Questions re: mother in wheelchair

[dcwesley]

I have been to WDW once 6 years ago with my three kids. My parents have never been. They are going for their first time in late February. I will be there at the sam time, but on business. I will be able to meet them at the end of the day. My mother has a variety of heart, resritory, back, and hip problems which have combined to convince her that a wheel chair is a necessity for activities such as shopping at the mall. While she can walk short distances she could never undertake Disney for even an hour without a wheelchair. At my urging my parents have recently secured a handicap tag for their cars.

Also, she is a bit unsteady since her stroke and often need help standing and sitting - both of which she is a tad slow at.

My parents are campers and will be staying at Fort Wilderness in their motor home. They will also have their car with them. We have asked to borrow a wheelchair from Disney which is "likely", but not guarenteed.

I have read the Disney Guide for the Disabled, but am left with some questions.

1) Will the wheelchair my parents borrow fold-up?

2) What is the best way for my parents to get from Fort Wilderness to Epcot (keeping in mind that it will be up to my father -who is a healthy 78 -to get my mother transported)? Should they drive and park in a handicap spot? I worry ifl the wheelchair will fit in their car- a small four-door sedan, and if navigating the Disney roads will be confusing. Or should they take the bus system - meaning, I think, that they will have to first use the Ft. Wilderness internal bus system, then the bus to Epcot. My father will have to help my mother up and down the stairs, then get the wheelchair on and off the bus. Hopefully all without being exhausted before they even start touring Epcot.

They will aso spend a day at Magic Kingdom and another at Animal Kingdom, but I will be with them those days to help navigate.

3) I am assuming my mother will stay in her wheelchair for those attractions which accept wheelchairs easily and we will park the wheelchair for others which are not wheelchair friendly. However, I am concerned about my mother entering or exiting rides which move during loading or in some other way require the guest to be "steady". Which attractions are these, and any hints?

Thanks so much for your help. I am hoping to make this a magical trip for them

Debbie

 

[Talking Hands]

Originally posted by dcwesley
My mother has a variety of heart, resritory, back, and hip problems which have combined to convince her that a wheel chair is a necessity for activities such as shopping at the mall. While she can walk short distances she could never undertake Disney for even an hour without a wheelchair. At my urging my parents have recently secured a handicap tag for their cars.

Also, she is a bit unsteady since her stroke and often need help standing and sitting - both of which she is a tad slow at.

My parents are campers and will be staying at Fort Wilderness in their motor home. They will also have their car with them. We have asked to borrow a wheelchair from Disney which is "likely", but not guarenteed.

rent a wheelchair from offsite or an ECV if she can handle it. That way you are guaranteed to have it.

I have read the Disney Guide for the Disabled, but am left with some questions.

1) Will the wheelchair my parents borrow fold-up?
It can be but is not easy

2) What is the best way for my parents to get from Fort Wilderness to Epcot (keeping in mind that it will be up to my father -who is a healthy 78 -to get my mother transported)? Should they drive and park in a handicap spot? I worry ifl the wheelchair will fit in their car- a small four-door sedan, and if navigating the Disney roads will be confusing. Or should they take the bus system - meaning, I think, that they will have to first use the Ft. Wilderness internal bus system, then the bus to Epcot. My father will have to help my mother up and down the stairs, then get the wheelchair on and off the bus. Hopefully all without being exhausted before they even start touring Epcot.

They will aso spend a day at Magic Kingdom and another at Animal Kingdom, but I will be with them those days to help navigate.
Take the bus. Your mother will not need to get out of the wheelchair. She will be put on the bus via a lift and the wheelchair will be secured for the ride plus your Mom will have a seat belt.

3) I am assuming my mother will stay in her wheelchair for those attractions which accept wheelchairs easily and we will park the wheelchair for others which are not wheelchair friendly. However, I am concerned about my mother entering or exiting rides which move during loading or in some other way require the guest to be "steady". Which attractions are these, and any hints?
You will have to decide which rides she can get on and off. All but Peter Pan can be stopped for her to get on and off. Moving walkways can also be stopped. Just tell the castmember that she cannot handle the moving walk way. Pirates of the Caribbean has a moving walkway at the end. What few know is there is an elevator for wheelchairs and those who are unsteady on their feet. I used it a few weeks ago although I was walking so aaaas not to risk falling and rebreaking my leg. Not that steady myself yet.
Always state clearly what your Mom can and cannot do. Do not allow any castmember to convince you that she can do more that you think safe.
Have a really great trip

 

[Piper]

You may want to rent an ecv for her. It will give her a lot more freedom. If you get to the parks early, you can get one there, but your best bet is to rent from an outside company.

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES.
You already got some good advice, so I'll mostly just say that I agree with it.
Almost all the buses are equipped with wheelchair lefts or ramps and tie downs to handle wheelchairs. At the bus stop, your parents should position themselves so that they are about where the back door of the bus will be when it stops (the lift is at the back door). That way they will be visible to the bus driver. When the bus comes by that they want, they should wave, nod or otherwise get the drivers attention. She will be loaded with the wheelchair, the wheelchair is attached with tiedown straps to thebus and she will have a seat belt. She can chhose to get out of the wheelchair and sit in a bus seat if she wants instead, but she will be quite safe in the wheelchair.
If they borrow a wheelchair from WDW resorts, you are right that it is not guaranteed. Some posters have been very pleased with the wheelchair they were able to borrow and others found that the one available was extra wide when they needed a regular size one (or vise versa). If you rent from one of the outside companies, you will have a wheelchair of a certain type guaranteed. An ecv is nice and would free your dad from pushing. I'm not sure what you would do with it since they are camping, but another poster might know.
Here's a link to the DIS page about touring with a mobility disability. It includes a list of the rides where she can stay in the wheelchair/ecv for the whole wait in line and ride. You can bring a folding wheelchair into any waiting line; some lines can't accomidate a power wheelchair or ecv, but they have wheelchairs available to lend for your wait in line.
Here's a link to a thread about handicapped parking VS the bus.
And here's a link to a thread about people who have unsteadiness or difficulty boarding rides. Just note that the original poster in that thread was asking about someone who would NOT have a wheelchair or ecv. If she has either of those, she doesn't need the Guest Assitance Card mentioned in that thread. The wheelchair or ecv will allow her to use the wheelchair entrances.