Random Wheelchair Question

[Ms_Butterfly]

I don't use a wheelchair, but the other day I happened to be thinking of those sweet ones that can go up on two wheels to bring the person to almost walking height (and they can also go up stairs if somebody is strong enough and can go on grass/dirt paths and all) - I dunno how it can do that, but it is pretty cool. (Anybody here have one?! I'd love to hear more about it! It sounds like such a great idea, although it is too bad it can't go up stairs automatically - maybe that's a safety issue, though.)

Anyway, I know Disney doesn't allow two-wheeled vehicles, so the thought came to my mind, does that mean Disney would not allow somebody in this wheelchair to use it in the upright two-wheel mode? It would be a shame if somebody couldn't experience the parks at near-walking heights when their chair has that capability.

(Told you it was a random question!! )

 

[KPeveler]

i would imagine that they would have to allow it, as it is a wheelchair. there are many wheelchairs that raise up, but not necessarily on two wheels...

by the way, the wheelchair is called a iBot, i think

 

[BillSears]

They used to have an iBot on display at Innoventions. It was pretty cool looking.

What I'd love to see is for them to have an iBot added to the Segway tour. I really want to take a tour of the World Showcase but the only one offered is the Segway tour. Having an iBot for the tour would fix my problem.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I just did a quick search and the current MSRP is $26,100. And most insurance companies will not cover it.

 

[SueM in MN]

They are pretty cool.
Here's a link to the ibot website. It would be really difficult (if not impossible) to get insurance to pay for it. You would have to provide enough proof to show that the features of the chair is medically necessary and that there are no less expensive options that meet those medical needs. It's likely to get denied the first time and may take a number of appeals to get covered (and may still get denied).

I have seen one ibot wheelchair at WDW. It was on our last trip in April 2008. When it is in the 2 wheel balance mode, the speed is much lower from what I understand, which would make it safer on 2 wheels than, for example, a Segway. I've also seen video of it in balance mode that shows how stable it is.
The stairclimbing feature is really neat, but it requires some pretty specific things to climb stairs from what I've read. The person using it has to have pretty good upper body strength and there has to be a good railing on the stairway.

There are wheelchairs that do a good job on grass and dirt paths. My DD's power wheelchair can go over obstacles up to 3 inches. She's been on some very bumpy paths with it and it does fine (although last weekend on walk in the woods, she went off the path into the mud. It didn't do very well in that!).

 

[cmwade77]

Actually, there are some changes to the ADA guidelines that would force Disney (and others) to allow two wheeled devices, such as Segways and this. But they can put reasonable restrictions on them. (i.e. a speed limit)

If the changes do happen, then it would negate the lawsuit (which I think Disney would end up loosing, as they should) that would force them to allow segways.

 

[BroganMc]

They used to have an iBot on display at Innoventions. It was pretty cool looking.

What I'd love to see is for them to have an iBot added to the Segway tour. I really want to take a tour of the World Showcase but the only one offered is the Segway tour. Having an iBot for the tour would fix my problem.

I wonder if they allow you to bring your own wheels for that tour. After all, with sufficient power, a wheelchair can go pretty much anywhere a Segway can. Granted my pwc top speed is 4.5 mph (a Segway is 8 mph), but there are pwc that do go up to the 8 mph range. Either way, it's much faster than walking speed and much easier to drive FutreWorld without the slowpoke pedestrians.

BTW, the iBOT is the Ferrari of the wheelie world. Lots of bells and whistles and HUGE price tag. But the sad thing is most of the folks who actually need pwc's often can't afford them out of pocket and insurance always wants to go for the cheapest alternative. The stair thing looked cool at first but in truth it just isn't practical. One of the reasons folks go to pwc's over manuals is lack of upper body strength. For me, I'm way to chicken to trust it. Try getting someone to wheel you up or down a staircase in a manual to see what I mean. You feel like a sneeze will have you breaking your neck.

Now curb hopping and off-road terrain is something a lot of pwc's can do. Assuming you are brave enough to go out it full throttle. There's this sweet all-terrain pwc I'd love though. It is part dune buggy and can go beachcombing as well. Costs about $30k.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Yeah, I remember that it has a giant price tag. Still is pretty cool, though. Maybe someday the two-wheel feature will be available for cheaper.

Heh, I'd be too chicken to do even a curb in a regular powerchair!! LOL! It did always strike me as pretty dumb that a person needed upper body strength to do the stair thing, since many powerchair users don't have such strength. But, you can have somebody else direct the chair from behind it, if I recall correctly, so I guess that's how the feature could be used even with ppl with little strength.

I heard the Segway-user lawsuit got thrown out because the ppl suing Disney never had any intention of going to Disney.

 

[mom_2a_sept_princess]

I just did a quick search and the current MSRP is $26,100. And most insurance companies will not cover it.

My daughter is 4. Her wheelchair cost $21,995.

Here is a nice picture of her sitting in it with the princesses.

http://www.emmahopeworld.net/photos/Disney2008/pages/050P1260073.htm


and another good one of her and Donald Duck.

http://www.emmahopeworld.net/photos/Disney2008/pages/089DSCF0345.htm

 

[OneLittleSpark]

My daughter is 4. Her wheelchair cost $21,995.

Here is a nice picture of her sitting in it with the princesses.

http://www.emmahopeworld.net/photos/Disney2008/pages/050P1260073.htm


and another good one of her and Donald Duck.

http://www.emmahopeworld.net/photos/Disney2008/pages/089DSCF0345.htm

She's utterly adorable! Lovely photographs and a cool wheelchair

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

My daughter is 4. Her wheelchair cost $21,995.

Here is a nice picture of her sitting in it with the princesses.

http://www.emmahopeworld.net/photos/Disney2008/pages/050P1260073.htm


and another good one of her and Donald Duck.

http://www.emmahopeworld.net/photos/Disney2008/pages/089DSCF0345.htm

Your daughter is AMAZINGLY adorable!!!!!!!!! Wow, that's crazy that a child's wheelchair costs that much!!! Did your insurance pay for it/most of it? I hope so!

 

[SueM in MN]

Your daughter is AMAZINGLY adorable!!!!!!!!! Wow, that's crazy that a child's wheelchair costs that much!!! Did your insurance pay for it/most of it? I hope so!

Very cute!

it's really not that unusual for a child's power wheelchair. A lot of times the mechanics of it are the same as an adult wheelchair. Also, a lot of children have power lift so that the wheelchair can be down at 'child' level for things like school where all the kids are small and are sitting on those small children's seats/desks. But, when they go out to eat and need to be at a different height to sit at an 'adult height' table, the chair can be raised to that height. Those lifting mechanisms are expensive!
And, they don't sell that many power wheelchairs to children, so there is not volume to decrease the cost.

 

[dclfun]

Custom power wheelchairs are expensive. Mine was well over the cost listed for the Ibot. It has tilt, full recline, elevating leg rests and an elevating seat that allows me to "rise" 8 inches which sometimes makes all the difference in the world. It's nice to see manufacturers coming up with chairs that help us fit into the world we live in since often counter tops and shelves just can't be moved or adapted everywhere we live, work, shop, etc. As to the costs, most of us are covered by insurance of some type or even VR. When I worked as an O.T. we were always able to secure funding for children, however an adult has a harder time with funding unless they are working or a spouse has good insurance. The issue comes in though for all ages as to how to transport this kind of chair and a van with lift is normally required. No insurance company pays for vans however there is often assistance for the van adaptations if you have enough $$ to buy the van in the first place.---Kathy

 

[SueM in MN]

No insurance company pays for vans however there is often assistance for the van adaptations if you have enough $$ to buy the van in the first place.---Kathy

The assistance from the companies for van adaptations are certainly nice, but are only a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of adaptations. For our last van, we got a $1000 'rebate', but the cost of all the adaptations was well over $10,000.
At the same time we were waiting in the showroom, there was a many whose old van had completely died. Voc Rehab would pay for the adaptations, but he somehow had to come up with a new van. Because of his low income, he could not afford a new van.

And, then, there are the extra costs associated with having a new van. In our state, registration is based on the total worth of the vehicle (they call it a fee, but it's really a tax). So, that means, we pay registration for almost $15,000 worth of 'stuff' on our van that we would not have if DD didn't need it to transport her wheelchair.
And, insurance is based on worth too, so people with wheelchair adaptations to their vehicle get hit there too.

 

[dclfun]

Exactly Sue...If I can ever afford a new vehicle I will be paying insurance on it's value of 100K. In Florida, for those with developmental disabilities ( not me) who are accepted into that program, Medicaid Waiver pays for ALL the adaptations on a vehicle. VR pays for ALL of them as well, besides the 1K manufacturers rebate which doesn't help much at all for someone who needs extensive adaptations. The adaptive van manufacturers also give us a price which is fixed, unlike someone else who can negotiate. A friend of mine recently wanted to buy an adapted Toyota Sienna. The price tag was 35K. In her neighborhood though an "unadapted" Toyota Sienna was going for 20K. She couldn't get that price. It's really all a difficult challenge.---Kathy