Water wheelchair at AKL

[Nanajo1]

On my recent stay at AKL a CM sopped me as I was "scooting" around the pool area to tell me that they have a water wheelchair available and to just ask for it if I wanted it. WE didn't have a chance to use the pool. But it was nice to know it was availablee.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I've also seen one at SSR if this helps!

 

[shovan]

That's good to hear!
I had posted a while back about the lack of access at BC. Nothing but the transfer steps, no pool WC available at all. Transfer steps are not safe for my DH with MD. We contacted everyone we could (Manager at BC, DVC guest relations & WDW guest relations) and still have not received any reply.

 

[SueM in MN]

That's good to hear!
I had posted a while back about the lack of access at BC. Nothing but the transfer steps, no pool WC available at all. Transfer steps are not safe for my DH with MD. We contacted everyone we could (Manager at BC, DVC guest relations & WDW guest relations) and still have not received any reply.

I know there are transfer steps (which are not useful for our DD either) at both SAB and the DVC quiet pool. The main pool at BC is SAB, which does not have a zero entry, so it would not work with a pool wheelchair even if they had one.

Are you DVC members (since I see you tried contacting them)? If you are, you would be able to pool hop to one of the pools that do have zero entry.

If not, you might still be able to get permission to go to the pool at another resort since the one at your resort is not accessible. Don't know if anyone has tried that before, but it would be worth a try.

And, thanks Nanajo for the report.

 

[shovan]

SueM, We are recent DVC owners at the BC. (We were told before purchasing that the pool was accessable but we should have checked into it further.)

We felt a pool WC would have worked better than what they offered us. They offered to lift him out of his power WC & "bump" him down the steps! This was a small female lifeguard who offered this solution! Also, the sandy pool wading area appeared to be zero entry, which my DH was interested in, but for children a pool chair should have been available.

My DH has done lots of research on this since the trip. He wrote several letters in hopes that WDW & DVC would consider the matter further. There is no reason for them to not have water powered lift systems at the pools that are not zero entry. It would be a not very expensive simple solution.

In his research, he found that Disney Imagineers were actually part of the corp. group who helped draw up the latest ADA pool guidelines. (These are still just guidelines & not law, so not required.) In the guidelines it was recommended that all pools have either zero entry or a powered lift system. So why they decided to put in just those transfer steps is a mystery to us.

I'm sure we could go to another resort pool. It's just a shame that we would have to do that.

So do you know which WDW resorts (DVC or other)have zero entry pools? For the main pools not just a wading area? We are only familiar with the Polynesian were the main pool is a zero entry pool.
Maybe a thread with details on pool access would be a good idea.

 

[steffali]

The camp that my DD goes to has a concrete ramp going right into the pool, I wonder why WDW cant put something like that in the pools that just have the steps to enter?

 

[disney-super-mom]

Here are a few pictures of the Saratoga Springs Pool (Zero Entry for main pool, water wheelchair, and lift for hot tub).

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Photos/Saratoga-Springs/pages/High-Rock-Spring-Pool_15.htm

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Photos/Saratoga-Springs/pages/High-Rock-Spring-Pool_13.htm

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Photos/Saratoga-Springs/pages/High-Rock-Spring-Pool_14.htm

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/ss70.jpg

 

[LindaDVC]

We have tried for years to get a ramp over the soft sand at Disney's Hilton Head! We were told pre-construction that it would be ramped to the ocean like Vero.

My husband would like to be able to go on the ramp and see the ocean which is hidden from the beach house by the trees. I have even sent pictures of him "sneaking" into the Hilton and Hyatt to get an ocean view not offered at Disney.

They have a beach chair but husband is not an easy transfer and wants power to get out of the sun as needed. So that option really doesn't interest him.

People struggle with bikes and carts on the soft sand too and a walk way would make it easier for everyone to get to the hard packed sand.

Linda

 

[SueM in MN]

SueM, We are recent DVC owners at the BC. (We were told before purchasing that the pool was accessable but we should have checked into it further.)

We felt a pool WC would have worked better than what they offered us. They offered to lift him out of his power WC & "bump" him down the steps! This was a small female lifeguard who offered this solution! Also, the sandy pool wading area appeared to be zero entry, which my DH was interested in, but for children a pool chair should have been available.

I agree that what they offered is not adequate. I think (but am not sure) that they look at that small wading area as accessible - although it's only an accessible area for children. And they probably also counted the bump steps, although it's only accessible for people with certain abilities.

My DH has done lots of research on this since the trip. He wrote several letters in hopes that WDW & DVC would consider the matter further. There is no reason for them to not have water powered lift systems at the pools that are not zero entry. It would be a not very expensive simple solution.

I did not see this, but on our last trip to SSR in October, my DH saw them using a portable powered lift to transfer someone into the pool there. I know that they have a lift for the hot tub, but he said what he saw was someone being transferred into the main pool.

In his research, he found that Disney Imagineers were actually part of the corp. group who helped draw up the latest ADA pool guidelines. (These are still just guidelines & not law, so not required.) In the guidelines it was recommended that all pools have either zero entry or a powered lift system. So why they decided to put in just those transfer steps is a mystery to us.

That part is very interesting. I also wonder why they decided to put in only the transfer steps?
Just a quick internet search showed several kinds of portable pool lifts that would appear to work for the pools without zero entry.

I'm sure we could go to another resort pool. It's just a shame that we would have to do that.

It is not equal to having accessibility at the main pool at the resort you are staying at, but at least it is an option.

So do you know which WDW resorts (DVC or other)have zero entry pools? For the main pools not just a wading area? We are only familiar with the Polynesian were the main pool is a zero entry pool.
Maybe a thread with details on pool access would be a good idea.

SSR has zero entry (as was already mentioned). I have been in it when the resort first opened and did not think it was deeper than 3 feet. When we went in October, we did not go in the pool, but I did look at it pretty carefully and the area all around the edges of the pool are no deeper than 3 feet, but there is an area in the center that is up to 5 feet.

Other resorts with zero entry pools are Polynesian (which you already know about), Animal Kingdom Lodge (click for a picture) , and Grand Floridian.