wheelcahir accessible rooms in DVC resorts

[roelongo]

How are the wheelchair accessible rooms setup? Are there any difference in room layout. Also where are they all located, only on the 1st floor or could they be anywhere?
Thanks I've been lurking quite a while now my DH are really considering DVC I almost had him convinced but he wnats to wait for BCV I'm finding it extremely hard to wait.

 

[TnRobin]

I don't know much about the rooms, but here is what I have heard on the boards. Instead of a tub in some rooms, there is a roll-in shower. I am not sure if this is true for the One Bedroom and up since they have a shower and a tub.

The location of the rooms depends on which resort you are at. At OKW I believe most (if not all) are on the first floor as there are only a few rooms with elevator access. At BWV and VWL, they could be located on multiple floors as there are elevators at the resort.

Can anyone add additional information to this?

 

[RobDoc]

Yes, there are accessible villas at all DVC resorts. As Robin mentioned, they are on the 1st floor at OKW- except for buildings 62,63 and 64- which have elevator access.

They will have a roll-in shower and the kitchen area is equipped with lower counters and a slightly different cabinet arrangement. The tub is the same as any other villa in 1BR and larger.

At VB, VWL, BWV they could be on any floor as all have elevator access (except for the Baech Cottages at VB). At HH all are buildings 11 and 12, as those are the only buildings with elevator access (all other buildings have no ground floor units).

I do not know the number of accessible villas at each resort, but they are certainly available.

Enjoy!

 

[Chuck S]

We had a W/C studio several years ago. It is the same basic layout as the non-access rooms. Roll in shower instead of tub. No vanity under the sink so w/c will fit, and a raised commode. It was on first floor.

 

[KyBill]

I can add several things to the above as I have experienced the handicap villas at HH, OKW and BWV. All of my trips have been in a 1 BR.

OKW...Building 11 to 30 are a little different than above 30. They have regular height counters with a disposal and a Fridge that has a freezer on top. Microwaves are over the oven. The buildings above 30 have the lower counters, no disposal, microwaves on the counter and a side by side Fridge so a person in a WC can access the freezer side and the icemaker(in the door). All of the WC villas 1 BR and up have similar Bathrooms. The OKW villas are very WC friendly due to their size.

BWV...The living area is much smaller than OKW and due to that, much less wheelchair friendly.
The counters are lower and again no disposal, microwave on the counter. The bar counter has been moved forward toward the TV to make more room in the kitchen area. This further reduces the living area. If you sit at the back of the dining table you cannot see the TV due to the counter. With the sofa, chair and coffee table it is pretty tight in the living area. Also the bar counter does not have bar stools as there is not enough space. The bath area is much the same as OKW.

HH...is much the same as the above with lower counters, no disposal etc. The living area is larger than BWV but not as large as OKW. If you transfer from a WC to the king bed it will be easy. If you can stand and then lay in the bed, it is very difficult to get up since the bed is low. HH resort is the least WC friendly of the 3 resorts mentioned. As a WC DVC member you do not have access to the Grand Villas. I've never understood that they can build a ramp up to the General Store at HH but they can't build(or haven't) one to the villas with Grand Villas.

All that said, DVC resorts and DW are a great option for WC members.

Hope this helps.

Of course, OKW has the easy access from the parking close to your door and a easy trip to your Villa.

 

[SueM in MN]

I can add one more piece. I emailed OKW to see how many wheelchair accessible units there were. The number is 19 studios, one bedroom and 2 bedroom. From what I understood, this actually meant they have 19 lock off units that can be broken up into the different size accomidations.
We are members at OKW and have stayed there many times. The basic floor plan is the same whether you are in a wheelchair room or a regular room. If all you need is space for a person in a wheelchair and you don't need the rool in shower or higher toilet, a regular unit at OKW provides a lot of manouvering space. We took a tour of BWV with our DD in her wheelchair and decided it would be fairly tight to use those rooms for someone in a wheelchair.