Question About Electric Wheelchair

[Samantha Becker]

My 14 yo brother has been in an elecetric wheelchair for the last 4 years due his muscular dystrophy. He can no longer stand even with leaning against someone. We must transfer him to be and toilet because of this.

This will be a very hard trip for him because he would go to Disney and love everything up till he was 10. Now it will be very sad for him not being able to go on most of rides. Hopefully there will be some that he can go on, we will have to transfer him. It is not easy though like picking up a 10 yo who ways diddly. He is 200 lbs of dead weight (unfortunately sterroids have made him gain a ton but it will take 2-3 adults to try and get him lifted to a manual wheel chair. Question is this. It will probably be easier if we can use a slide board to get him to manual wheelchair. Do the Disney wheelchairs have the arm that lifts up? This is the only way we could use one. (Also if anybody has had experience with this from Universal please let me know)

Where are the manual wheelchairs, in the ride itself or outside the ride? What do you do with your electric wheelchair in the meantime.

Are there rides that you can go right on with electric wheelchair? It is pretty wide. Heloves Pirates and Haunted mansion

 

[OneLittleSpark]

I think a good first stop for you would be the WDW official page on disabilities. If you click this link, it will take you to the pages on wheelchair access in rides. Scroll down a bit and you'll find the list of attractions which you can ride in your wheelchair, and which you have to transfer for. I believe that some of the rides that state ECV users must transfer, may allow his electric wheelchair in, depending on its size and ground clearance (some rides have fittings under the chair, which an electric wheelchair may not get over).

As you can see, all of the shows, and a number of the gentler rides, allow people to stay in their chairs. For those that do require a transfer, some transfers are easier than others. I'm afraid Pirates may be a difficult one, as it is quite a step down to get into the boat. The Mouse on Wheels has detailed information on each ride, and how easy it is to transfer to the ride cars. You might also want to look at the FAQ on this board for information on using Disney transport with a wheelchair, as well as many other things.

Hope this helps get you started. If you have any more questions, just post them up and we'll do what we can to answer them!

 

[SueM in MN]

There is a link to a thread in the disABILITIES FAQs thread that would be especially helpful to you. The link is in post 3 of that thread and it is a trip report by eternaldisneyfan's. She and her sister both use power wheelchairs and are in much the same situation as your brother. I think you will see from reading it that there are many things he will be able to do without leaving the wheelchair.

There are some rides where it says a transfer is needed from an ECV to a manual wheelchair. In many cases, you won't need to transfer from a power wheelchair, as long as it fits into the same space as a manual wheelchair.
For other attractions, everyone needs to transfer to a ride car. If you look at the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there is a link to the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities. That includes lists of attractions and which need a transfer.

Many of the rides that require a transfer are difficult transfers for us - and our DD is only 5 feet tall and about 90 pounds. Even with a sliding board and a manual chair with a removable arm, Pirates would probably be too difficult for him. This is a picture of the back row of the Pirates boat from Allearsnet.com

The side of the boat is about 5 inches above the level of the floor and the seat is one step down (it's about floor level after you step over the side of the boat). The getting out part is the same in reverse, so not easy.

There are a couple of "must transfer" attractions that are a fairly easy transfer - Soarin is one. Test Track may also be doable.

 

[BroganMc]

There are a couple of "must transfer" attractions that are a fairly easy transfer - Soarin is one. Test Track may also be doable.

Pirates is one that I do very rarely (like every few years when I bring a young strong guy with me who can lift). Same with Maelstrom.

Haunted Mansion has slide transfer vehicles (basically the same height seat as a chair with no obstructive lip on the vehicle.

Test Track has a separate loading area where you could manage a vertical transfer (feet first then slide forward over the vehicle edge and down to the seat). It's harder than Haunted Mansion but a lot easier than the traditional boat rides.

Aladdin can be ridden in a manual chair but Disney does not have flip-up armrests so you can't do a horizontal transfer. Every other ride that says they take manual wheelchairs can handle my powerchair. (I use a Quickie V-121 that weighs around 115 lbs. and has the same footprint of a manual. Well except for a couple small anti-tip wheels on the back and EZ-Lock bolt underneath. They can catch on some short ramps like Buzz. Midwheel-drive chairs will probably have more issues since the front and back casters go everywhere.)

There's a lot your brother will be able to do in Disney. The few that he can't are irksome but don't dwell on those.

 

[DisneyWheeler]

The "It's A Small World" boat ride can accept both power and manual wheelchairs in the wheelchair boat. I've never done the ride with a power chair, but my best friend has. She had a power chair like mine back when her and her family went. I don't know if her mom wants to travel with her Permobil power (her latest one) chair on an airplane now, because of the size of it.

I've done the ride with my manual wheelchair, even though I am able to transfer from my wheelchair down into the standard boat. It's pretty easy to do, as you just roll right onto the ride, turn and go down in between the seats, and park at these strips that hold the wheels in place. You'd still have to lock the brakes though (on a manual chair). With a power chair, it should be OK. I don't know if anyone has any pictures of the wheelchair boat at It's A Small World, but I imagine it might get posted on here.

Samantha

 

[SueM in MN]

This is your lucky day.
I have several hundred pictures of accessibility at WDW. I've just started sorting them to put them onto the website.
Haunted Mansion: the accessible doombuggy has a bit more cut out of the side so you can make a transfer without getting hung up on the side of the ride car. The wheelchair can be parked as close as needed to the ride doombuggy.

Test Track: You need to ask the CM to board at the alternate boarding area. The car will stop for you to board. The wheelchair can be pulled up as close as needed to board. There is also an optional grab bar they can attach into the car. You need to ask for it.

Aladdin: One carpet has a removable back seat. With the back seat removed and the ramp pulled out, it can accomodate a wheelchair. With the seat in, ambulatory guests can sit in it. There are parts that stick up from the floor, so some power wheelchairs don't fit.
Triceraptop Spin in AK is essentially the same car with different theming.

Buzz Lightyear: The ramp pulls down from the side of the wheelchair ride car for the wheelchair to pull on. The ramp is fairly steep because it is short.

Small World:The wheelchair pulls forward on the ramp, turns and pulls all the way to the front of the boat. There are two depressions there that help keep the wheels from rolling. (Lock the brakes too). The boat ride in Mexico has a very similar boat.

 

[Samantha Becker]

Wow thank you all so much. I'ts a small world looks pretty easy. I,m not sure about buzz lightyear, doesn't it spin? I don't know if he would be able to hold himself up.

 

[SueM in MN]

Wow thank you all so much. I'ts a small world looks pretty easy. I,m not sure about buzz lightyear, doesn't it spin? I don't know if he would be able to hold himself up.

Except for the very beginning, where it spins slowly a little, you are in control of the spinning.
There is a joystick in the center of the front 'panel' where the shooting guns are. You can use it to spin, to turn slowly so you can face the targets, or not use it at all.

 

[mrsksomeday]

Here is the accessible clam on the Finding Nemo Ride:

Here is the accessible ride vehicle on Figment:

The Jungle Cruise:

If he likes the Indiana Jones show ask if you can sit in the accessible section up front. It was fun and Bill got pics with the bad guy and the guy that plays Indy after the show. I don't know if they do that all the time, but they did the day we were there.

 

[scottsod]

they should all be as easy as figment you roll on nice and wide and not steep and then the whole car rotates inside so your facing fwd the easyest ride i ever put my son on plus its my wifes favorite!

 

[SueM in MN]

they should all be as easy as figment you roll on nice and wide and not steep and then the whole car rotates inside so your facing fwd the easyest ride i ever put my son on plus its my wifes favorite!

Figment is very easy.

When the wheelchair accessible car was brand new, the CMs were not quite sure how it worked. They put DD's wheelchair in, rotated her into place, but the wheelchair was facing the rear of the car!
In and out twice with the same results. It took 3 CMs to figure out what was wrong, but since that time, we've never had a problem with the ride.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

The Buzz Lightyear car isn't that hard to get into. It's a little steep, but we've probably all met steeper hills etc out in the 'real world (I know I have!). Also, it doesn't turn as quickly as the other cars when using the joystick (either that or it wasn't working properly when we went!!). It's quite a gentle movement and not too jerky. There was also some weird problem with it when we were there in September, where it turned you away from the big Evil Emperor Zurg (near the end, when they take your photo), instead of towards it. It was an easily fixed problem (just turn the car back the right way), it was just quite weird!

Oh, and I found a YouTube video of wheelchair boarding on the Jungle Cruise. I'll go look for it! BRB!

EDIT: Found it! Here's the video of ride loading for Jungle Cruise. It's actually the Disneyland one, but the loading systems are exactly the same.

 

[SueM in MN]

That video is a good find.
We've never had the little extra ramp on the ground that's shown in the video. They may only use that when the dock height is a bit more than just the small built in ramp can bridge.
They also have 2 sticks that they place under the wheels to keep the chair from rolling. The sticks are flat on one side, so they hold hold the wheels in place. I don't know if they use those with power wheelchairs, but they for sure do with manual wheelchairs.

 

[DisneyWheeler]

That's a cool video-I've never done the Jungle Cruise with my manual wheelchair, and didn't know they had a wheelchair boat. Because I can walk the short distance from the loading dock to the boat, I was able to climb right in with help from Dan and/or my godfather.I've used the wheelchair car for the Figment ride, besides "It's A Small World".

I remember from our last trip when some Cast Members saw me get out of my wheelchair at "It's A Small World" and Figment, they offered to bring the wheelchair car and boat for both rides, around. With the way I walk, I walk a little lopsided because of the way my scoliosis is. It looks like I'm limping badly. I guess they were worried about me falling, even though I had Dan, my mom, or my godfather with me. Dan and my godfather would be the ones hanging onto me, since they're both the big, tall (both of them are over 6ft.) guys of the family. I've also ridden in my wheelchair at Kilimanjaro Safaris, in one of their many accessible vehicles.

The ride is very bumpy, but it was neat looking at all of the animals.

Samantha

 

[eternaldisneyfan]

Hi! I have Muscular Dystrophy and use an electric wheelchair full time. There are three people in my family with Muscular Dystrophy. If you want full details you can read my trip report from last year (the links in my sig)

I have very little balance and have to be lifted and carried to transfer. I only transferred to one ride-Soarin'. Super easy transfer. You have about 6-8 feet in front of a row of seats at kitchen chair height and can pull right up to the seat. The best ride!! I haven't tried Tower of Terror but that transfer looks pretty easy and you can pull up close.

I think he would really enjoy the shows Lights, Motors, Action and Indiana Jones. If you stay after you can meet Indy. All the 3D shows are good, too. My brother (14 on his last trip) especially enjoyed these shows. Star Tours isn't that hard to transfer (Mom does) and there is a chest harness available. I was able to enjoy a nonmotion version (available in the evenings or less busy times). Generally the rides that are wheelchair accessible are the rides aimed at younger children. I still enjoy them. Exceptions would be Kilimanjaro Safaris, Backlot Tour, The Great Movie Ride, Living with the Land, and Jungle Cruise. That said, I enjoyed all the rides. It is important to remember that all the shows are accessible. Animal Kingdom and Disney Studios have the best shows. I know that many rides have special vehicles for transfers and options to try it out before you try to ride (Expedition Everest, Test Track). All the night shows are fantastic!

All the wheelchair accessible rides are marked on the map. ECV does NOT mean electric wheelchair. But there were three rides that we were told only accomodated manual chairs because of the loading and/or restraints- Ellen's Energy Adventure, Stitch's Great Escape, and Aladdin's Flying Carpets.

You can still have fun! Feel free to PM me.

 

[Talking Hands]

Interesting because I was allowed to do Stitch's Great Adventure in my PWC. It is no bigger than a standard wheelchair. In the past I have been allowed to ride Ellen in my PWC but backing down the ramp was darnright scary and I would not do it again. Since I can transfer I would request they allow me to remain in my PWC until the transfer. Most MWC are too large for me and I can't propel them because my arms are too short. Only time I was able to comfortable use a MWC was when we got one from my WC provider while my PWC was being repaired and we took it on our DCL cruise.

 

[SueM in MN]

Interesting because I was allowed to do Stitch's Great Adventure in my PWC. It is no bigger than a standard wheelchair. In the past I have been allowed to ride Ellen in my PWC but backing down the ramp was darnright scary and I would not do it again. Since I can transfer I would request they allow me to remain in my PWC until the transfer. Most MWC are too large for me and I can't propel them because my arms are too short. Only time I was able to comfortable use a MWC was when we got one from my WC provider while my PWC was being repaired and we took it on our DCL cruise.

I have heard of people in power wheelchairs being told they have to transfer for Stitch and others who were not asked to. I have a feeling that it has to do with the type of power wheelchair people have. If I remember right, eternaldisneyfan has an Invacare wheelchair, which is a rear wheel drive chair and is kind of big in the back. It may not have fit in Ellen, since there is not all that much space in the wheelchair spot.

My DD has the same problem as you with anything other than her own wheelchair. She's 5 feet tall and about 86 pounds. Her own wheelchairs have 14 inch wide seats, so she gets pretty uncomfortable in any of the 'usual' chairs, which are at least 16-18 inches wide.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

EternalDisneyFan, seems like you've gotten some wrong info? I've done SGE in my powerchair just last september, so that is doable. And if I might add; my powerchair is higher than standard and the 'thing' (by lack of better words) going over your head and in front of the chest to provide some of the extra gimmicks worked just fine.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Well, I should have been typing faster.

 

[Samantha Becker]

Hi! I have Muscular Dystrophy and use an electric wheelchair full time. There are three people in my family with Muscular Dystrophy. If you want full details you can read my trip report from last year (the links in my sig)

I have very little balance and have to be lifted and carried to transfer. I only transferred to one ride-Soarin'. Super easy transfer. You have about 6-8 feet in front of a row of seats at kitchen chair height and can pull right up to the seat. The best ride!! I haven't tried Tower of Terror but that transfer looks pretty easy and you can pull up close.

I think he would really enjoy the shows Lights, Motors, Action and Indiana Jones. If you stay after you can meet Indy. All the 3D shows are good, too. My brother (14 on his last trip) especially enjoyed these shows. Star Tours isn't that hard to transfer (Mom does) and there is a chest harness available. I was able to enjoy a nonmotion version (available in the evenings or less busy times). Generally the rides that are wheelchair accessible are the rides aimed at younger children. I still enjoy them. Exceptions would be Kilimanjaro Safaris, Backlot Tour, The Great Movie Ride, Living with the Land, and Jungle Cruise. That said, I enjoyed all the rides. It is important to remember that all the shows are accessible. Animal Kingdom and Disney Studios have the best shows. I know that many rides have special vehicles for transfers and options to try it out before you try to ride (Expedition Everest, Test Track). All the night shows are fantastic!

All the wheelchair accessible rides are marked on the map. ECV does NOT mean electric wheelchair. But there were three rides that we were told only accomodated manual chairs because of the loading and/or restraints- Ellen's Energy Adventure, Stitch's Great Escape, and Aladdin's Flying Carpets.

You can still have fun! Feel free to PM me.

Thanks so much for the info. What kind of MD do you have? My brother has Duchene. It is getting really hard this year for him to move his arms and hands he has to hold one up with the other. Because of this I don't think he will be able to grip rides that good unlesshe is pretty snug and no sliding will occur. Unfortunately he cannot pull himself up at all because of the lack of muscle. I think rides like Expedition he would love but at the same time if he felt he was sliding we would freak out. It is really hard to transfer him to so that ride is probably out. Did you go on Haunted mansion. We are hoping we could slide him since it is around same level as wheelchair.