tips for those in powerchairs

[LizL]

DH and I spend 2/9-2/15 at WDW and had a blast. We rented a powerchair from Care Medical because his new Jazzy was not delivered to our house on time.

Care Medical was great. The chair arrived 5 minutes after we did. The batteries died on teh first day. They were at our hotel room to replace them within 30 minutes of our call. We were staying at AKL and the valet staff was on the lookout for them.

DH had never used a powerchair before. He was concerned about being able to manuver onto the buses. He had no problems and all of the buses were equipped with ramps. The bus drivers were great (with the exception of one).

He was able to transfer to a manual chair when required, so no rides were off-limits to him. The CM's watched out for us and cheerfully slowed/stopped rides when necessary for him to board. Tip: Talk to the first CM you see at the ride. When they ask you if you can walk 10-20 feet, know that they really mean anywhere from 10-300 feet. Ask specifically what they mean. Dh said yes and the walk was over 300 feet and it turned out if he had said no, there was a second disabled entrance that would have made his walk about 5 feet.

I posted several restaurant reviews on the dining board regarding accesibility in the restaurants. It was hit or miss - depending on the hostess. There were accessible tables at all of the restaurants. Tip: Be very specific about your needs when checking in with the hostess.

We had a wonderful time. Due to all of his medical needs, we decided that this was a perfect place to vacation each year - so we bought a DVC membership!

Any questions, please post.

 

[Talking Hands]

Originally posted by LizL
He was able to transfer to a manual chair when required, so no rides were off-limits to him. The CM's watched out for us and cheerfully slowed/stopped rides when necessary for him to board. Tip: Talk to the first CM you see at the ride. When they ask you if you can walk 10-20 feet, know that they really mean anywhere from 10-300 feet. Ask specifically what they mean. Dh said yes and the walk was over 300 feet and it turned out if he had said no, there was a second disabled entrance that would have made his walk about 5 feet.

There is no need to transfer to a manual wheelchair on any ride except for Pirates of the Caribbean and I believe Space Mountain. A power chair can go through the lines the same as a manual wheelchair. The problem is some CM view a power chair as an ECV and treat it as such. I have a GAC that states I may remain in my power chair for lines and am allowed to except for those 2 cases

 

[LizL]

I wondered about that transfer thing. I thought he should be able to take his chair all the way up to boarding, and he did in most cases. But for Winnie the Pooh, Body Wars and the Star wars ride in particular (there may have been others) the CM's insisted that he transfer to a manual chair to go through the lines. I asked for the GAC to state he could stay int eh chair since it is no bigger than a manual chair, but they told me it would be no problem since it was clearly the same size. I didn't get upset about it since I was used to pushing him in a manual chair, but in November I will insist on it. Thanks for the confirmation!

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's a link to the DIS page about touring with mobility disabilities. It includes a list of rides/attractions where you can stay in a wheelchair or ecv for the whole wait/experience.
We have not brought DD's power wheelchair to WDW yet, so I don't have power wheelchair experience at WDW. But I work in a Rehab hospital and have seen a lot of wheelchairs. The Jazzy wheelchairs look very much like a scooter (ECV), so when the CMs see them, that is probably what they are thinking it is. The rear wheel drive power wheelchairs (like my DD's Arrow) don't look anything like an ECV, so they are much less likely to be confused with one.

Your best bet might be to get a GAC like Lisa has that says your DH's Jazzy is a power wheelchair and should be allowed in all rides.

 

[Nanajo1]

Liz,
I found WDW so accessible that DH and I are scheming a way to spend winters there in our DVC Home Away From Home! Just think T+T every 4th day, a full cleaning every 8 days. The freedom to roll where ever you want. This is how I dream the cold New England winters away!
Glad you had such a good trip.

 

[autumnblue]

I just booked an accessible room at AKL and I was wondering what your experience was like at that hotel?

Autumn