Should I geat a DAS, a wheelchair or both? Or none?

[EmilieK]

I have fibromyalgia, Asperger and have trouble standing still in lines for more than five to ten min so acording to disney I should use a wheelchair but I really dont feel I need one. I also get clustrophobic with all the people so close to me for long periods of time. Have done Disney world a few times and Disneyland Paris a bunch of times and usually just wait outside on a bench or something while my freinds do the rides when I get exhausted. I hate standing out in a crowd and feel like if I have a wheelchair and it's apparent I can walk I will get dirty looks. Does that make sence? Just need some help figuring out what to do and gather my thoughts. Thanks

 

[gap2368]

I would go to GR and tell them your needs and what you have problems with. but I think with the fibro. you may need a wheel chair as even with a DAS there is a lot of walking.

also if you have a hard time standing in line for more then 5 to 10 minute most FP lines are longer then that.


I can tell you I use a DAS and really do not wait in any lines longer then 15 minute and when my friend goes with me she has to use a scooter ( she can walk fine in ever day life but Disney will do her in.

also do not worry about what people will think if you do use a wheel chair or an ECV ( wich you may want as the wheel chair are hard to push.) and you do not have to use the wheel chair/ ECV all the time. you can park it some where and then walk around.

as afiar as the DAS I am not sure you can ask go to GR and explain your needs

 

[nikkislaght]

I have FM and use a cane, and get exhausted by the end of the day,, it wont be too many more trips before I'm using a chair of some kind..
Don't worry about what people think of you.. if they have nothing else to do over their day than to fret about you, they have a small mind.

Use what ever means will get you through the parks in least tiring way..
I take lots of breaks.. hydrate and snack . and take my meds, that gets me through..

Hope you have a great trip.

 

[mamabunny]

@EmilieK, please don't worry about what others at WDW will think of you.

I don't say this to make you feel bad, but I promise - the HUGE majority of other people you see at WDW will be so self-absorbed in their own vacation that you won't even register on their radar. They are too busy posting to Instagram and Facebook to pay attention to where they are walking, let alone to single you out. You, with a wheelchair/ECV/walker at WDW are basically a non-event. There are simply too many other folks there who will be using similar or identical devices.

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I remember very vividly the first time I had to use an ECV at WDW. I thought I was going to die from sadness and humiliation and mortification. We were in the parks, and I had to call a vendor to bring out an ECV because I just couldn't walk anymore.

And then a funny thing happened.

I didn't die! (Look! You can tell, because I'm right here! LOL)

Over the years, I have learned something important: The people you are with - and the people around you - will take their cues from you. If you are upset and unhappy and scared and angry about using an ECV, they will be as well. If, on the other hand, you treat it as a non-event, they most likely will as well. So, get on that scooter and ride! Have a great time, and wave at everyone like the visiting Royalty you are!

Using an ECV is simply using the best possible available TOOL to get the most possible enjoyment from your vacation.

If you need glasses, do you refuse to wear them, going through life squinting at everyone and everything? Probably not.

If you need to use a calculator to do math, do you refuse to touch it, and instead resort to pencil and paper - or counting on toes and fingers? Probably not.

Both of those - glasses and calculators - are TOOLS that we use every day to make our lives more efficient. At WDW, many people use an ECV as a tool to improve both their stamina, and their enjoyment of the vacation, and to manage pain.

Every day, *thousands* of people pass through Walt Disney World, and lots of those folks use scooters (Disney World calls them "ECVs". I call my personal scooters "Angus" (because I named him after Princess Merida's horse!) and "Max" (because I named him after the palace horse in "Tangled") I have to use Angus or Max wherever I go because my legs don't work as advertised anymore.

There are many people who rent ECVs only at WDW - in their "regular" lives, they never need one or use one. If you are worried about other peoples perceptions of you, please don't be. The likelihood that you will EVER see any other guest from WDW again is so incredibly tiny that you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning AND winning the lottery in the same day.


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Just remember that a lot of the people you will see using personal mobility devices and aids at WDW have a "hidden disability". Anyone who judges them does so from a place of fear and ignorance. Using an ECV to maximize your vacation at WDW is no different than using a tool to accomplish a goal or task. Nothing more.

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Have a Magical trip!

 

[ez]

I would suggest getting both

 

[EmilieK]

I am so incredibly greatfull for all the helpfull advice and positive thoughts. You guys are making me feel so much better about my situation, thanks so much for sharing yours and reasuring me

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Believe me, no normal person will give you a second glance if you are in a wheelchair! Do what you need to do to have a good trip.

 

[Bete]

I went with a cousin with similar issues and we used scooters. She was able to do an 8 hour day most days. We left early and took advantage of EMH in the morning. We did fast pass. We really did not use or ask for DAS.

 

[Allison Joy]

Yep. I agree. I did Disney back in May for the first time ever. I've had some physical limitations since I was young, but I can walk. I can even walk long distances. But my pace by the end of the day is a snail's pace, at best. Basically I'll try to push myself and keep putting one foot in front of the other until I collapse and am walking about 2 feet per minute. lol And I do walk with an altered gait. Not quite a limp, but I think it is obvious I have limitations, even if I don't want to think it is. (I.E. I am almost ALWAYS offered a seat on buses when there aren't any left. Both at Disney and the rare times I take public transportation.) Basically, I had hip surgery at age 9 for hip dysplasia and then hip replacement at age 29. The people I was with were wanting to walk faster than I could (i.e. a "normal" person's pace) the last day at Magic Kingdom, and they asked if I would be willing to try a wheelchair. I did NOT want to for a few reasons... 1. I felt I was taking it from people who really needed it. But then I thought about it. The ones who really need it are probably not going to take a chance on ones being available at the park and will rent one themselves or have their own. And 2. I was also worried about people thinking I didn't need it. I decided to use one, even though I was crying on the inside a bit. I think I wanted to prove to myself that I didn't need it. But then something kind of special happened. There was a young girl who had a bright pink cast on her leg who was being wheeled around in a wheelchair. I am in my 30s, but I look young. She saw me and she gave me a HUGE smile and waved. I think I was probably one of the only younger people she saw using a wheelchair, and it made her feel better about it. Looking back, even though I still feel a bit bad about using the wheelchair (going back to the whole "but do I REALLY need it?" thing) I'm glad I did, because I'm pretty sure I would have collapsed in the airport going home the next day, had I not, and possibly missed my flight due to my slowness! Ha!

 

[Selket]

I agree with everyone saying that renting a wheelchair - or a scooter actually - is a great way to go. I have severe arthritis in both knees and at home I get around ok but at Disney I can't handle the long distances. Sometimes my knees have been really bad and I was in the ECV almost the whole time - and some trips I'm able to park it and walk around more. It's very easy to find out of the way places to park - go in a store or ride - and come back to it. I also was in a bad accident last year and had a traumatic brain injury which - let's just say - that the ECV is great for being able to get away from people and creating some space. I sometimes get a coffee and find an out of the way place to park the ECV and sit in it and just enjoy looking at the castle and the people and so on (without sitting in the thick of them - lol!). It does give you some buffer from others - but driving it in thick crowds is stressful for some. I typically go at the busiest times and I find that I've been fine with driving it in a crowd - just take your time. In that scenario it is slower than if you were walking.

No one is going to pay attention to you parking the ECV and walking - from experience I agree with that!

 

[anonymousegirl]

Usually I can walk the parks all day for a week without problems, but twice I have had to rent a ECV for the day from Disney (sudden asthma attacks which affected my breathing and stamina). The first time I felt a little self-conscious for about 10 minutes before I realized 2 things--firstly, nobody cared, and secondly, I should have worn a sweater as I got cold whizzing through EPCOT on a January evening.

 

[DisneyOma]

I have fibromyalgia, Asperger and have trouble standing still in lines for more than five to ten min so acording to disney I should use a wheelchair but I really dont feel I need one. I also get clustrophobic with all the people so close to me for long periods of time. Have done Disney world a few times and Disneyland Paris a bunch of times and usually just wait outside on a bench or something while my freinds do the rides when I get exhausted. I hate standing out in a crowd and feel like if I have a wheelchair and it's apparent I can walk I will get dirty looks. Does that make sence? Just need some help figuring out what to do and gather my thoughts. Thanks

As long as there is someone with you who can push the wheelchair for you, then that should help with your issue with standing. Most queues at WDW don't really have you standing still all that long - more like a slow shuffle forward, but it can add up to a lot of standing. Not sure how that would help with claustrophobia though - you'd be sitting at butt height, and I'd think that would be more claustrophobic?

Using FP+ and applying for a DAS might help - although I don't think they help at the shows, as the pre-show boarding areas can get pretty crowded, and DAS/FP+ doesn't always send you to a separate area.

 

[happymommy]

Don't worry about getting dirty looks! My DD has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and while she can totally walk at home, a Disney trip would just leave her exhausted and with aching joints. We use one there, and it makes for a much more enjoyable trip! No sense making her miserable! I don't mind pushing her at all! We also go at whatever pace we feel, and don't try to do everything!

We rented from the parks once, and then from offsite preferred vendors a couple of times. Last trip, I got one from Amazon for $150, and it was literally the same type as we had rented from Apple Scooters. It makes more sense to buy one and bring it, since it's cheaper than renting for 2 trips, and it's ours if she needs it other places. They let her preboard the airplane as well, and last trip we waited for well over an hour to get on Magical Express, so it was nice that she could be sitting and read her book while we waited. She would have ended up sitting on the ground otherwise! Yuck.

 

[EmilieK]

As long as there is someone with you who can push the wheelchair for you, then that should help with your issue with standing. Most queues at WDW don't really have you standing still all that long - more like a slow shuffle forward, but it can add up to a lot of standing. Not sure how that would help with claustrophobia though - you'd be sitting at butt height, and I'd think that would be more claustrophobic?

Using FP+ and applying for a DAS might help - although I don't think they help at the shows, as the pre-show boarding areas can get pretty crowded, and DAS/FP+ doesn't always send you to a separate area.

I will be traveling with my two best freinds and they are pretty used to the putting me in the middle to give me space routine. I dont really have claustrophobia, it just is the best way to explain how you feel when aspergers set inn full force when you feel crowded. And yes your right, the but hight thing might be worse than standing but I think I can take it for longer than I can manage to stand

 

[EmilieK]

Don't worry about getting dirty looks! My DD has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and while she can totally walk at home, a Disney trip would just leave her exhausted and with aching joints. We use one there, and it makes for a much more enjoyable trip! No sense making her miserable! I don't mind pushing her at all! We also go at whatever pace we feel, and don't try to do everything!

We rented from the parks once, and then from offsite preferred vendors a couple of times. Last trip, I got one from Amazon for $150, and it was literally the same type as we had rented from Apple Scooters. It makes more sense to buy one and bring it, since it's cheaper than renting for 2 trips, and it's ours if she needs it other places. They let her preboard the airplane as well, and last trip we waited for well over an hour to get on Magical Express, so it was nice that she could be sitting and read her book while we waited. She would have ended up sitting on the ground otherwise! Yuck.

Thank you so much for sharing, you are so right in taking things slow and not trying to do everything. This time I just wanna do moore than sit on a bench half the time or in a quick service place and feel like I'm holding my freinds back couse they usually end up sitting with me instead of doing rides.

I am planning on renting one from my local disability supply office, they rent out anything you need free of charge for up to three months (I'm Norwegian)