stroller/wheelchair?

[Leah's Mom]

We are heading to Disney on Oct 20th for are third visit with the mouse! The last two years we have rented a double stroller for my dd who is autistic - I'm afraid this year she is just going to be to big (she's 12) - but i'm not sure she can handle all the walking, plus she needs "down" time to prevent her from becomming over stimulated. Do you know of any stollers ment for bigger kids?
Thanks! Susan

 

[SueM in MN]

I have been told that these companies rent special needs strollers:
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/
Phone (407) 856-2273 • Toll Free U.S and Canada (800) 741-2282

Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html
(800)747-0246

http://www.all-about-kids.com/main.htm

The strollers are sort of like large size umbrella strollers and are made for people up to 100 pounds. Care (and I think Colonial too) also rent pediatric wheelchairs. You can also see if your resort has a small size wheelchair they could loan you (although some people have not had very good luck with getting small size wheelchairs).
If you are staying at a WDW resort, you could also try calling WDW Resort Special Reservations:
(407) 939-7807
(407) 939-7670 [TTY]
They might know of a good resource.

 

[Leah's Mom]

Thanks! We are staying at the All-Star's so I'll call and see what they suggest!
Thanks!
Susan

 

[dclfun]

We had a foster son for whom we obtained a Pogon Buggy which was the official name of this item. It's considered a wheelchair but looks like a large stroller and was ordered by a physical therapist. It was very easy to push and fold up rather like an umbrella stroller and came with a seat insert that made it firmer and more comfortable. We only used it for long distances but it made a huge difference in our ability to do things he couldn't endure otherwise. If you want something permanent rather than renting, you might see if your insurance would cover one. It would be very easy to bring along on a plane, on the busses, etc. I recently saw a larger autistic child in one at the Little Mermaid show and it appeared to be very easy to handle and maneuver. ---Kathy

 

[Leah's Mom]

This is perfect!! I will be ordering on Monday!
Thanks! Susan

 

[SueM in MN]

I didn't think you would have enough time to order and get one before you went (we're still waiting for a wheelchair that was ordered in early August). But Kathy had a good idea.
Since you are thinking about ordering one, here are some other resources (so you can see what else is out there and in case you can't get one in time from one source):
CONVAID is a manufacturer of light weight wheelchairs and strollers. The company has been in existance for a long time and some of their products can even be tied down on buses.
http://www.convaid.com/docs/index.html

Baby Jogger is familiar to most people as a stroller company, but they also make large jogging strollers for special needs kids. Their jogging strollers come with a large front wheel and a set of small swivel wheels that can be easily switched.
http://www.babyjogger.com/p6.asp

Maclaren (familiar for high quality infant strollers) have made special needs strollers for at least 25 years - like Pogon, they call them buggies. They don't seel theirs on line, but if you do a search on google with "Maclaren +special +needs", you will find a number of places that have them. Here's one of the places (just picked one at random):
http://www.dmartstores.com/macmajspecne.html

Adaptive Mall sell special needs strollers:
http://www.adaptivemall.com
They carry Pogon, Maclaren. This page should give you the directory page to their adaptive strollers:
http://www.adaptivemall.com/allstrolpus.html