamiliar with all the site abbreviations it would be much appreciated if you wrote something like DTD if you could also say what that means??

Thanks - much appreciation ahead of any comments.

 

[SueM in MN]

I am putting my daughter to bed, so no time for a long post, but here are some things that will be helpful to you.

Common abbreviations (since people will use them, pretty much all over the boards):
http://www.wdwinfo.com/abbreviations.htm

Follow the link in my signature to get to the disABILITIES FAQs thread (you can also find it near the top of this board). The first post in that thread is an index that tells which post contains which information.

To help us give you some information about attractions, it would be helpful for us to know a few things, like:
If your wife is able to transfer?
Can she stand or walk a few steps?
Can she step down into a ride car or over the side of a ride car?
Can she sit on a plastic surface (most of the ride seats) that might be slippery or shallow?
Can she handle intense motion (like roller coasters)?
What kinds of attractions are you interested in?

Thanks and looking forward to more information to help you start planning.

 

[Hoosier_at_Heart]

Thanks, SueM. I just started reading through that sticky you mentioned [especially the 3rd sticky and post #11]. In that post there's that YouTube Video which is interesting as well.

We have several months before we are headed down there.

My wife is pretty much wheelchair bound, but depending on type of ride [like NO rollercoaster stuff] I might be able to transfer her. I'd like to take her into the Haunted Masion thing, but I read that she would have to transfer into the ride car. That might be doable for us...as long as it's not very roller coaster like.,etc.

 

[SueM in MN]

Just checked one more time before heading off to bed.

This thread will also be helpful to you - with a lot more information about transfers. I was busy this weekend and didn’t get to add much to it, but will finish the Magic Kingdom (MK) rides this week. (There is information in there about Haunted Mansion which should be helpful - it doesn’t mention what the ride is like, but it is a slow moving ride car, nothing jerky or fast).
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2715921

ALso, near the top of this board, you will find the EPCOT FAQs thread, which has quite a few pictures of attractions.

My youngest daughter can only stand if we hold her up (she can do a stand and pivot for some transfers, depending on her mood, muscle tone and level of tiredness). She is only 5 feet tall and around 85 pounds, so is not that hard to transfer.

 

[POOHsie]

At Haunted Mansion (HM) they will stop the moving floor and the Doom Buggies so you have time to get your dear wife (DW) in. I pull my scooter up right next to the Doom Buggy and I can get in pretty easily. Same for exiting. My dear daughter (DD) will go get my scooter and bring it up next to the Doom Buggy and it's very easy for me.

HM is a very gentle ride. The cars are on a moving conveyor belt. And you need to go more than once, because there are so many things to look at, you can't absorb it all in one ride-through. It's tough getting on rides when you are handicapped. Some are impossible. What is especially nice about Disney is, those rides you make it on to, you can ask them if you can ride again, if no one is waiting for the handicap car when the ride is through. This goes for all the rides. Usually the answer is yes.

You mention a multi-family trip. Lots of people with lots of ideas of what to do next. I believe you and DW will slow everyone down alot. You should be prepared to break off into a very small group of your own. Especially since there are many rides (roller coaster-type) that you must pass on. Keep a cell phone on you and try to meet up at key times. For counter service meals, I will usually find a table and DD will get the food. It is a bad idea to enter a counter service line with a scooter, unless it is marked as a handicap line. You will get stuck and have to back up.

There are specific handicap places for parade watching. They are marked on the maps you pick up at entry. Of course, you can always ask a Cast Member (CM). There are many family bathrooms in the parks, big rooms where your DW has room for her scooter and for an assistant, if needed. They are also marked on the maps.

Here are park maps and resort maps: http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/

WDW is tops in accommodating the handicapped. That's why we return again and again.

 

[SueM in MN]

There are specific handicap places for parade watching. They are marked on the maps you pick up at entry. Of course, you can always ask a Cast Member (CM). There are many family bathrooms in the parks, big rooms where your DW has room for her scooter and for an assistant, if needed. They are also marked on the maps.

Here are park maps and resort maps: http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/

WDW is tops in accommodating the handicapped. That's why we return again and again.

I wanted to mention that the handicapped viewing areas are marked on all the park maps, but there are also special Guidemaps for Guests with Disabilities. You may be able to get a copy at your resort. You will also find them at the parks, either with the other maps at the entrance kiosk or at Guest Relations. At the kiosks, look for a bin marked with a blue wheelchair symbol and a black band across the top of the map.

Those maps have some additional information compared to the other parks maps. The extra information includes the 'mobility entrances' ( in most cases, it says to enter the regular queue because most lines are 'Mainstream' accessible line). They also list the Companion Restroom as an icon- even though people think of them as Family Restrooms, Disney labels them as 'Companion Restroom' on the doors and the only place you will find them mentioned is on the maps for guests with disabilities. Post 3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread has a link to a restroom thread that contains information about location and also how the room is laid out. For example, some don't have room to place a wheelchair right next to the toilet. Some have a wheelchair space to the right of the toilet and some to the left, which can be a big help for some people to know.

Also, for the wheelchair viewing areas for parades, be prepared to get there at least an hour ahead of time, to not leave once you are there. The wheelchairs and ECVs will be parked in a very tight line at the front of the area with a spot for the ret of their party to stand behind them. If an area is very full, they will park 2 rows of wheelchairs/ECVs at the front.