Son broke his foot

[ginaasbury]

Hello everybody,
Over the weekend my son broke his foot. He has a walking cast so he is able to walk some but the doctor advised us that walking or standing for a long time was a no no. We are staying at the Contemporary and wondered what we should do . Should we rent a wheelchair at the parks, hotel, etc? Can we ride most of the rides? (He can transfer). Any advise would be appreciated. This has made me so much more sensitive/aware/empathetic. Thanks in advance for the info.

 

[SueM in MN]

Sorry to hear about his injury. Even if he was not able to walk, there is still a lot to do. If he can transfer, with or without help, he will be able to ride almost everything that he meets the height requirments for.
The CMs won't prevent him from riding anything that he's tall enough to ride unless it would be hazardous - they put the warning on the maps and signs and, in most cases, it's up to you to decide whether or not to ride.

How old is he and how high does the cast come up?

If he's little, a wheelchair might not be that comfortable since they are sized for adults. For a child, the armrests might be up around mid-chest to neck and he might have to either sit forward in the chair and have no back support or sit way back and not be able to bend his knees because the seat is too long. Depending on his size and the cast, you may want to rent a smaller wheelchair for him from one of the off-site companies. (they are listed in the disABILITIES FAQs thread).
The hotels have wheelchairs to lend, but they are not guaranteed to have one or to have a specific size/type.
If you rent a wheelchair (or some people rent a stroller) at the parks, you still need to get from the resort to the park. The monorail station at the Contemporary is wheelchair accessible, but might be a long walk from your room. The monorail stations at MK and TTC have long, fairly steep ramps that might be hard for him to walk up and down in the cast. The station at Epcot does have a ramp, but it's less steep (which makes it longer). There is an elevator at the Epcot station (ask the CMs), but not at the other stations.

 

[ThunderSnow]

Ginaasbury,

Certainly listen to the doctor's advice. Last NOV I visited after surgery to repair a ruptured achilles. I was clear of the boot and thought I could do more than I really could. The pain in my foot from the walking/standing was severe. I was fairly miserable. I believe a wheelchair in the parks is a good idea. As for riding the rides, I was worried I wouldn't be able to brace myself on some of the thrill-type rides (Test Track, Big Thunder Mountain, etc.), but I didn't have a problem with that. So if you reduce the walking as the doctor said there is no reason your son shouldn't have a good time. Get Well Soon!

 

[ginaasbury]

My son is almost 8. We went to DW last year and he was really to big for the stroller, so we really feel like we need to get a wheelchair. So, all the rental wheelchairs at the park are adult size? I want him to be comfortable and I am afraid the adult would be just too large. His cast comes up to just below his knee.
Thanks for the reply

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Two things to do.

One is to call one of the off-site companies listed in the "disABILITIES! FAQ". Tell them the height and weight of your son and they would be able to provide a wheelchair that would be a proper size for him.

The other is to bring some "Sharpies" and have the characters autograph his cast. After the cast is removed he will have an interesting souvenier of the trip.

 

[ginaasbury]

Thanks, those are great tips. I called a local rental agency that has peditric wheelchairs and will rent for 50.00 per month. I think we will do that and take the wheelchair with us. Any more tips please let me know