Our "stroller as wheelchair" experience

[ecki]

We rented a Maclaren Major special needs stroller off-site from Discount Mobility. Boy, that thing was beat up! The footrest was hard to get off and it was hard to fold. And the 5 point chest straps were missing, it just had the standard crotch area belt, so Kayla could still fold herself over and stare at the spinning stroller wheels.

I don't know if it was just the fact that we went during Tropical Storm Fay and it was absolutely miserable out, but people (other Disney guests) were absolutely b*tchy when we used our stroller in attractions (while they had to leave theirs outside in the pouring rain) or used the alternate entrance. I have to admit I got so frustrated with overhearing people's nasty comments that I finally shouted "She has Down syndrome, autism, a heart defect and a vision impairment! Is that disabled enough or should I chop off her legs, too?!?!?!?" OK, so maybe all the rain was getting to me as well!

Plus it was really hard to manage a screaming, wiggling Kayla plus the folded up stroller, plus the footrest (which you have to take off to fold the stroller) plus the sunshade that we brought from home plus a 7 year old with PDD-NOS on the buses. Ugh.

I think next time, if it's possible, I'm going to rent an actual wheelchair that can also be tied down on the buses.

 

[KPeveler]

do you have a mclaren major at home? it sounds like if you dont you may need a stroller of your own to bring next time!

I'm so sorry you had problems with other guests at the parks... they should have been thanking whatever they believe in that their kids are healthy, not blaming you for getting to keep your stroller!

Hopefully your next disney vacation will be calmer (and drier!!)

 

[rach2674]

I hope you complained to the company you rented from. That's awful that it was in such bad shape. I would have had a fit. And good for you for saying something to all those people!

Rachel

 

[SueM in MN]

Sorry to hear you had such a trying time.
It's bad enough to be there in bad weather, but to have a bad stroller and nasty guests was just too much.

PS - thanks for giving the review of the stroller. I added the review to the disABILITIES FAQs thread about renting mobility devices. I'd be interested to hear if did complain to the company anf if you got any satisfaction from them. I can understand why you may not have done anything about it - dealing with the weather and everything.

 

[blondietink]

I have also lost my tongue when people cut in front of us when we are pushing our kids' wheelchairs and accidently hit them in the ankles. We have had many people swear at us to look out where we are going! The best one was 2 years ago when a family from NYC dogged us around MK for an entire day making rude comments and actually yelling at a CM about how they could not sit in handicapped parade seating even thogh their MIL had a hear problem. Mind you, their MIL was no where to be seen. Anyway, when leaving the park after the fireworks, they butt in front of us once again and they started to swear at us. I screamed at them that maybe they would like to trade their perfect children for my 2 disabled children for a week or so. I also told them I was ashamed that they were from the same state I live in and that they are how NYers get a bad name. They never said another word, even when we we met them the next day at Epcot and the next day at AK. Sometimes the only way to shut rude people up is to give them a taste of their own medicine.

 

[lucigo]

We rented a Maclaren Major special needs stroller off-site from Discount Mobility. Boy, that thing was beat up! The footrest was hard to get off and it was hard to fold. And the 5 point chest straps were missing, it just had the standard crotch area belt, so Kayla could still fold herself over and stare at the spinning stroller wheels.

I don't know if it was just the fact that we went during Tropical Storm Fay and it was absolutely miserable out, but people (other Disney guests) were absolutely b*tchy when we used our stroller in attractions (while they had to leave theirs outside in the pouring rain) or used the alternate entrance. I have to admit I got so frustrated with overhearing people's nasty comments that I finally shouted "She has Down syndrome, autism, a heart defect and a vision impairment! Is that disabled enough or should I chop off her legs, too?!?!?!?" OK, so maybe all the rain was getting to me as well!

Plus it was really hard to manage a screaming, wiggling Kayla plus the folded up stroller, plus the footrest (which you have to take off to fold the stroller) plus the sunshade that we brought from home plus a 7 year old with PDD-NOS on the buses. Ugh.

I think next time, if it's possible, I'm going to rent an actual wheelchair that can also be tied down on the buses.

((((((((Ecki)))))))))) Sorry people were so rude to you! Having just got one of those "control your child" groans from someone at Target yesterday its fresh in my mind. Good for you speaking up!! At least you are talking about "next time" so maybe it wasn't all bad?

 

[ORMom2Four]

That is awful about the condition of the stroller. I would contact the company to file a complaint.

People are rude to parents of disabled children, and I do not understand why. I can't count the number of times we have been sighed at and whispered about.

I wonder if part of the problem might have been that the Maclaren Major looks like a typical stroller. People might have thought that you were trying to "break the rules" by bringing a stroller through the line. I know that is absolutely NO excuse for their behavior, but I wonder if those same rude people would have kept their mouths shut if your DD had been in a wheelchair (although I did like your response to them )

 

[leanan]

I had a stroller as a wheelchair gac at Disney Quest this summer. I got a lot of dirty looks and snide comments since my son is normal and the stroller in question was your typical combi light weight. I was given the GAC because of my own issues with the joints in my arms. I have arthralgia (joint paint but no swelling) which makes it very hard for me to hold on to a 20 something lb frisky baby boy for an entire day. I had to go inside the store and up to an exit to talk to the managers for the attraction but they gave it to me because they agreed that based on my issues I needed it to make the experience of the attraction possible.

It amazes me that you get such grief when your daughter is clearly disabled. People are just nosy and mad that anyone should be treated differently than them.

 

[SueM in MN]

Some special needs strollers or pediatric wheelchairs do resemble 'regular' strollers. It doesn't even matter to some people when the child has a wheelchair that is obviously not a stroller - my DD's very first wheelchair had the 'traditional' wheelchair look with 2 huge wheels in the back, 2 small wheels on the front, plus foot straps to keep her feet in place. That didn't keep people from making comments when she was little though.
Some people are just plain rude.

 

[ireland_nicole]

I too feel your pain, and we have to use a "regular" stroller as well, so get all the comments (some from CM's) It's funny though, I always thought that we got all of the stupid, arrogant comments b/c my kids don't "look" disabled at first glance. It never occured to me that people would just be idiots anyway, but I really am sorry you had to go through that. I know you must have been so frustrated... Please inform the company you rented from about the unacceptable quality of the rental. I hope that other aspects of your trip were still magical.

 

[OKWMom]

Some special needs strollers or pediatric wheelchairs do resemble 'regular' strollers. It doesn't even matter to some people when the child has a wheelchair that is obviously not a stroller - my DD's very first wheelchair had the 'traditional' wheelchair look with 2 huge wheels in the back, 2 small wheels on the front, plus foot straps to keep her feet in place. That didn't keep people from making comments when she was little though.
Some people are just plain rude.

I think this sums it up best. I get those same looks/sighs/comments/stares/what-have-you but like another poster, I assumed it was because my DD doesn't look disabled. I try very hard to just ignore the idiots, and most days I can. But I have had my not-so-stellar moments like everyone else.

I am sorry for the condition of the rental and for your bad experience. I hope your vacation was way more good than bad.

 

[leanan]

Some special needs strollers or pediatric wheelchairs do resemble 'regular' strollers. It doesn't even matter to some people when the child has a wheelchair that is obviously not a stroller - my DD's very first wheelchair had the 'traditional' wheelchair look with 2 huge wheels in the back, 2 small wheels on the front, plus foot straps to keep her feet in place. That didn't keep people from making comments when she was little though.
Some people are just plain rude.

That is so awful. Of course my Dad says even people who can walk should not be judge by how they walk across a room. A lot of disabled people can handle walking short distances normally but anything over 50 feet and poof they are sick or falling over. What is this world coming to these days?

 

[ecki]

Thanks, I knew you guys would understand. I definitely want to go back to Disney World in a couple of years (but not during hurricane season ). I learned a lot from this trip, that's for sure. (Like if you are trying to follow TGM's advice, don't go with a party of 8 people who don't like to get up early )

I didn't complain to the rental company while we were there because we were just so busy trying to get things done between the downpours, and it was so chaotic when we were leaving since Amtrak cancelled our return AutoTrain and we had to DRIVE all the way back to New York! I'll definitely send them an email as soon as things settle down and the kids go back to school next week.

 

[GrumpyMom25]

Oh Ecki, I feel your pain. We were also there during Fay, traveling with 5 kids, one of which has DS, Autism, visual impairment (we missed out on the heart defect but have a host of other issues). I have to say that really stinks about the stroller you rented ... yup, I think a letter to the company that rented it to you is in order. Luckily for us we had just gotten (after over 3 years of fighting with insurance companies and them denying paying for it) a Convaid Cruiser for our son (who happens to be 9). This stroller is also bus transportable (he uses it to go back and forth to school). The nice thing about this stroller is that you don't have to remove the footrests to fold it (although you do have to remove the shade if you're using one). We were able to use the wheelchair lifts on the buses but of course got the dirty looks as people were standing in the pouring rain waiting to get on the bus as the driver locked Charlie in. We also got the dirty looks as our family got on the bus with him. Oh, and then there was the bus driver who got off his bus and told us if we wanted to get on he would have to move the people sitting in the handicapped area of the bus so we could wait for the bus that was about 5 minutes behind him.
Also won't be planning another Disney trip during hurricane season ... we usually go right after the kids get out of school in June but this year we were attending a wedding at Disney (which unbelievably did not get rained on!)

 

[blondietink]

We were also there during Fay. The only thing good I can say about it was that there were virtually no lines, no waiting. Andit wasn't so blistering hot that you couldn't breathe. This is the 1st time going the last 2 weeks of August since 1989 that we have actually had bad weather. So, I guess once aout of 19 years isn't too bad.

We always get a GAC for our kids and in some places they really checked our GAC and in others we offered to show it and they said it didn't matter. There were some great CM's that helped us and took their time talking to us. I think it was because the crowds were so low. The day we went to AK, we were told that there were only 11,000 people in the park that day which is very low for them.

The only bad experience we had was trying to get on the bus @ Studios to get back to the TTC and the bus driver refused to let us get in the back entrance to the bus. So, we had to fold up both wheelchairs and carry the kids and wheelchairs on the bus and then stand with them because there were no seats left and nobody offered to give up their seat for us! We should have waited for the next bus, but because it was raining, actually pouring, we didn't.

Hopefully when we go in October we will have better luck with the weather.

 

[SueM in MN]

Luckily for us we had just gotten (after over 3 years of fighting with insurance companies and them denying paying for it) a Convaid Cruiser for our son (who happens to be 9). This stroller is also bus transportable (he uses it to go back and forth to school)

Just wanted to point out that it's important to check whether or not you have a transport package for a special needs stroller that they plan to transport on the bus.
Some Convaid Cruisers are transport ready (i. e. they have places added for the tiedown straps to be attached and the frame is strengthened to be safe for transport).

Also, one thing we have done on DD's wheelchair is mark the safe tiedown points with bright colored tape. It's really easy to tell the driver to look for the hot pink tape (or whatever) and many drivers have commented on it

We also got the dirty looks as our family got on the bus with him. Oh, and then there was the bus driver who got off his bus and told us if we wanted to get on he would have to move the people sitting in the handicapped area of the bus so we could wait for the bus that was about 5 minutes behind him.

That is really disturbing. I can see it if there were too many people on that even with the people sitting in the 'wheelchair seats' you would not have room to get in and get in place, but it has to be pretty full for that.
Also, if there was a wheelchair waiting and the bus was too full to accommodate the wheelchair, he should have not allowed any other passengers to get on and told them they also had to wait for the next bus.
No only fair, but the law.

The only bad experience we had was trying to get on the bus @ Studios to get back to the TTC and the bus driver refused to let us get in the back entrance to the bus. So, we had to fold up both wheelchairs and carry the kids and wheelchairs on the bus and then stand with them because there were no seats left and nobody offered to give up their seat for us! We should have waited for the next bus, but because it was raining, actually pouring, we didn't.

Hopefully when we go in October we will have better luck with the weather.

That's also especially disturbing since someone posted on the Family Board that they were told the drivers were required to allow them to board at the back door with their large double stroller.
I'm curious if your wheelchairs are the type that look like strollers, so the driver may not have recognized them as wheelchairs, or if he was just being difficult

 

[GrumpyMom25]

Thanks for your post Sue ... yes, Charlie's stroller has bright red handles on the black frame for the bus hooks to hook onto. Charlie has the transit model of this stroller ...
http://www.convaid.com/productdetail.php?RID=15
Compared to the Kimba stroller Charlie had before (which cost a small fortune and weighed a ton) we love this one.

 

[LauraVV]

Some Convaid Cruisers are transport ready (i. e. they have places added for the tiedown straps to be attached and the frame is strengthened to be safe for transport).

Our Katie has a transport ready Convaid Cruiser. I REALLY like it. She's had it for five years and it's still in great shape. It has the look of an umbrella stroller on steroids. The footrests look like wheelchair footrests. It's very lightweight and you don't have to pull of the footrests to fold it up. Katie got a chair much larger than I'd have thought necessary but they cut back the seat and made it fit. I'm glad they did that 'cause it still fits her very well five years later. We had the extra support fabric and a net placed under neath it but, other than that we got just the basic transport ready chair. It's dark purple, her favorite color at age five. Katie can get in and out of it as needed. It's been perfect for our needs.

 

[Narnia]

I'm using a pegprego pk3 as a wheelchair for my DD who is 31/2 and hopefully don't get too many bad looks. She has fsh muscular distrophy(infentile type) which zaps all her energy when she walks and she also has to watch over doing it or she'll lose muscle really quick( she also has mild back issues). I can't stand rude people

 

[ireland_nicole]

Unfortunately, Disney hasn't found a way to weed out rude people and "idiots" at the entrance gates- sure wish they could, though. Our last trip, there were definitely times I would start to "get my Irish up"...but thankfully, DH would just look at me and say, "Babe, it's OUR vacation" and I would usually just turn around and ignore it. I say usually, b/c if you make a rude comment to me about my kids, or to them, I'm not gonna stay quiet . But honestly, most of our experiences were really positive-hey we're going again (and have already booked the next trip) so it must be o.k. I know it sounds really Pollyannaish, but do try to accentuate the positive- we try to laugh when possible, like when someone is obviously staring, just say to each other, wow- you must be looking exceptionally gorgeous today! The other thing is to take the time to really know the law, and Disney policy as much as possible- know how to move up the chain of command if necessary, know ADA, know the transportation supervisors phone number, etc... Not to be rude or cause a scene, but b/c sometimes people who seem rude just don't realize policy, and nicely explaining things may help. And if they really are THAT rude, you can always let their manager know (again, nicely)