Please help- I am so confused!!

[AAmom]

I tried to read all rules about GAC and ECV....but I just ended up with more questions than answers. If I explain my situation, I am hoping some knowledgeable people on this board will help me.

Going to Disney Nov 9- 14. My mom lives in Florida and is going to come stay at our hotel for a few days. She wants to come into the park with me and the kids for two of the days. She looks as if she has no issues, but has major back problems. Not just a sore back- she has had physical therapy multiple times, various injections, tried lots of medications, has a handicap parking permit, had back surgery, and even had a pain pump installed. The pain pump has morphine in it and has helped lower her pain level. However, she still has lots of pain if she stands too long or walks too far. She can walk, but if its much distance at all, she uses an ECV or sometimes has someone push her in a wheelchair. On this trip she will have to use an ECV because I have three stroller sized kids and wont have enough arms to push her and the kids.

I'm concerned that if the ECV doesn't fit in the lines, she wont be able to ride anything with us. For example, a ride like "Its a Small World"- even if there isn't a single person waiting in line, she cannot walk the distance from the entrance to where you get on without pain. I have heard that some rides have other entrances for folks in ECV to use and they bring them right up to where you get on the ride. My concern with this, is people assuming that she is just too heavy or lazy, and that's why she is using the ECV. I don't want her to be embarrassed. But I obviously see how it would look odd to people seeing that she's using an ECV but can stand up and can get herself into the ride seats.

I'm not trying to take advantage but I want my mom to be able to ride things with us. Obviously she can't do roller coasters because that rough motion could hurt her back a lot. I'm thinking about rides like small world, peter pan, little mermaid, ect.

So how should we handle this? Any advice or guidance would be so helpful.

Thanks in advance.

 

[SueM in MN]

Just time for a short answer.
Small World has a separate entrance for those with mobility devices, like ECVs. For those, she would either be directed right into the accessible entrance with their mobility device or be given a ticket with a return time to come back and get into that line.

Those attractions are marked on the park maps and actually most attractions are ECV accessible.

 

[disney world dreamer]

well disney no longer has GAC.
they now have DAS which is very different.
but she doesn't need DAS.
just have her use the ECV.
most lines and a number of ride vehicles can accommodate it.
for lines that don't you guys will be directed to an entry point that does accommodate it.
if that means the exit then thats where you go.
there are attractions that you must be able to get out of your ECV to get on the ride so people do it all the time.
who cares what others think????????

 

[ttintagel]

LOTS of people use ECV's at WDW who don't have to use them all the time in their everyday lives. A day in the parks is nothing like a day in the outside world! If she's anything like me, once she's been in there for an hour, she'll be having so much fun and be looking at all the amazing things around her she won't have time to worry about what anyone else is thinking!

Most of the queues are accessible. For some of those that aren't, you can transfer into a manual wheelchair that the park provides. The nice thing is, there's a Cast Member stationed outside the attractions to tell you how each one is handled. He/she will ask you if you can transfer out of the ECV, how many steps you can walk, etc., and then tell you what to do.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

there are a few rides that you have to change from ECV to wheelchair, which is supplied at the ride. just be prepared that this could happen

 

[tobikaye]

When you get to the park, you can get a guidemap for mobility disabilities. Sometimes they are with the other guidemaps after entering, other times you need to go to guest services. These help you know where to go or how to proceed at each attraction. Sometimes things will be a bit different, but the CM at the entrance can direct you then.

 

[Bete]

I think I would be more concerned about her ability to get in and out of certain rides. Boat rides could be trouble. Many rides don't have rails to grab to help get in and out. You may have to be her extra arm to get in and out of some rides.

Using a scooter on the bus lines can be hard if you haven't done it before. You have to position the scooter in an exact spot and then the driver will tie them down. You may have to help, here.

Try to enjoy more shows on this trip. She can take a scooter right into the show and stay in it. She will use the handicap lines for this process.

She's with you only for a couple of days; so, just try to do the easier stuff with her.

I'm not sure, but morphine may make her tired and she may need a nap.