Renting Large Stroller or Wheelchair

[Tink316]

I have an 8-year old with Down syndrome...we will be going to Disney this fall. Does anyone know if you can rent strollers and/or wheelchairs through Disney?

Although my son can walk, he has extremely low muscle tone which makes it difficult for him to walk or stand for extended periods of time. And, now that he's 8, carrying him around isn't an option.

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!
T.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to both DisBoards and disABILITIES!

I would suggest you get started by looking through the disABILTIES FAQs. Page 2 talks about equipment rentals and page 6 talks about the Guest Assistance Card.

You can get to the FAQ by either looking at the top of the index in this forum or clicking the link in my signature.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

The Disney strollers are fairly large and some have reported they can hold children up to about 12 (I think this may have been a double for one child, though I'm not sure). Of course, if your son is quite tall, or would be unhappy being seen in a stroller (though a lot of kids his age use them at WDW, whether they have a disability or not), you might want to look into a kids wheelchair.

The single strollers look like this:

And the doubles like this:

Also, as CheshireFigment said, check out posts 2 and 6 in the FAQ section.

 

[Schmeck]

If you rent from Disney, you can only use the stroller in the park it was rented in. So, if you need a stroller for the resort as well, better to rent from an offsite vendor.

 

[SueM in MN]

There are some off-site places that rent special needs strollers listed in the disABILITIES FAQs thread.
The special needs strollers you can rent are usually Maclaren Major strollers, which look like giant umbrella strollers.

If your child needs a stroller often for things like going shopping, etc. you might want to look into getting one of his own. If you can get an order from his doctor for it, insurance should pay for it.
Adaptivemall.com is a good place to look for ideas about what is available.

 

[flynnmnstr]

Actually I bought it from a fellow disboard member!! It was a life saver. Our older son is in the autistic spectrum and has mild low tone and sensory integration so the Maclaren was a lifesaver. Before we bought a used one we had planned on renting on. I think it about 60 a week and believe me totally worth it.

 

[Tink316]

Thanks for all your help and suggestions. I think I will definitely look into purchasing stroller of our own.

 

[LisaBi]

I would also suggest, if you go with a stroller instead of a wheelchair, that you get a GAC to allow you use the stroller in lines. My DS is 14 and also has Down's. The lines can be harder/longer than walking between the attractions. Standing in one spot is more tiring than walking even for me. When waiting for shows, you often end up just standing in one spot for quite a while. Of course, I guess an 8 year old could plop down on the floor - I can't do that or I wouldn't be able to get back up!

We went when DS was 6 and 7 and used an umbrella stroller (he was pretty small for his age back then). I'm sure he would have fit into a WDW stroller when he was 8, but our next trip he was 11, and I had to go with a wheelchair. He didn't/doesn't need it at home enough to warrant buying a special needs stroller.