Offensive ECV Driving

[RNMOM]

We took a friend of my DS with us, our "rent a kid". He is 6'2" and liked to walk with me on the ECV. When someone cut me off he would say, not rudely but loudly, "Excuse me, we must have been in your way!!!!". That caused a few people to stop and look behind them. No apologies, however. It truely is amazing.

I must say though that we got preferencial treatment on some rides and restaurants due to the ECV. That helps make up for the rude visitors.

 

[DebbieR]

We can completely relate to the "being invisible". We rented an ECV for my DH for our trip in early December. He has RSD and several other health problems and we just thought it would be easier on both of us if he didn't try to "brave" all the walking.

On past trips to WDW (non-ECV), we encountered some very inexperienced ECV drivers that caused us to be of the opinion that we didn't want to be classified as "one of them". But this trip was very eye-opening. My DH actually got into a verbal altercation with a woman pushing a stroller at the Osborne lights. Our timing must have been terrible because it was wall-to-wall people. They really should set up a separate lane for people in wheelchairs or ECVs. DH couldn't even really see the lights because he had to watch the people around him so carefully. This woman was looking the other way, not driving in a straight line and pushed the stroller right into him, and then had the nerve to start cursing at him. He was so frazzled by this time - having to watch out and anticipate what everyone around him was going to do - that he completely lost it on her. He finally turned up the speed and took off (with her trying to follow him). Fortunately the crowd had thinned out a little by this time (I think purposely to get away from them).

Many of you may agree though, that you are also not so invisible when boarding WDW buses. Our experience was that they boarded the wheelchairs and ECVs first, everyone else had to wait. The first few times, DH tried to "drive" it on himself and it sometimes took a couple tries to line it up just right. After that, my dad took charge and just released it and pushed it on. It made it a much more pleasant experience. Most people were very courteous and/or at least refrained from saying anything. But there are always those few that you encounter......

I guess I just don't understand why people think they have to SEE a reason for someone to be in a wheelchair or ECV. I'd like to show them our medical bills and the list of medications that DH is on, and SEE if they want to switch places with him - or anyone else for that matter!

Climbing down off my soapbox!

Debbie

 

[mhopset]

Helps Debbie off her soapbox, and gives her a high five!

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcoming Debbie down from her soapbox.
My DH and I just got back on Jan 3 from an adult only, no person with a disability trip by ourselves to WDW. We did see a couple of those ecv drivers who give everyone who uses an ecv a bad reputation. While waiting to watch the MK afternoon parade, we saw a family that included a younger man, a little boy about 2 yrs old, an elderly woman with her arm in a sling and an older man riding an ecv. The older man also had a cane (which kept falling off the ecv, and he drove over it once). Anyway, the woman lifted the little boy onto the older man's lap and the little boy proceeded to try to "drive" the ecv from the man's lap, with the rest of the family watching and laughing. To distract him from doing that, the older man started to drive the ecv as fast as it would go along the sidewalk, swerving to miss people and stopping several times just inches from running over the older woman's feet. Since she was standing at the edge of the curb at the time, she nearly fell backwards over the curb thinking he wouldn't stop in time. Often the older man wasn't even looking in the direction he was driving; he was either looking down at the little boy or turning his head to talk to one of the other members of their party. All this while driving at top speed. A security CM warned the man not to have the child on his lap, to slow down and watch where he was going. They took the child down for a while, but after security was gone, up went the child again. When they drove off out of our sight, the man had dropped his cane 3 times in about 20 feet and the balloon that they tied around the wheel (I'm not kidding) had most of the string tangled in the axel. I would have liked to see what happened when it was totally tangled, but we didn't want to lose our parade spots.
We saw several other instances of people who were letting the child "help drive" from their laps (different activity than just having a child on the lap) and generally did not have the proper respect for driving an ecv. The really bad thing about it is those types of behaviors make other people think that all wheelchair and ecv users are like that and the ecv becomes sort of a frivolous toy instead of a necessary mobility device.

 

[SheDaisy0088]

I am the parent of a 5 year old child. I could not imagine a parent letting their child sit on another persons wheelchair!!! Not only is this dangerous for my son. What if he did some damge to the wheelchair? I would feel so bad about that. I guess I am in the minority though. Some parents never cease to amaze me!

We actually go out of our way for those in wheelchairs. Especially since I am finding myself in need of an ECV for the trip coming up starting on Thursday. I must say that reading these stories makes me want to scream at the people that are so ignorant to others needs.

 

[Nanajo1]

We returned yesterday from a 10 day trip. I saw some remarkable ECV driving. The most appalling was a man driving an ECV, with a 5yo on his lap and smoking a small cigar!

 

[Talking Hands]

I had a retractable controller. I could move it back out of the way at a table which was nice. Well, on my last trip a person slammed into it and broke part of the arm. My DME just replaced it with a new arm but this one is not retractable. He also did a tune up and put everything at top speed on my program.
One nice thing is the controller is not flush with the end of the arm so a careless person will hit the arm prior to the controller. I'm putting a flasher light there as a warning but if they hit, oh well.

 

[ditzy]

I have a bright red scooter with a horn but still manage to be invisible to those few who are blind to all but their own needs. Many times I just stop and allow them to embarass themselves and their companions. It's interesting how others in the crowd notice and modify their own behavior.

 

[autumnblue]

Ever notice how whenever there is a near collision it is always our (wheelchair/scooter users) "fault" or that we should have a horn on that thing.

Autumn

 

[Talking Hands]

Yep! Strange isn't it. The person who stopped short in front of you is never at fault.

 

[tink2dw]

I was most annoyed, by the 2 boys age 8 or 9, that came running thru the New Years Day evening crowd, to jump across the front of the EVC I was driving, at Disneyland, the first one made it but the second one tangled with the basket,and yelled at me to watch out! From a distance I heard the Mother softly say, that wasn't nice. But the boys were too far away to hear her.

 

[Talking Hands]

I have gotten to the point when idiots cross in front of me like that then tell me to watch out, turn and tell them to do the same since they are the idiot. Of course that is if I hear them. Otherwise I just shrug my shoulders and sign DEAF