Leaving Wheelchair Outside Of Restroom Stall, When The Wheelchair Stall Is Occupied

[GroovyWheeler]

Is it safe to do this??? Would anyone "walk off" with it, if they see it sitting there, unoccupied?? I've been wondering about this, because even though I've always left my manual/power wheelchair with one of my caregivers, my fiance' Dan, or my mom, to keep an eye on. I worry about the time when I really have to use the bathroom, and had to use a regular stall because the handicapped one, was taken.

Would leaving my manual/power wheelchair outside the regular stall door when I'm using the bathroom, be asking for it to be stolen?? I'm worried about doing this with my power chair (since it's worth a lot of money), but especially worried doing it with my manual wheelchair, because my mom would've probably had to fight the insurance company, to pay for a new one, if it was gone. From what I heard, her medical insurance company usually doesn't like paying for a new manual wheelchair, when the person already has a power chair as their "primary, everyday wheelchair".

What have you done, when you encountered this situation????

Samantha

 

[Sue & Co.]

I have to say that I have often left my manual wheelchair outside of the restroom and there has never been any problem. maybe I have just been lucky.

Sue

 

[SueM in MN]

I would say it should be safe. You are right there in the stall and no one knows how long before you will be out.
If you have your power wheelchair, just turning the power off will make it so a lot of people won't know how to make it move. My DD's power wheelchair has 2 places I have to switch in order to make it freewheeling so it can be pushed. If I only switch one of them, the wheelchair can't be pushed and also it can't be driven. I guarantee if you can do that before you leave it outside the stall, almost no one will know how to make it move.

Also, check out if your mother's homeowner or renter's insurance will cover the wheelchair. If it gets damaged or stolen, they would pay for repairs or a new one, not the health insurance. If they don't cover it, see if she can get additional insurance to cover it. My DD's wheelchairs are covered by our homeowners insurance. She uses a computer to talk - that has its own policy, which cost only about $70 a year for $7000 worth of coverage.

 

[zumbergc]

I've left a manual chair and ecv outside the restroom if the HC stall is taken.
I take the key out of the ecv, and just leave the wc outside the stall.
I haven't had a problem.

I would however put like a luggage tag on your personal wheel chair or
power chair, in the event someone accidentally grabbed your chair instead of theirs (in the even they looked similiar).

For the regular wheel chair you might want to put a sign, or customize it.
So if you leave it outside a restraunt parked when eating or taking in a show and decided to sit in the regular seats.

If you personalize it somehow. Some else in a wheel chair is less likely to think it is theirs, when the dash for chairs happens after getting off rides, after eating and such. I'm not sure if your wheen chair looks close to the disney or offsite rental ones and whether thats an issue for you.

I've seen people put streamers thru the tires and other decorative items to distinguish their chair from a regular disney chair.

We've never had a problem with the ecv or rental wc been taken.
We parked outside restraunts, bathrooms, parked it over to the side to take in an attraction when my legs are feeling great.
I've parked it in the stroller parking for certain rides that I decided to stand in line for.
Connie