Taking my mom (?)--need help!

[crazymomof4]

My mom is afraid she will ruin our WDW trip bc. she will "hold us back".
She has arthritis in her hip and walks with an extreme limp due to being born w/ one leg shorter than the other. She really cannot walk for more than about 100-150 ft. before she has to stop for a minute and allow her "hip to rest".
Emotionally, she really needs to get away. Before her hip got bad (11+ yrs ago) she loved WDW. The kids and I are really trying to talk her into coming with us this Sept. saying that it won't be a probelm renting a wheelchair. We have to rent a stroller for DD4 anyway. If I research this and let her know that I've got it all figured out, she may cave in an come with us. I could use ANY info on traveling with a disabled person.

Some specific questions I have are:

~How close are the handicapped parking spaces to the entrance of the parks? (she has a handicapped tag that we will be bringing with us) If they are not close enough, is there an area where we can drop her off and then go park the car?

~Are there any tips for renting wheelchairs? I thought I remembered hearing once that you can pay for several days in advance and then just show the attendant your pre-paid card and take your w/c without standing in the cashiers line. Is that true? What is the rental fee for wheelchairs?

~What about attractions w/ long lines? We are visiting in Sept so hopefully lines will be minimal. I worry though, bc. she cannot stand for long periods of time and I don't remember seeing places to sit down along the way into most rides. What do you do?

Thanks in advance for any help here!

 

[Talking Hands]

My mom is afraid she will ruin our WDW trip bc. she will "hold us back".
She has arthritis in her hip and walks with an extreme limp due to being born w/ one leg shorter than the other. She really cannot walk for more than about 100-150 ft. before she has to stop for a minute and allow her "hip to rest".
Emotionally, she really needs to get away. Before her hip got bad (11+ yrs ago) she loved WDW. The kids and I are really trying to talk her into coming with us this Sept. saying that it won't be a probelm renting a wheelchair. We have to rent a stroller for DD4 anyway. If I research this and let her know that I've got it all figured out, she may cave in an come with us. I could use ANY info on traveling with a disabled person.

Some specific questions I have are:

~How close are the handicapped parking spaces to the entrance of the parks? (she has a handicapped tag that we will be bringing with us) If they are not close enough, is there an area where we can drop her off and then go park the car?

~Are there any tips for renting wheelchairs? I thought I remembered hearing once that you can pay for several days in advance and then just show the attendant your pre-paid card and take your w/c without standing in the cashiers line. Is that true? What is the rental fee for wheelchairs?

~What about attractions w/ long lines? We are visiting in Sept so hopefully lines will be minimal. I worry though, bc. she cannot stand for long periods of time and I don't remember seeing places to sit down along the way into most rides. What do you do?

Thanks in advance for any help here!

I would suggest renting from offsite and not from Disney. Then when you park in handicapped she has here wheelchair. It can be some distance from the handicapped parking and the actual entrance to the park. They do have some wheelchairs to borrow but they aren't always there and you can only use them to the entrance and then you have to walk to the rental area.
Also consider renting an ECV from offsite especiall if you are staying at a Disney resort and can use the bus transporation. Much easier. I don't know how old your Mom is but I also have arthritis in my hip among other problems (knee also) I use a power wheelchair now. It is awesome. Pure independence.
ECV's and wheelchairs can go through most lines. A few she will need to transfer to a manual wheelchair. She will not need to stand to go through the line.
Tell her to get herself to Disney and enjoy herself. It is teh best therapy you can get!

 

[LisaBi]

There are both handicapped parking LOTS, nearer the park entrances, as well as handicapped parking SPOTS in 'normal' lots near the ends of rows where the trams pickup.

We have found that the handicapped LOTS can result in a much longer walk than using the "standard" lots with the spots at the ends of the rows. If the person has a wheelchair or ECV with them, the LOTS are best - you don't have to mess with the wheelchair on the trams, and a relatively short walk for able-bodied folks.

But if the person does NOT have a wheelchair or ECV with them, then the normal lots, using the handicapped spaces at the ends of the rows are best. The walk from the handicapped lots to the park gates would be very long for a person who is having difficulty walking.

LisaB

 

[crazymomof4]

handicapped parking SPOTS in 'normal' lots near the ends of rows where the trams pickup.


LisaB

This is great! I never knew about these. That would be perfect.

 

[kandeebunny]

I also say rent from offsite and use disney transportation if staying onsite!

There are long lines and no places to sit BUT if you get a GAC then you can use the handicapped enterance and stay in your wc/ecv until you get to the ride itself!

Good luck!

 

[crazymomof4]

There are long lines and no places to sit BUT if you get a GAC then you can use the handicapped enterance and stay in your wc/ecv until you get to the ride itself!

Good luck!

Can someone clarify this?

What is a "GAC"?

What is "the handicapped entrance"?

Sorry, this is new to me.

 

[jnrrt]

My experience doing Disney in a wheechair (I was injured, it was one time, so my experience will be much less than everyone else here) was that they made it incredibly easy.

If your mom is in a wheelchair, she will not need a GAC (guest assistance card) - it is for people with disabilities that cannot be readily seen by the CMs. Whenever the greeter saw us for any attraction, they told us what to do and where to go with the wheelchair. I was able to tranfer to rides, and so I was able to do everything - I cannot think of anything that wasn't accessible if you could transfer which should be the case for your mother.

This was six years ago so things might have changed, but I was really so impressed. I've always loved WDW, but the fact that they worked so hard to make it work well for everyone really left me with a very positive impression. And now that we're going back with my dad in a wheelchair, I'm not worried about him having too much trouble.

BTW, I do think that the resorts have free manual wheelchairs that you can borrow, and I'm fairly sure that you can keep them for the length of your stay and take them to the parks (someone correct me if that's wrong). They are not guaranteed, however, first come, first served.

 

[SueM in MN]

If your mom is in a wheelchair, she will not need a GAC (guest assistance card) - it is for people with disabilities that cannot be readily seen by the CMs. Whenever the greeter saw us for any attraction, they told us what to do and where to go with the wheelchair. I was able to tranfer to rides, and so I was able to do everything - I cannot think of anything that wasn't accessible if you could transfer which should be the case for your mother.

This was six years ago so things might have changed, but I was really so impressed.

It's still the same. if you have a wheelchair or ecv, you don't generally need a GAC (Guest Assistance Card). Those are mostly a "tool" to let the CM know what assistance/accomidation are needed for someone with invisible disabilities.

BTW, I do think that the resorts have free manual wheelchairs that you can borrow, and I'm fairly sure that you can keep them for the length of your stay and take them to the parks (someone correct me if that's wrong). They are not guaranteed, however, first come, first served.

you can find out more about those (and other ways to get wheelchairs) in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of this board.