New to all this - Wheelchair Info Please

[js]

After a surgery that didn't go as planned, my mother's husband is now in Kessler Rehab trying to regain the use of his arms and legs but my mother was infomred yesterday, he may only regain movement in his arms. The three things my mother (karensi) enjoys most are Disney, Cruising and going out to dinner. (I just had to cancel her August 18 Alaskan cruise and Oct. Disney trip Although we know it is very premature, my mom and I were talking today and wondering how the heck would we get Jim from the wheelchair onto the plane? If it were just my mom and Jim, how would he get to his seat in the plane and it is a very big "production"? Do you have to ask someone (or a few people) to help you get a grown man from his wheelchair to his plane seat? Would he be able to go to the bathroom (if in fact, he is physically able)?
This is all new to my family and any help, websites, information about Disney and planes would be so much appreciated by my mom (karensi) and me. Thank you very much and please say a prayer for Jim's recovery.

 

[BillSears]

I've been a paraplegic since my senior year of high school (26 years ago) and have no feeling or use of anything from the bottom of my ribcage down. I love WDW and have no problem flying. Although I've never been cruising I heard some people enjoy it fine from a chair.

I'd say that at least 90% of their being able to enjoy the same things that they currently do will be thier attitudes. If you are willing to just go and do it, without worrying about how much easier it used to be or being obsessed with the few things you can no longer do then you'll have a great time. For some people it's hard to develope this attitude but over time you have to learn to live with it. You can either be miserable or you can make the best of what you have.

WDW is one of the most accesable places I've ever been to. It's a rare occasion when my wheelchair prevents me from doing something there. However I do have a fair amount of upper body strength and am able to lift myself on and off of almost all of the rides.

I don't fly alot but I have flown enough for me to not worry about it. I can do transfers in and out of an airline seat easily so getting on is not a problem for me. As for bathroom breaks, I just make sure I've gone just before the flight and don't drink alot prior to and during the flight. There isn't anyway to keep your wheelchair with you on a plane and the bathroom isn't wheelchair accesable. But I've flown from Baltimore to Oakland without any problem. I guess it depends on the person really on how much of a problem this is. Maybe he'll have to take shorter flights but it's just something he might have to work around.

Going out to dinner is easy with a wheelchair. You just get in the car, drive to the restaurant and eat....well maybe abit more then that but not much. I can only think of a few restaurant's that are not wheelchair accesable and those are because they are in the city in historic areas.

Overall I'd say they should be fine. It might be tougher but that's just part of life sometimes. Good luck to them!

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES.
Pixie dust and prayers going out to your family.

One of the things Rehab hospitals do is to maximize the potential of whatever abilities someone has. If he regains the use of his arms (even partially) there will be a lot he can do as far as helping with (or even independently) transferring from a wheelchair to a car, plane or other type of seat. For getting on an airplane, all the airlines have aisle chairs available. These are narrow wheelchairs that actually fit down the aisle of the plane. At the door of the plane, you transfer from your own wheelcahir to the aisle chair and are wheeled into the plane. Then, once at the correct row, you transfer out of the aisle chair into the plane seat. your own wheelchair can be gate checked so that it is used until you transfer to the aisle chair and when you get off, it is waiting for you at the door of the plane. My DD has a lot of obsessive/compulsive problems along with cerebral palsy and she absolutely refuses to have anything to do with an aisle chair, but we are always offered one when we fly. The bathrooms are more problematic; most of the planes don't have accessible bathrooms.
We have never been on a cruise, but I know that quite a few DIS posters who use wheelchairs have been on cruises and there is a special cruise trip planned (see Drama Tech's thread about a "FreeWheelin' Cruise" ). Maybe some past wheelchair cruisers will post with their experiences, but here's a link to the official Disney site FAQs for Cruisers with Disabilities to start you out.
As for WDW, it is quite accessible, especially for someone who can transfer (even if he is not able to stand). There are a number of rides and shows where a person in a wheelchair can stay right in the wheelchair for the whole experience. Here's a link to the DIS board page about touring with mobility disabilities, including a list of those rides. AK and the Studio are very accessible. Epcot and MK are a little less accesible (especially MK since it was built before wheelchair accessibility was considered for everything being built). Here's a link to the official Disney site Guidebooks for Guest with Disabilities. They don't give a lot of information about the type of transfer onto each ride (but that's what disABILITIES Board posters are for ).
All the resorts have rooms available that are fully wheelchair accessible with toilets with grab bars and showers that you can roll a shower chair into. The buses, monorails and most boats are also wheelchair accessible.
So, anyway, that's a look at the World (WDW style) and good luck to your whole family in his recovery.

 

[SueM in MN]

I was typing at the same time as Bill was, but he beat me to posting. He has a lot of good info. Something he wrote made me think of a problem we run into a lot.

Going out to dinner is easy with a wheelchair. You just get in the car, drive to the restaurant and eat....well maybe abit more then that but not much. I can only think of a few restaurant's that are not wheelchair accesable and those are because they are in the city in historic areas.

Most restaurants are accessible, but some of the tables aren't. We were out to eat last week with DD and because of the way the table legs were situated, she could not get her wheelchair positioned to sit at the table. Sometimes sitting on the end of the table is an option -in this case it wasn't because the aisle was too narrow between the table to sit that way. We had been at that restaurant before with a larger party and sat at a round table, which worked great. But some smaller round tables are not deep enough to sit at with a wheelchair (like the small tables at The Land in Epcot).
So, before they seat your party, take a look around at the tables and see if there is a type of table or location that will work out better for you.

 

[Andrew Bichard]

Originally posted by js
...wondering how the heck would we get Jim from the wheelchair onto the plane? ... Would he be able to go to the bathroom (

I use a wheelchair and fly most years from London to Orlando & return. I ride my own wheelchair to the aircraft door and transfer to the airline's own 'isle wheelchair' The ground crew wheel me to my seat & help me transfer. My own chair is taken to the hold & returned to the door at the other end.

I cannot get out of my seat to go to the bathroom. It is a nine hour flight plus 30 to 45 minutes on the ground each end. 10-11 hours is a long time without using the bathroom. I take my own urine bottle and ask for a blanket to put over my lap. My wife & I explain the situation at check in & request two seats together with no-one next to us. No-one ever notices what is going on!

On international flights at least, new aircraft now coming into service *do* have accessible toilets (not full ADA size, but bigger than usual) and a percentage of isle seats with fold up armrests. The airline crew are allowed to help you to the bathroom but cannot come inside for hygene reasons.

You can check for aircraft type before you fly.

Andrew

 

[barnum42]

Sue

Thanks for the link to the Disabled Guide books.

Joe

 

[LindaDVC]

We have cruised twice on Disney's Magic and had a wonderful time. Dan (DH) is a quadraplegic. The cabin was larger so we had floor space to move around and our deck was lovely!

The first trip we had a few obstacles which Disney corrected before we sailed again. The second trip was problem free on the ship and Castaway Cay.

Tendering can be a problem and once off the ship you are very limited on excursions in the islands. We still dream about cruising agian but so far it is not scheduled--

Linda

 

[js]

WOW! Thank you all so much! We (my mom karensi and I) knew we could count on our Dis friends. I am going to print out above for my mom and she will read since she is too busy with working (she's an RN) and then driving to Kessler every day to get on the internet. My sister was in Vegas this weekend and told my mom how beautiful the Bellagio is and my mom mentioned to Jim yesterday that she would love to go there and he just rolled his eyes (it is still early) but she told him that she plans on still traveling and going places as they use to so hopefully his attitude will change right now, he has only been there a week (although he was in the hospital from May 27 until last week) so he has a right to be mad, sad, etc. But, when he is out and gets into his routine with my mom and home, we (my family) and mom will be planning another trip(s). Thank you again and any other information my mom would greatly appreciate. Thank you.