Welsome to disABILITIES. I'll start you out with some answers and I'm sure you'll get a lot of other good advice.
Should he rent an
ECV? If renting an ECV how much are they?Do they have ECV's that have umbrellas on them for shade?
An ECV would be very helpful to him in conserving his energy and not feeling like he is holding anyone back.
You can rent them per day from the parks (the WDW parks and Sea World all rent them). The park ones don't have umbrellas or sunshades. I don't know the cost at Sea World, but WDW is about $30 per day.
The problem with renting from the parks is that they are limited availability and there is no guarantee that one will be available when you get there.
An advantage of renting from off-site is that the ECV will be available for use wherever he is at. They do have canopies available from some of the rental places. The
ECVs can be taken apart for transport in a trunk. WDW transportation is ECV accessible with the exception of the WL boats sometimes not because of water levels.
Here are the places that DIS posters report renting from:
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/
Phone (407) 856-2273 Toll Free U.S and Canada (800) 741-2282
Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com
RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/
Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html
(800)747-0246
http://www.scootaround.com/ Not much feedback. Several people who reported they had no problems.
Randy's requires that someone be there for delivery and pick up. The rest will deliver to Bell Services and leave it for you.
When using an ECV how do you go about getting on rides and such? Do you have to use them in the lines or can you leave them outside of the ride like a stroller?
For some rides, he would be able to bring the ECV right into the ride with him if he chooses to do that. He can also choose to leave it parked outside (the CMs will show you where) and walk in line if he wants.
I've been reading on GAC and wondering what they really are and how they would help my dad.
You can go to Guest Services in any of the parks and request a Guest Assistance Card (we call them GACs to avoid typing so much). In general, people who use wheelchairs or ecvs don't need and won't be given a GAC because just having the wheelchair/ecv alerts the CM that they need an accessible entrance. If that meets your needs, you don't need a GAc. But some people need a quieter place to wait, a place out of the sun, a place away from other people or to be able to bring a stroller into line and have it treated the same as a wheelchair. The GAC is a tool to alert CMs of that sort of invisible need. It is not meant to (and usually won't) shorten or eliminate your wait in line.
To request a GAC, go to Guest Services in any of the parks with the person with a disability and explain your needs. The GACs have different messages stamped on them, depending on what the needs are. GACs issued in one park are good in all parks and are usually valid for your entire length of stay (You don't need to get a new one each day). GACs are usually issued for the person with a disability plus up to 5 members of their party - there may be times when you are asked to split into smaller groups because of attraction capacity in the special needs area for that ride.
We will be going to MK one day, Epcot one day, and Sea World 1 or 2 days.
If he's never driven an ECV before, I'd suggest NOT starting out at MK. It's kind of a tight, congested park with a lot of people and a lot of kids. have him get used to driving at the resort first or go to Epcot or Sea World first.
You might wnat to suggest that he try out an ECV at a store.
Walmart and Target stores often have them for customer use. They are quite a bit larger than the ones at the parks or from the places I posted above (plus the store ones have a cart mounted in front of them. If he can drive one of those, anything he rents in Florida will be easy compared to that.
