question about a GAC for ankle injury

[Coloradomom]

Hello. In January I suffered a serious ankle break, so much so that I am just now walking without assistance. We have a trip planned for October and shortly after my injury I posted here about possibly needing a handicap accessible room. I am pleased to say I do not need one now and have let the folks at SSR know that. Never thought I would make it this far.

My concern now is that I still do not (and will not by October if ever) have full range of motion in my ankle. I know I will be slower and have to stop from time to time, which I am fine with. I may end up using a wheelchair in the evening if we've had a long day. The biggest issue with my ankle is that it is not at neutral, meaning it does not bend as well as it should, So I experience extra pain on stairs and slopes.

I am wondering if a GAC would be appropriate for me to use at things like Splash, BTMRR, and other rides where the access is via stairs or steep slopes?I'd appreciate any thoughts. This will be our last trip before DD leaves for college and we'd like it to be extra special. (It will, but anything we can do to make things easier will help.) Thanks!

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

I can't speak to the GAC, but I do understand about the ankle(I broke mine in 1999, pins and plates to fix). At this point for you, you really should consider an ECV. Even in Oct. the heat and humidity will make you ankle swell and hurt if you walk on it too long. An ECV will make you more mobile and will allow you to use ramp entrances whenever possible. At the end of the day you will be glad you weren't walking on your ankle, after all WDW is more walking than most people think.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILTIES!

Normally the action taken by Guest Relations for people with mobility and/or stamina problems is to suggest rental of a wheelchair or WCV. We here tend to recommend that an ECV be rented from an off-site company so it is available to you at all times (some of the resorts have very long corridors or distances from bus or parking).

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. The top item is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information, including where people rent ECVs.

 

[SueM in MN]

I remember when you first posted about your ankle injury and am glad you came back to ask some more questions.

They used to have a GAC stamp that allowed the user to avoid stairs. EDITED TO ADDIt appears that it is not available any more. There are only a few attractions that have steps. Many of the attractions that don't have stairs do have fairly steep slopes - I can't remember off-hand how steep a slope can legally be for wheelchair access, but it's fairly steep. Some attractions (like Soarin', Honey I Shrunk the Kids and Backstage Tour for example) have a fairly steep ramp in their queue. And some of the attractions have a preshow area with a ramped floor so that people in the back can see (I think Honey I Shrunk the Kids preshow is like this). So, a GAC that allowed avoiding steps would not be all that helpful.

I do agree with the others about renting an ECV (or a wheelchair if you don't mind being pushed). I think it would make your trip much more pleasant because of all the walking involved in a WDW trip. If you are just now walking without assistance, you are probably not going to be up to walking 3-8 miles a day in October (just 4 months away) as well as doing as much standing as you would be doing moving around (not even counting standing in line). Even with going slow and frequent rests, that is quite a distance. If you had an ECV or wheelchair, you could use it as much or as little as you want. You could use it to get from one general area to another (when your family will probably be wanting to move quicker) and then park it once you get to the area and are ready to go on some rides.
One of the problems I know people have had with waiting to rent a wheelchair is that you may not know you have done too much until later - you may feel fine that day, but pay for it the next.

 

[Coloradomom]

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. This will be our 10th trip so I have an idea of the walking involved, but your replies made me think perhaps that I am thinking a little too ambitiously. I do have swelling and will for another year due to the severity of the break, and here in Colorado we do not get near as much humidity so I need to factor that in.

I do not really want to hassle with an ECV and would rather leave those for folks who really need them. I am lucky that I have two willing and able pushers (husband and DD) so we may go that route and get the length of stay wheelchair rate, that way if I need it we have it and if not, so much the better.
I truly appreciate the advice. This event, while not life threatening as some other things, has really changed our lives. Just as we are getting ready to send our youngest off to college (and spend more time at SSR!) this happened and now we will need to adjust for a while. You ideas make it seem doable...thank you!

 

[madenon]

Coloradomom, think of it in this way; it's better to relax a bit more than needed-needed by using an ecv, than doing a bit to much and having to deal with the results of that afterwards. In your case maybe even do harm to the result you've achieved so far??? Better you still have the energy and are not in to much pain to use your walking skills for things like restaurants, in your room and around the resort etc. when walking could give more benefits than walking around a big park. It would be a shame to make yourself do to much at the parks, and struggle or even unable to roam around the resort. Or if you're doing a buffet-diner/lunch, it would be so much easier to do that walking than with a wc or ecv, or be in much unneeded pain.

If you like the independence of an ecv, you also are one of those who really need them. You wont use it because your lazy or looking for perks, so that isn't even a discussion; you need it. If you're fine with the wc; great for you! But don't feel ashamed or "not intitle to" about using an ecv. Especially with renting off-site, you renting one ecv wont influence any other renters. There are enough ecv's to go round. An ecv can be great if you want to go do something on your own or with smaller children. (if you aren't used to wheeling a wc yourself it really is hard work for the arms and also a rental wc is allready heavier to move around, so your less mobile than you could be)

 

[taximomfor4]

OP, I see you already got some great input. Just wanted to chime in with our experience. I went to WDW with my mom, who needs knee replacement. She can't do stairs or big slopes. We talked to Guest Services, and they suggested a WC or ECV. We rented the ECV -- my mom cried while they showed her how to work it, but after that day, she was really glad she had rented it. She didn't have to take any pain pills to sleep that night, and was able to do the parks again the next day!