New to Disney on wheels.. could use some help

[catherines_mama]

Hey! DD and I are WDW fanatics and have been a lot on our own and with friends of ours.

We are very excited that in October my parents will be joining us on a trip. VERY EXCITED! They are too, they cannot wait to experience all of it with their "darling" and I can't wait to see their reactions to her and to everything.

Well.. my stepfather is disabled and I have TONS of questions. We were at the parts for the past few days and I kept looking and noticing things that we'd need to consider etc when there in Oct with them.

Some backstory: Jim has always been a fit (former Navy Seal) active guy. May 06 he was in a near fatal car accident that left him in a coma for 6 wks. The Lord answered many prayers and kept him with us, but not without lasting injuries. He lost nerve feeling in his left arm and mobility of his right knee. He got around but had trouble with stairs and balance and had little function of his left hand (he'd use his right hand to help his left get by). In June he had surgery on his arm to take pressure off his nerves and he's recovering SO well. 3 wks ago he had surgery on his knee to help his mobility but rehab on that is slow going. He can walk and stand but his limit is .. say.. a trip to the grocery store.

So with that said, he obviously cannot manuever WDW like most of us can. He's "disabled" in that he can no longer work and is receiving disability until he's at the age of retirement, and my mother has a handicap tag for the car.

My questions, concerns :

*how do we go about renting wheelchairs at the parks? We are staying at POR and he'll be okay at the resort, but once at the parks he'll need to ride. I figure if it was EASY to get a wheelchair, everyone would do it and use it to their advantage in lines. So what do we need to do to show that we are legit?

*he's not a coaster guy, so I'm not worried about riding any of those (DD and I got those out of our system this week) but I do think he'll enjoy Test Track with his granddaughter. Is this an easy transfer ride? How do you enter?

*Parade viewing - I don't think this will be too much of an issue. I think we'll just park in spots like we always do. Will people be upset that a man is in wheelchair at the curb with his granddaughter in his lap? Im sure my mom & I will be on the curb or standing behind them. Is there special viewing spots?

Is there anything else that we need to take into consideration when getting around in the parks? He can walk but not for more then a grocery trip and cant stand for long either. Hopefully one day, but we'll see how rehab goes.

Anyway.. thanks everyone. I'll be reading more & more on this as we plan. Is there some Guest Relations I can call and have info packets sent to my parents?

 

[lunapnp]

According the Americans with Disabilities Act, you do not have to show anything to prove you have a disability. I believe you can get a wheelchair at the resort and possibly take to the parks??? Somebody can correct me on that...I don't know since my DD has her own personal wheelchair. My only concern about getting one at the parks is that it is on a first come, first serve basis. So, there may not be one. I'm not sure how soon they are all rented out...but that may be something to consider. As far as the parade viewing, my only suggestion would be to get to your location early. The handicap seating usually feels up pretty fast. I don't think anyone will have a problem with your granddaughter sitting in his lap. We have always parked our daughter's wheelchair in the handicap area, but she usually wants to get out and sit on the side walk with her sister. You also can go to guest services and get a guest assistance card (GAC) that may help you, too. I can't remember about Test Track since my DD did not go on that ride. I rode with my other DD so I don't really remember. However, on the rides where my DD has to transfer out of her wheelchair, we've never had any problems with getting her on and off of the rides. I hope you have an enjoyable trip. We are going in October, too. Can't wait!!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. The third item from the top is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information. It may answer several of your questions right away.

 

[catherines_mama]

As far as the parade viewing, my only suggestion would be to get to your location early. The handicap seating usually feels up pretty fast.

Thank you for your answers.. the GAC sounds like a good thing.

No worries at the parades for us. DD and I scoped out our spots 90 minutes before Spectro last night. We're used to getting there early

Thanks again!!!

 

[Piper]

My questions, concerns :

*how do we go about renting wheelchairs at the parks? We are staying at POR and he'll be okay at the resort, but once at the parks he'll need to ride. I figure if it was EASY to get a wheelchair, everyone would do it and use it to their advantage in lines. So what do we need to do to show that we are legit?

You frequently cannot get a wheelchair at the resort. They are on a first-come first-served basis. Also, they are very heavy. I would suggest renting an ecv from an outside company. It sounds as though he would enjoy the independence an ecv would give.

Also, other than being able to get around easier, there is no advantage to using a wheelchair in lines. As a matter of fact, it is often a disadvantage. For most of the lines, you will use the regular lines (try to use fastpass as much as possible.) Also waits are often longer than average, because once you get to the front of the line, you must wait for an accessible ride vehicle.

I also don't think a GAC would be of any use to you. It sounds as though using a chair or ecv would solve his problem. GACs are based on need and for mobility problems, Disney suggests using a chair or ecv!

Hope you all have a great time!

 

[lunapnp]

I will say that since he can transfer out of his wheelchair and into the rides fairly easily, you will not have to wait for an accessible ride when you get to the front. The CM's are very good about moving a wheelchair to where you will get off. It's always amazed me on the dumbo ride that we load my daughter on dumbo, the CM's move her wheelchair to the exact spot our dumbo will stop! It doesn't take much to amuse me, anyway!

 

[Nanajo1]

You frequently cannot get a wheelchair at the resort. They are on a first-come first-served basis. Also, they are very heavy. I would suggest renting an ecv from an outside company. It sounds as though he would enjoy the independence an ecv would give.

Also, other than being able to get around easier, there is no advantage to using a wheelchair in lines. As a matter of fact, it is often a disadvantage. For most of the lines, you will use the regular lines (try to use fastpass as much as possible.) Also waits are often longer than average, because once you get to the front of the line, you must wait for an accessible ride vehicle.

I also don't think a GAC would be of any use to you. It sounds as though using a chair or ecv would solve his problem. GACs are based on need and for mobility problems, Disney suggests using a chair or ecv!

Hope you all have a great time!

I'm pretty sure you need both hands functioning to drive an ECV. There might be accomodations available but I don't know of them.
I would suggest renting a wheelchair from an off site vendor. The walk from parking/trams to the front gates can be very long. Sightseeing around the resorts and Downtown Disney woud be less tiring as well.
Have a great trip.

 

[SueM in MN]

Some backstory: Jim has always been a fit (former Navy Seal) active guy. May 06 he was in a near fatal car accident that left him in a coma for 6 wks. The Lord answered many prayers and kept him with us, but not without lasting injuries. He lost nerve feeling in his left arm and mobility of his right knee. He got around but had trouble with stairs and balance and had little function of his left hand (he'd use his right hand to help his left get by). In June he had surgery on his arm to take pressure off his nerves and he's recovering SO well. 3 wks ago he had surgery on his knee to help his mobility but rehab on that is slow going. He can walk and stand but his limit is .. say.. a trip to the grocery store.

Depending on his abilities, an ECV may or may not be a good choice or even possible for him.
Many grocery or discount department stores (like Target and Walmart) have ECVs for customers to use in the store. They all work in a pretty similar way; the ones in the stores have a large shopping basket in front, so they are harder to drive than the ones you can rent from WDW parks or outside companies.
I'd strongly suggest he try one of those out. A grocery store or Target are best - both have wide aisles. Save Walmart for later practice; their aisles are very narrow and their main aisles usually have displays in them.
He would need to be able to work the controls and have enough vision, hearing and mobility to be able to see what is around him.
If he has any residual cognitive or attention deficits related to the accident, those need to be taken into account to determine whether he can safely operate the ECV, especially in crowds. Even if he has no residual problems in those areas, some people find that the increase independence comes at a higher 'price' of being aware and alert all the time than they are willing to pay. So, ECVs are not for everyone.

*how do we go about renting wheelchairs at the parks? We are staying at POR and he'll be okay at the resort, but once at the parks he'll need to ride. I figure if it was EASY to get a wheelchair, everyone would do it and use it to their advantage in lines. So what do we need to do to show that we are legit?

As the others mentioned, you don't need any 'proof' to get an ECV or wheelchair. Most of the lines are wheelchair and ECV accessible and the only 'advantage' to having one in lines is that you have somewhere to sit.

Even if he is going to use a wheelchair and not an ECV, I'd still agree with those who suggested renting from one of the off-site places. The resorts are large and the walk from the bus or parking area (even with using handicapped parking) can be pretty long. To think about it another way, if his physical limit is the grocery store, he will have met his limit just getting to the bus stop in many cases.

If you haven't checked out the information about GACs (Guest Assistance Cards) on the disABILITIES FAQs thread, I'd suggest you do so. GACs are mostly for invisible disabilities and I agree with Piper that having a wheelchair or ECV sounds like it would meet his needs so he would not really need a GAC.

*he's not a coaster guy, so I'm not worried about riding any of those (DD and I got those out of our system this week) but I do think he'll enjoy Test Track with his granddaughter. Is this an easy transfer ride? How do you enter?

If you have not ridden Test Track before, I'd suggest sending a 'scouting' party in to ride and see if it would be appropriate for him. Your ride car goes over very bumpy surfaces, makes sudden stops (one without antilock brakes that puts your car into a bit of a spin) and hairpin turns. You do have seat belts, but bracing can be difficult if you don't have the ability to hold on with both hands and brace with both feet.

The entire queue at Test Track (the standby line and the Fastpass line) are wheelchair accessible. A few larger ECVs are not accessible thru the regualr line, but the CM at the entrance to the queue will let you know if that is a problem. I'd suggest you get Fastpasses for Test Track. (You can send a member of your party with all the park tickets to get Fastpasses for your whole party). For readers who might not know about Fastpass, here's a link to the DIS site page about Fastpass and how to use them
Wheelchair and ECV users stay in the regular line until you get to the CM at the 'top' of the queue, who assigns guests to a particular area for the preshow. At that point, wheelchair users are pulled out and sent to a particular preshow room (you may be waiting a while extra to get assigned).
You can board at the regular boarding area, which would involve a step down onto the seat of the car and another step down from the seat to the floor. The ride car track is set into the floor so that the top of the car is level with the floor. You will be getting in on the 'passenger side' of the ride car. Getting out requires a step or 2 steps up (if you go from the floor of the ride car to the seat of the ride car). The car will not be dispatched until you are safely in and out. When you get out, exit is at the same place, but at the 'driver' side of the car.
During your ride, the wheelchair or ECV will be transfered across the track by the CM.

There is another boarding/unloading area that can be used by people with disabilities. You have to ask for it and it involves the person in the wheelchair going up an elevator while the rest of your party walks up a flight of stairs. That takes you over the track so you will board and unload on the same side of the track and the wheelchair will stay where you left it.
Boarding is done there on the same level as the ride car - it's similar to getting into and out of a bathtub; that's the height of the side of the ride car. You board and get out of the driver's side of the ride car. The wheelchair will be waiting in that same spot when you get off; when you get to the normal boarding/unload area, let the CM know you have a wheelchair and your ride car will be sent straight thru to where you got on.

*Parade viewing - I don't think this will be too much of an issue. I think we'll just park in spots like we always do. Will people be upset that a man is in wheelchair at the curb with his granddaughter in his lap? Im sure my mom & I will be on the curb or standing behind them. Is there special viewing spots?

The special viewing spots are marked on the park maps.
Depending on how busy it is, you may need to get there quite early to get a spot and they may limit the number of people who can be in the area with the wheelchair (usually a 'party' is 5 people plus the person with a disability, but we have sometimes gone when it was really busy and we told we could have one person accompany DD with her wheelchair).

Is there some Guest Relations I can call and have info packets sent to my parents?

The information packet that would be sent if you call would mostly be the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities for each park. The text of those are accessible on the official Disney website. There is a link to that area of the Disney website in the disABILITIES FAQs thread located near the top of the disABILITIES thread list (look for the green arrow).