Visiting the parks with a motorized chair

[jennz]

I hope someone can help with this...my mom has a back condition and it is difficult for her to walk long distances. My daughter and I will be going to WDW this week, Wed - Sat. Are we nuts for thinking my mom can make it around? She lives in Orlando and was going to come for a day or two. With the summer crowds and HEAT my plan was to hit the early entry park in the morning, go back to the hotel (CSR) from about 12 - 5 (do you think pool will be crazy?) and then go back to the parks.

Thanks for any input! I'm afraid this will be miserable and frustrating for her.

 

[campingcorgi]

Why don't you post this on the disAbilities board--you'll get lots of helpful advice there!

 

[cleo]

I'll bump you over to disabilities, where those good folks have lots of great advise for you!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi Jennz. Welcome to disABILITIES

When you talk about a motorized chair, are you referring to an actual power wheelchair, or to an "Electric Convenience Vehicle" (ECV), often called a scooter?

Also, does your mother have one now or were you planning to rent?

As Cleo said, we will have a lot of advise, but having some more detail will make it easier for us to assist you and your mother.

 

[jennz]

Thanks! That would be an ECV that I mean, and she would be renting one at the parks.

 

[Talking Hands]

If she wants to be sure of having one she needs to contact Care Medical, Walker or one of the other offsite providers. There is no guarantee she can get one at the parks. They can go as early as the first 1/2 hour after opening. Plus if you wnat to can parks there is no guarantee there will be one available at the next location.

 

[welovedis]

Hi-
We rented an ECV from an off-site company for a great rate and they were very reliable. It was nice to have the accessibility for her to take it all the way to the bus stop and not have to walk that long way. Plus she was able to get it on and off the buses with very little practice-although they take a little getting used to.

Lisa mentioned that the parks don't have a large supply & sometimes they do run out. Plus if you change parks there is not always one at the second park, so that might consider into your plans.

I think you have the right attitude about taking things at a slower pace. We just got back from CSR and while the pool might get a little busier, I don't think it will be crazy-busy at noon. The wait for the water slide was about 5 minutes at the busiest time we were there to give you an idea.

If your mom lives in Orlando, she would know what to expect regarding the weather, I would just make sure you have a good list of "must-sees" & don't worry about seeing everything.

Good luck!

 

[jennz]

Thanks - I was wondering about that with ECVs. She's got the handicap parking from her doctor and he said he could direct her and help her with an ECV but she hasn't followed up on that yet. I didn't realize that they go that quickly, but I can understand!

 

[welovedis]

Jennifer-
Is she staying with you at the resort or not, I didn't think about that when I answered....she might not want to try carting around an ECV in her vehicle.

Some of the more experienced members (experienced with rental ECVs) might have better insight for you on that. We only used WDW transportation the whole time on that trip so I don't know about taking an off-site rental into the park if you have to transport it. Might be a pain-lol!

Hope you enjoy CSR--it was our 1st trip there & we loved it!

 

[Talking Hands]

Depending on the size of her car, she can transport it in that. Or perhaps she can leave it with you and then use WDW transportation from your resort.
USing one in the parks may make a convert It is a lifesaver at the grocery or just getting out of the house when you hurt and you get much more independent once you have one. If her doctor is willing to write a scriot for one her insurance may pay for it. I saw a ver nice small one by Pride Mobility today when I took my power chair in to have new batteries installed.

 

[jennz]

I have a van I could get it in. She does use them at Sam's etc, when they're available and loves them. She hasn't considered getting a personal one though because she doesn't think she could transport it. She has a fairly large car but I think it would be difficult.

She was planning on staying with us at the resort, but I'm also not sure about that because of the regular bed - I don't know if she could get comfortable. She's been sleeping in a Lazy Boy recliner for the past year! She's thought about getting a hospital bed. The thing is we don't know where to look, and although I tyr to help her out I'm 1/2 way across the country. DH has tried getting a job here in central FL but no luck.

Thank you all very much for the info on the ECV, I've gotten much more than I hoped for! I'm passing this along to my mom and hope that it can help her improve her quality of life, give her a little more independence.

 

[SueM in MN]

She hasn't considered getting a personal one though because she doesn't think she could transport it. She has a fairly large car but I think it would be difficult

She would not necessarily have to lift it into her car. There are options like vans with ramps (fairly expensive) and small hoists that you can have installed to lift them for you. Look under "Wheelchair lifts" in an internet search and you will find a lot. All the car companies have mobility programs with rebates to help pay for the cost, so that helps. Even if she never transports it and just uses it around her neighborhood, she would have more independence.