You may be better off renting an
ECV, as pushing a wheelchair can get very tiresome, especially if you are not used to it. Also it depends on the weight of the passenger and the condition of the pusher(s). Some information for off-site rentals are:
Here are the urls:
Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com
RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/
Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html
The first two (Walker and Randy) appear to be used more than the others.
I have used Walker a few times. They will ask for a credit card and charge it the day before arrival. They will deliver the ECV to your hotel bell services before your arrival and pick it up there after your departure. Their rates, especially for longer than a week, are much better than Disney's. Also, their scooters are much better.
Randy's is less expensive than Walker, but they require you to be present when delivered and sign a waiver of liability. I think they also require you to be present when it is picked up.
You don't say if you are renting a car or what. If you are using a car for getting around, the
ECVs break down into five pieces, the heaviest about 39 pounds. They take about a minute or so to take apart and about two minutes (once you are used to it) to put it together.
Another suggestion is find out your state's requirements for a temporary disabled hang tag and get the paper work and have your doctor sign off on it. The tag will allow you to use any of the handicap parking areas (which will be a necessity). Also, with the policy of charging for valet parking, with a handicap hang tag the fees will be waived. Also the valets will usually volunteer to assist in loading/unloading an ECV. In Virginia I printed the required form from the DMV website. When I took the completed form to the DMV Office it took less than 15 minutes from the time I walked in until I had my tag. Check with her doctor, who might be willing to sign for a temporary tag for her which would be valid for no more than six months.
Normally the ECVs should be recharged overnight. However, sometimes when I felt I did not use it much one day, I would leave it in the car's trunk overnight and not worry about recharging until the next night. Documentation I have seen is that the charge should generally be good for about 25 miles at full speed at maximum weight.
Driving is not difficult at all. Think of a normal tricycle. There is a lever directly under (and very close to) the handlebars, Pushiing it with the right thumb goes forward, and pushing with the left thumb it goes in reverse. (Since it is one lever, you can also pull on one side to get the same effect as pushing on the other.)
On the ones from Walker there is, on the contral panel, a knob which goes from "turtle" to "rabbit". This knob, in conjunction with how much the thumb lever is pressed, controls the maximum speed of the ECV.
Steering is very easy. Many large grocery stores have ECVs with baskets available for shoppers at no charge. You might have your mother go shopping with you and use one for practice. Note that the ones in the grocery stores tend to be larger than the rental units.
One extra advantage to an ECV over a wc is that your mother will have a larger degree of freedom and will not have to rely on someone to push her to get around; I think that it will make for a more enjoyable vacation for all.
One word of warning. Please do NOT allow your children to ride in her lap. It is possible that one could accidently jam the control or turn the ECV and hit someone. It IS a motor vehicle weighing over 100 pounds and should be treated accordingly.
