w/c and ME and Disney busses

[wdwmickey]

After all of your encouragement we bought a folding wheelchair for me to use on our trip I'm curious do I need to call ME and let them know or do we just store the chair underneath the bus with the luggage and strollers? Also, when using Disney busses can I just fold the chair and carry it on--can I sit in my w/c off to the side and wait while my family is in line and then join them when they reach the front or do I wait off to the side until they will be able to load on the next bus and then sit in the w/c area even if I will fold the chair while on the bus (I'm confused as to how the bus waitng area works). Thanks for any help and thanks so much for making me feel comfortable about using a w/c while at WDW Cheryl

 

[SueM in MN]

After all of your encouragement we bought a folding wheelchair for me to use on our trip I'm curious do I need to call ME and let them know or do we just store the chair underneath the bus with the luggage and strollers? Also, when using Disney busses can I just fold the chair and carry it on--can I sit in my w/c off to the side and wait while my family is in line and then join them when they reach the front or do I wait off to the side until they will be able to load on the next bus and then sit in the w/c area even if I will fold the chair while on the bus (I'm confused as to how the bus waitng area works). Thanks for any help and thanks so much for making me feel comfortable about using a w/c while at WDW Cheryl

For DME, you are correct. It can be folded and put underneath with the strollers. The only problem you might have is walking up the bus stairs. Because of the storage space underneath, the bus seating area is high and needs about 5 steps to get on. If you can't walk up the steps, you can use the lift to get on. It goes up very high in the air and not every DME bus has a lift.
For the WDW buses, there is a part about buses in the disABILITIES FAQs thread that should be helpful to you. It pretty much goes thru the whole bus process. You would wait in the area near where the back door will be when the bus pulls up so that the driver can see you. When the bus arrives, you can get up and someone in your party can fold the chair for you. Even with a folded wheelchair, it is easier to enter thru the back door. You can let the driver know that the wheelchair will stay folded on the bus and then sit anywhere.
If your party is large, they should wait in the regular line. If it's only 2-4 people, they can wait with you.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

If you want to use the lift on DME, you'll have less of a wait if you let them know in advance; if you're going to stow the chair and walk on, you don't need to let them know, as they'll just treat the chair as luggage.