Mobility Plan...Comments Welcomed!

[TinkerbellMama]

Hi,
We will be making a large family trip to WDW in November. Two members of our party have mobility issues, and I am wondering how this plan sounds to everyone:
My father is a recent colon cancer survivor. He has had several surgeries and things still aren't totally fixed for him, so he has severe pain and some trouble walking long distances. My brother has CP and walks with a very pronounced limp/uneven gait, and cannot walk for long distances without falling down. My idea was to have them take one wheelchair and "share" it throughout the day...each one sitting when he needs to and walking the rest of the time. Neither one is totally disabled, but doing WDW without a WC is probably impossible for both of them. What do people think? And yes, I am well aware that we will get stares and dirty looks from rude people who will pass judgment on the nature and severity of their disabilities, but we don't care about that. We only care about having a good time together in the Happiest Place on Earth!
Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

 

[SueM in MN]

Some people do share a wheelchair or ecv like you are thinking of and it works fine for them.
As you mentioned, it doesn't really matter what others think, you know that your family memebers can't "do" a day at WDW without a wheelchair.

Have you been to WDW yourself before? If you have, you know how much walking is involved.
I think (given what you wrote about your father and brother) that the distances involved might be more than they can handle sharing a wheelchair and they might do better with 2 mobility devices. You might want to look into ecvs (electric scooters) since they would give more independence. Check into the disABILITIES FAQs thread on this board.

You could do 2 wheelchairs, if you have lots of people to push, 2 ecvs (power scooter) if they are both capable of driving and you can cover the expense. Or 1 ecv and one wheelchair that they can trade off using.

 

[JudithM]

Some people do share a wheelchair or ecv like you are thinking of and it works fine for them.

I think (given what you wrote about your father and brother) that the distances involved might be more than they can handle sharing a wheelchair and they might do better with 2 mobility devices. You might want to look into ecvs (electric scooters) since they would give more independence. Check into the disABILITIES FAQs thread on this board.

I have been renting an ECV while at WDW for almost five years. I would hardly recommend using an ECV if possible. I agree with Sue's comments wholeheartedly!!

Also, I don't know how large your group will be, but that might be a factor in your decision, too. We were at WDW in April with family (seven people total) who was very understanding of my using the ECV. However, we have also been to WDW with a large group friends & some of the folks wanted to move faster than I could. Remember that it is ok for large groups to split up & meet up later.

Have fun!!

 

[TinkerbellMama]

Some people do share a wheelchair or ecv like you are thinking of and it works fine for them.
As you mentioned, it doesn't really matter what others think, you know that your family memebers can't "do" a day at WDW without a wheelchair.

Have you been to WDW yourself before? If you have, you know how much walking is involved.
I think (given what you wrote about your father and brother) that the distances involved might be more than they can handle sharing a wheelchair and they might do better with 2 mobility devices. You might want to look into ecvs (electric scooters) since they would give more independence. Check into the disABILITIES FAQs thread on this board.

You could do 2 wheelchairs, if you have lots of people to push, 2 ecvs (power scooter) if they are both capable of driving and you can cover the expense. Or 1 ecv and one wheelchair that they can trade off using.

Thanks for the comments. Yes, I've been to WDW before and my brother has been 2 times when he was younger. My dad has only been to DL once in the early 80s.
My brother is 18 and has never used an electric wheelchair before so that might be a little dangerous in the driving department! Actually, neither one of them uses a wheelchair in "daily life" except for following surgeries but then again they are both homebodies due to their limited mobility (by choice, not because they could not get out if they truly wanted to, they just prefer to take it easy most of the time).
What do you think of taking one wheelchair from home and then if the "switching off" plan does not work well, we could rent a second WC? That way neither of them feels like he has to be confined to a WC 100% of the time going into it, and if it works out, great...if not we'll be prepared to go rent that 2nd WC. Any thoughts?

 

[faeflora]

Hi,
I push a wheelchair everyday so I have no real problem tackling WDW, however, if you are not use to pushing long distance it can be very tiring. The first time I did it with a manual chair I borrowed an ECV just in case I got tired. I was so happy that I did because I needed the rest during one day.
If you have never used an ECV I read a great suggestion on these boards to go to Target or WalMart and try them out in a very open and not crowded space.
Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

A power wheelchair (one that drives with a joystick) is harder to drive and takes a lot more practice than driving an ecv does. The joystick of a power wheelchair controls the direction and the speed with the same joystick. Because it takes more practice (and they are lots more expensive) none of the rental places will rent power wheelchairs unless you are already experienced.
ECVs are steered by a handlebar (kind of like steering a bike) and have a throttle on the handlebar.
Taking them both out to Target or Walmart to practice with an ecv is a good idea. If they do fine, driving one at WDW would be a piece of cake since the store ones are larger and have a basket attached to the front.

For whether they will be able to make it with one wheelchair or not, how about a trip to a local mall or park. Have them walk for several hours and then figure that WDW would be a lot harder (plus, malls don't have hills).
Even people without disabilities who spend most of their time as homebodies find a WDW trip is very tiring.

 

[TinkerbellMama]

A power wheelchair (one that drives with a joystick) is harder to drive and takes a lot more practice than driving an ecv does. The joystick of a power wheelchair controls the direction and the speed with the same joystick. Because it takes more practice (and they are lots more expensive) none of the rental places will rent power wheelchairs unless you are already experienced.
ECVs are steered by a handlebar (kind of like steering a bike) and have a throttle on the handlebar.
Taking them both out to Target or Walmart to practice with an ecv is a good idea. If they do fine, driving one at WDW would be a piece of cake since the store ones are larger and have a basket attached to the front.

For whether they will be able to make it with one wheelchair or not, how about a trip to a local mall or park. Have them walk for several hours and then figure that WDW would be a lot harder (plus, malls don't have hills).
Even people without disabilities who spend most of their time as homebodies find a WDW trip is very tiring.

Hey, EXCELLENT idea about going to Target or Walmart to test the ECVs. Never would've thought of that one myself! Thanks for the info on the power wheelchairs vs. ECVs. I will talk to my brother and dad and see what they think. Someone else mentioned them not being able to keep a fast pace...the way we are going to handle that is if they are with us in a park we will go at a slow pace and not try to pack in every single ride...just hit the highlights so we can all enjoy ourselves!

Thanks!

 

[RaySharpton]

Hey, EXCELLENT idea about going to Target or Walmart to test the ECVs. Never would've thought of that one myself! Thanks for the info on the power wheelchairs vs. ECVs. I will talk to my brother and dad and see what they think. Someone else mentioned them not being able to keep a fast pace...the way we are going to handle that is if they are with us in a park we will go at a slow pace and not try to pack in every single ride...just hit the highlights so we can all enjoy ourselves!

Thanks!

You can also go to Costco and HomeDepot and Lowes to use a scooter.

A long time ago, I used to rent a wheelchair at WDW just to use as a walker. I could hold on to the wheelchair for balance as I walked, and then I could sit down when I was tired. This really helped when no benches were available. And yet it gave me something to hold on to when I was walking.

Now I use a scooter and it is so much better.

Sincerely, Ray

 

[zumbergc]

The OP mentioned they didn't want the 2 needing the wheel chair to be 100%confined if they rented 2 wheel chairs.

If you rent 2 wheel chairs. The person needing the chair, can park the wheel chair to the side (like where strollers are parked) and then stroll along with the rest of the crew. Like in certain areas where there are a bunch of rides.
Do some waiting lines with the wheelchair, some with out.

Another option is to let the wheelchair person decide how much they want to walk or ride in the chair. It will probably be easier walking if another person still pushes the emtpy wheel chair. I find I walk more correctly if I'm not the person pushing the empty chair. It all depends on the person who needs the wheel chair and what help they need. Someone else mentioned they used the wheelchair as a crutch to help them walk, what ever works, try it out.

If you did chose to go the scooter route. I suspect if the scooter driver wanted to get up and walk, get use out of their legs, that another member of the party would be delighted to take a break and ride the scooter. Other people may frown upon scooter switching. But you don't want to loose your muscle mass if you are able to walk some distance, by being completely seated your entire trip. I always found at the end of the day (not in crowded parts or in a big crowd) or the begining of the day were the best times for me to walk. We stayed at the dolphin, so the days we woulld walk from MGM or epcot I enjoyed walking from MGM. I'm not a big fan of the hills (bridges) as its rough for me to walk down the hills. But I'd walk up the hills, and then ride down them.

You'll find out what works when you get their. You may chose to bring the phone numbers of the offsite rental places. That way you can have access of the wheel chairs from the park gate to the busses, and the busses to your rooms. Its a long walk, and well sometimes I was too tired to walk then, so the scooter worked out great.

Connie