Locals with Disabilities - any insights?

[Ufgator27]

Hello All!

My sister and I are moving our retired 65 yr old father from Jacksonville to Orlando so he can be closer to her (she lives in Tampa and is at Disney regularly). My Dad worked at Disney on Opening day in 1971 (!!) and for a few years afterwards in various food and beverage roles and he is the same Disney nut today that he was then.

He is disabled (bad knee, very limited mobility), and looking forward to hanging out in/around Disney like he used to "in the old days."

We are looking for insights on neighborhoods around Disney. He needs access to a disabled public bus - we are exploring local options for support now.

In addition, any other insights for older locals (with disabilities) at Disney would also be appreciated! Do you have a favorite spot for people watching?

Thanks All - I am not a big board poster but we are crazy fans of the podcast.

 

[50surgeries2012]

I'm not local. But, I've been to Disney many times, and used their local paratransit service LYNX twice on two different trips. You have to be "ADA certified" which I was grateful to my local county paratransit system who sent all of my elegibility info to LYNX that they needed. In my opinion. LYNX was great. They got us to/from our hotel. Even though we did have to pick up/drop off other people along the way. I'm coming in late October, for the Halloween party with my friends, and significant other. We're staying off-site at the Marriott Palm I think it's called. We'll be using LYNX again because my friend doesn't want to rent a car, and I'll be renting a power chair from one of the off-site companies.

 

[KPeveler]

I live in Clermont, which is the west side of Disney. Technically I am in Lake County, so there is no bus from this area. Be careful of this when looking for an apartment/house. You need a place in Orange County.

Also, avoid Kissimmee - traffic on 192 through there is a nightmare. It took us an hour to go 5-10 miles last February when my mom and I were looking for apartments.

He may want to look into getting his own ECV. This will let him tour without worrying about his knee. Especially when watching shows and fireworks where there are no or limited seats, this is a great thing. This would also allow him into wheelchair viewing areas for parades and nighttime shows.

Hope you enjoy being closer to the Mouse. I know we love it!