New to this board and need help, please..

[pfishgirl]

Hi, I am new to this board and have read some posts and the stickies but I didn't see an answer to my question.. I'm hoping someone here can help me. I am also hoping you don't mind my long winded story...

I just came back from WDW and I noticed that the people in wheelchairs can get up out of them to go on rides. I know they are out there but have not seen anyone that couldn't be transferred..

My DS (15) is friend's with a boy (18) who has a quadraplegic father. He can not move from the neck down. Just about 5 years ago he was hit by a Drunk Driver on the day before Christmas Eve while on a Motorcycle. This was 2 days after his 33rd birthday and the Motorcycle was a gift from his wife.. Now x-wife, she left him a year to the day after the accident saying it was too hard on her to handle.. anyway........

They have never ever been to Disney and DH and I were thinking about asking if they would like to join us next time we go. We would plan and pay for the whole thing because these two men are so wonderful to us and our son and thought wow what a great way to show we are so lucky to have them in our lives...

OK so now for the question.... Does anyone know about how many rides are there in WDW that allow wheelchair bound people onto the ride? I know he would not be able to go on Space Mountain and the other Roller Coasters in the parks.. But "Dad" and I could go to all the shows while the other boys are on the coasters.. Besides I don't do coasters....

so anyone who knows please let me know.. thank you so very much !!!

 

[pfishgirl]

I thought of another question... Is there anyone who prefers a certain Airline company? and Can we even fly him down there? Are there wheelchair bound spaces on plane?? wow I never even thought of that til now..

 

[BillSears]

That's a very nice thing of you to do. I hope it all works out and you all have a great time.

From your description is sounds like your friend is a quadraplegic not a paraplegic. Para's usually have full use of thier hands and arms. Quad's tend to have a limited or no use of thier hands and arms. Since you said your friend can not move from the neck down I'm going to assume he's a quad and he uses a power wheelchair.

Flying down may or may not be a problem for him. As far as I know to fly on a normal airline you must be able to leave your wheelchair and move to a normal airline seat. For your friend this would mean they would allow him to take his wheelchair to the entrance of the plane, then he would have to be lifted(again assuming he is a quad) to either the airline seat or on some airlines to an aisle chair first then the airline seat. I'd say as a general rule of thumb that if your friend can be transported in a normal car then he should be able to fly. Oh, I prefer SWA because I can bring my wheelchair right up to the first row of seats.

There will be some rides he can do whle remaining in his wheelchair. Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear, It's a Small World, Universe of Energy, Imagination, Listen to the Land, Mexico's ride, Great Movie Ride, Backstage Tour ride, Safari Ride. All of these allow you to remain in your wheelchair while riding. There may be others also that I'm missing. All shows are wheelchair accessible.

One thing that may be a problem is his own personal care. If he is a quad he may require special arraingements for his shower and bathroom. Does he travel often at all now? I know I worry about things as a para and I'd be even more concerned about special needs as a quad. Make sure to include him in on hotel room discussions.

 

[pfishgirl]

Yes... you are 100% correct he is a quadraplegic.. sorry...
I edited my original post...

Thank you for your post and answers..


No, they don't travel anywhere or haven't since his accident.. He does have a nurse that visits 5 days a week, but his son also takes care of him as well.

 

[SueM in MN]

For air travel, he would need to be transferred to a narrow wheelchair called an aisle chair that can be wheeled down the aisle of the wheelchair to his seat. From the aisle chair, he would need to be lifted into tha airplane seat. The only accomidations on the airplane seats is that some have armrests that can be lifted to make it easier to slide in. Christopher Reeve traveled a lot after he became a quadriplegic, and because of his height and being on a ventilator, he would not have been easy to transfer.

For the rides/attractions, he will be able to stay in the wheelchair for quite a few. Our forum only shows that threads that have been active recently. Here's a thread about accessibility that was too old to show up. It lists a lot of attractions that are wheelchair accesible.
And another older thread with lists of attractions where the wheelchair user can stay in the wheelchair. )It should open to the point where the rides are listed.

 

[Absimilliard]

One suggestion I have is to go with an airline that use "newer" planes on the flights you will take. The accomodations on the newer planes are lights and years above the older ones!

I clean planes for Air Canada and so... I usually spend a day or 2 a week scrubbing the toilets and let me tell you, comparing for example a Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) to an Airbus 319-320-321 is like day and night... The Airbus has larger, non sliding doors for bathrooms, plus a blind that can go across to keep it private. The Boeing 767 has tiny bathrooms, while the Airbus 330 has a great thing for the middle block of bathrooms. One side of the middle bathrooms has a close to full size door... plus, the wall that separate both bathrooms can be slided out, meaning you have one extra large bathroom, as opposed to a small, can barely fit in one.

 

[dclfun]

One other thing to consider is the Florida heat....people with SC injuries cannot perspire below their injury level and thus have difficulty on hot days regulating body temperature. Just a thought about the timing of your trip, but if you run into that sort of issue, the first aid centers at each park are a great place to cool off and also to rest or take care of personal needs. I am unable to transfer to attractions and use a ventilator and feeding pump, but still have a good time at WDW- at least accessibility is not an issue there. You might search for a posting Christamae did which listed all the attractions one can enjoy without transferring- it was an excellent synopsis. For accomodations you can get a fully accessible room at any WDW resort with a roll in shower and of course transportation is w/c accessible so his needs will be met. Hope you go and have a wonderful time- you're a great friend to be considering this trip. ----Kathy

 

[pfishgirl]

Thank you everyone for your advice and tips...
We were thinking about going during the less crowded times and not during summer because we think it would be easier on everyone..
DH and I are discussing the possibilitiy of taking a train instead of a plane. It would be a longer trip but maybe easier since they are more roomy and have special handicapped cars..
There seems to be enough rides and shows for everyone to enjoy the trip and DH and I are making little plans for DS and his friend to have some fun teen boy alone time away from the adults..

Thanks Again Everyone !!!
Happy Holidays !!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

If they have an accessible van you might definitely look into the Auto Train. It would involve driving to Lorton, VA (two exits South of the Capital Beltway just off I-95). The train has accessible sleeper compartments. With a van you would have to be there by 2:00pm. The train leaves at 4:00 and arrives in Sanford, FL about 8:30am. From there it is about 50 miles to WDW.

If you go to www.amtrak.com and look into the "travel With Amtrak" section you will find a lot of information. Coming home you would leave WDW about noon, arrival must be by 2:00, and you will be back in Northern Viriginia the next morning at 8:30.