Question about TSM and disability...

[Melissa<3Disney]

Hi all!! My sister has hydrocephalus and doesn't walk or talk. She is a firey girl though and she loves the rides! She loves the slower rides where my mom or one of us can hold her. We've been to WDW with her a while back and i'm pretty familiar with most of those rides. My question is, we have yet to ride TSM! I was wondering if that is a ride that we can strap her wheelchair in or can we hold her next to us?! She used to love the spins, but has been very sick lately and i'm not sure spinning would be good for her. Is there a lot of spinning in the ride?! She doesn't really understand the shooting concept or anything but she loves the movement and colors! Thanks for your help!!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Two parts to this.

One is there are two special wheelchair cars where the chair goes right in where a seat would be and has its own cannon. This is room for one person with a cannon next to the chair.

There is not much spinning, it is more the body of the car turning to change dirdction to face a new set of targets.

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

Two parts to this.

One is there are two special wheelchair cars where the chair goes right in where a seat would be and has its own cannon. This is room for one person with a cannon next to the chair.

There is not much spinning, it is more the body of the car turning to change dirdction to face a new set of targets.

Thank you so much!! That was just what I wanted to know! I think she will be fine with that!!

 

[SueM in MN]

Toy Story Mania is one of my DD's new favorites.
Here's a link to a page from another part of the DIS site about TSM.

I have many pictures of the accessible ride car, but no time to post them tonight. Here's a picture from allearsnet.com of the accessible car.
This thread from the disABILITIES Board also has some good pictures and a link to a youtube video. The first part is a little confusing because it is discussing rumors about the ride before it opened. The last few pages have pictures and video links.

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

Thank you so much SueM! That was more info than I could ever have imagined!! Now I know what to expect and can make it a little easier on my sister!! She has been pretty sick for the last year...but she is slowly getting better. I'm sure she will be back to her old self..laughing and yelling...in no time!!! She loves Disney so much!! Thanks for all your help!!

 

[waltfan1957]

Thank you so much SueM! That was more info than I could ever have imagined!! Now I know what to expect and can make it a little easier on my sister!! She has been pretty sick for the last year...but she is slowly getting better. I'm sure she will be back to her old self..laughing and yelling...in no time!!! She loves Disney so much!! Thanks for all your help!!

what a great sister, your sister has

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

what a great sister, your sister has

Thank you!! I'm blessed to have all my siblings...four sisters and a brother!!

 

[WLodgeLizard]

The cars don't completely spin around, but they do whip around the corners pretty fast! The sounds and images are great, but she will also probably enjoy the "4-D" items like the rockets whooshing over her head and the water misting at select times (not too much water)

 

[maroo]

The cars don't completely spin around, but they do whip around the corners pretty fast! The sounds and images are great, but she will also probably enjoy the "4-D" items like the rockets whooshing over her head and the water misting at select times (not too much water)

I was just thinking the same thing.

We actually decided Lauren should not ride it because it was so jerky, etc.

The CM's let us ride it first to see if Lauren could ride it. We opted no for her...but I bet the CM would let you "child" swap or something so you can ride it first.

You can also sort of see the cars whipping around as you watch them load and unload.

 

[christymarie]

I have to agree with the warnings about the tossing around. I did not anticipate how jerky it was and how much is whipped us around. I think you would do fine with her next to you but ride it once that way before putting her on with the chair.

Just my opinion

 

[dclfun]

I watched the cars whipping around and decided I would be unable to enjoy this attraction. It's a VERY fast whipping motion that could easily cause someone who has poor trunk or neck control to be injured. There was no way I was taking a chance on ripping a neck muscle. If I were you, I'd take the suggestion to have part of your party ride first to see if you think your sister would enjoy it, or if the motion would be too much for her to tolerate.---Kathy

 

[MarieS]

Both of my sons have hydrocephalus. They need to stay in their wheelchairs to ride so we used the accessible car. My youngest son went on TSM with me. He liked the fast pace, however it was rather jerky. It might be hard on someone who has trouble with neck or trunk control. After riding it I knew my oldest would not be able to ride it due to the jerky movements.

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

Thank you all so much for the info!! I will def. let my parents know about the child swap idea! We do that for other rides that she can't ride. But I like the idea of riding it first to see if she will be able to handle it!!

Both of my sons have hydrocephalus. They need to stay in their wheelchairs to ride so we used the accessible car. My youngest son went on TSM with me. He liked the fast pace, however it was rather jerky. It might be hard on someone who has trouble with neck or trunk control. After riding it I knew my oldest would not be able to ride it due to the jerky movements.

That is good to know! My sister has a pretty severe form of hydrocephalus, she can move her head slightly, but can't do things like sit up on her own, stretch out her arms, walk, talk, etc. She is 27 now and has been pretty sick over the past year(but is feeling better now..Thank goodness!!) and as she gets older she gets a little stiffer. Last year we took her on the Cat in The Hat at Universal and that spins so much!! She did not like that ride one bit!! She was in her wheelchair for that one! So if TSM is anything like that she may have to skip it!! I wonder if we hold her next to us if that would make a difference...that would mean no shooting for whoever is holding her.. but that isn't a big deal.. it's not like the ride is going anywhere!! haha

 

[MarieS]

That's funny about the Cat in the Hat ride! We had the same experience. People told us it was just like the pooh ride so I took ds1. It was awful! He was upset and couldn't wait to get off. Ds2 loved it however.

You may want to have someone ride TSM first and see if you think your sister would be comfortable. My oldest is pretty secure in his wheelchair with the chest harness and such. But I was worried about it jerking his neck/head so much since he has problems with head control and I knew he wouldn't like the car whipping around.

On another note, ds1 is 17 now and his muscle tone has definitely changed as he has gotten older. Both of my sons have a rare genetic form of hydro which caused the CP, non-verbal, can't walk, etc.

Be sure to post a trip report when you get back!

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

That's funny about the Cat in the Hat ride! We had the same experience. People told us it was just like the pooh ride so I took ds1. It was awful! He was upset and couldn't wait to get off. Ds2 loved it however.

You may want to have someone ride TSM first and see if you think your sister would be comfortable. My oldest is pretty secure in his wheelchair with the chest harness and such. But I was worried about it jerking his neck/head so much since he has problems with head control and I knew he wouldn't like the car whipping around.

On another note, ds1 is 17 now and his muscle tone has definitely changed as he has gotten older. Both of my sons have a rare genetic form of hydro which caused the CP, non-verbal, can't walk, etc.

Be sure to post a trip report when you get back!

That sounds exactly like the type my sister has! They have been saying for years that she has CP, but have never actually confirmed it. She got pretty sick in the beginning of the year and has been in and out of the hospital all year. She is already pretty tiny and has been losing so much weight. They finally confirmed the CP and said that her body is using so much energy because the CP is causing her muscles to stiffen. They put in a feeding tube a couple of weeks ago and it is working wonders!! She already is getting back to her old self!! Thank goodness!! She should have it out in a couple of weeks!! It's so good to hear that other kids like my sister have such wonderful families!! Thanks so much for all your advice!! It has been very helpful!! And I will def. post a trip report!! Unfortunately, we aren't going for another six months...so it will be a while!! haha!!

 

[maroo]

That sounds exactly like the type my sister has! They have been saying for years that she has CP, but have never actually confirmed it. She got pretty sick in the beginning of the year and has been in and out of the hospital all year. She is already pretty tiny and has been losing so much weight. They finally confirmed the CP and said that her body is using so much energy because the CP is causing her muscles to stiffen. They put in a feeding tube a couple of weeks ago and it is working wonders!! She already is getting back to her old self!! Thank goodness!! She should have it out in a couple of weeks!! It's so good to hear that other kids like my sister have such wonderful families!! Thanks so much for all your advice!! It has been very helpful!! And I will def. post a trip report!! Unfortunately, we aren't going for another six months...so it will be a while!! haha!!

I hope you guys have a simply magical time! Sounds like you have had a hard year and this is just what you need!

Disney is such a wonderful place!

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

I hope you guys have a simply magical time! Sounds like you have had a hard year and this is just what you need!

Disney is such a wonderful place!

Thank you so much!!

 

[SueM in MN]

Given that she is an adult, I think it would be hard for you to get her into the ride car and also sort of tight for 3 adults to sit. The seats are also plastic and may be slippery.
I think the best option would be to send one of your party to ride, as was already suggested and give an opinion on whether your sister could handle it or not. If you decide she can, having seen the video links and someone having ridden it can also help you to prepare for the motion - it isn't random; it happens as you leave each game and they do a count down.
My personal opinion is that it's probably better to do as many rides as possible in the wheelchair. That gives the most security and the most support. (And it's much easier getting in and out, plus you don't have to worry about dropping her).