Wheelchair/Handicapped Accessible Room Locations and Measurements

[slyster]

Okay, got it. Thanks for confirming that. Have a great day!

 

[keishashadow]

Interpretation help, please, for Poly. Normally, I’d call but don’t have 1-1/2 hours to wait on hold today. No luck trying to decipher or touring plans???

appears only DVC building open this time frame is Pago Pago. Have read that some people are reporting being reassigned into hotel rooms due to the rehab.

Hoping the experts here might be able to determine which, if any of following room descriptions might be 3120 or 2021 (tub rails)?

alternatively, 3121, not sure if only modifications is hearing in that unit?

Do not require a roll-in shower

 

[lanejudy]

If you need a tub with hand rails, I believe the only option of those is the last: Wheelchair Accessible with Tub and Option for Hearing Accessibility.

Sorry, I can't read the room number on the floor plans.

 

[keishashadow]

If you need a tub with hand rails, I believe the only option of those is the last: Wheelchair Accessible with Tub and Option for Hearing Accessibility.

Sorry, I can't read the room number on the floor plans.

Oh, ok. I wish they would just put hand rails in the tubs & be done with it!

 

[lanejudy]

Oh, ok. I wish they would just put hand rails in the tubs & be done with it!

Agree! A lot of hotels have rails in all the tubs. I heard the "Florida Special" accessible category is going away, but whether those rooms will be replaced with fully "wheelchair accessible" and include the tub rails remains to be seen.

If you know the walls of the tub-surround are smooth, you might have good luck with removable suction-cup hand rails. My family did not have good luck with those at home and we have not traveled with them; others have reported successfully using them in hotel bathrooms.

 

[keishashadow]

Ok, found better descriptions. They sure don’t make it easy to find

Putting here jik it might help another. The last 2room categories do have hand rails

 

[Firepath]

The only place I have ever had them was at Poly, and not sure they will still be there after the reno is done.

We carry this doorstop to help hold doors open.

Saratoga Springs has them too. I love them!

 

[SKB516]

I stayed in a wheelchair accessible roll-in shower room at Pop Century last week and didn't have any problems. I see that a lot of people aren't fans of the cloth shower seats, but I actually liked them for my specific needs (though I did wonder about how they clean them between guests). I'm a full-time manual wheelchair user/lifelong paraplegic, and I feel more secure having something that is attached to the wall since I transfer myself using only my upper body. I like that I can grab onto it and don't have to worry about it tipping if I land on it weird while transferring. I'm also short, so it being lower to the ground worked out for me, but I can see how it may not be comfortable for taller people. I felt like the cloth provided more stability and comfort- I have a slight pelvic obliquity, so sitting on very hard surfaces like wood or plastic can feel a little wobbly and push hard against my pressure points. I found that the shower drained well too, and the rubber strip on the floor between the shower and bathroom kept the water from spilling over into the bathroom, which I've often found to be a problem with roll-in showers in hotels in general. The bed was at a good height for me. I did notice that the bed was too close to the wall on one side for me to get my wheelchair between the wall/bed, but that wasn't an issue for me because I can transfer on either side & there was plenty of room on the other side. I didn't use the Murphy bed, so not sure how the space would be with that pulled down.

 

[SueM in MN]

I stayed in a wheelchair accessible roll-in shower room at Pop Century last week and didn't have any problems. I see that a lot of people aren't fans of the cloth shower seats, but I actually liked them for my specific needs (though I did wonder about how they clean them between guests). I'm a full-time manual wheelchair user/lifelong paraplegic, and I feel more secure having something that is attached to the wall since I transfer myself using only my upper body. I like that I can grab onto it and don't have to worry about it tipping if I land on it weird while transferring. I'm also short, so it being lower to the ground worked out for me, but I can see how it may not be comfortable for taller people. I felt like the cloth provided more stability and comfort- I have a slight pelvic obliquity, so sitting on very hard surfaces like wood or plastic can feel a little wobbly and push hard against my pressure points. I found that the shower drained well too, and the rubber strip on the floor between the shower and bathroom kept the water from spilling over into the bathroom, which I've often found to be a problem with roll-in showers in hotels in general. The bed was at a good height for me. I did notice that the bed was too close to the wall on one side for me to get my wheelchair between the wall/bed, but that wasn't an issue for me because I can transfer on either side & there was plenty of room on the other side. I didn't use the Murphy bed, so not sure how the space would be with that pulled down.

There are actually similar surfaces in use in hospitals and other medical settings. The material is not absorbent and can be cleaned and disinfected between uses (Infection Preventionist)

 

[mamabunny]

Well, sadly we just returned from 2 weeks at Poly (Club level room, but no Club level services are currently being offered, because pandemic) It was a roll-in shower room in the Hawaii building. I say "sadly" because I could have stayed for another 2 weeks... or more if only real life didn't keep trying to get in the way!

We had the mesh seat in that shower - the room, btw was beautiful, and we faced the quiet pool, on the ground floor, with a "walk through" door instead of a standard sliding door, which was lovely, although it required either a helper to hold it for me, or a manual door stop in place.

The mesh seat is still problematic for me. Aside from the hygiene issue (it's just an *ick* factor for me; I think because I don't know how they are cleaning/sanitizing them - I always put down a towel over the mesh because I cannot bring myself to sit on it without something between me and that seat) it was painful for me to use, (probably because I still have ongoing tailbone/lower back issues) and I did slip halfway off once during a transfer, which resulted in a VERY painful situation that can only be likened to slipping off the seat of your bike, and onto the "sissy" bar...

After that, we kept the built-in seat folded up, and I used my personal folding travel shower seat that we brought, which worked well because I could face it the way I wanted to sit anyway. The worst downside to that was the handheld shower hose was not very long, which limited my placement within the shower.

Otherwise, the shower drained well, and there was a lovely clear silicone rubber seal across the shower door that worked just fine to keep water in the shower. I always forget that the water at WDW is "softer" than our water at home, and so my first shower is always a struggle to get the shampoo out of my hair!

Not sure of how the roll-in showers in that building used to be, (before the most recent remodel) but this one was more similar to the roll-in showers at POFQ or POR, with a 32-inch door opening, and a wall-mounted seat next to the opening that faced the rear wall of the shower.

This shower was smaller than POR or POFQ - I know because I took my "standard" length of non-slip material for the shower floor, and it was too long by several inches... where at POFQ and/or POR, it actually fits the floor with about 1-½ inches to spare on both ends! I thought they were using the "standard" bathtub sized opening for those types of showers, but even my other family members noticed that this shower was smaller in both length and width.

 

[chaoslobster]

I tried searching this thread but I didn't see anything within the past few years. Does anyone know how tall are the toilets in a normal Pop Century room? Are they taller in a HC room? I feel bad taking up a HC room just for the toilet. I don't need rails or anything, I just can't sit on a low surface. At least not and be able to get up again. I'm trying to figure out whether I need to rent a commode-type seat to make the toilet seat tall enough for me. I have knee replacements and a normal household toilet is way too low.

 

[mamabunny]

I tried searching this thread but I didn't see anything within the past few years. Does anyone know how tall are the toilets in a normal Pop Century room? Are they taller in a HC room? I feel bad taking up a HC room just for the toilet. I don't need rails or anything, I just can't sit on a low surface. At least not and be able to get up again. I'm trying to figure out whether I need to rent a commode-type seat to make the toilet seat tall enough for me. I have knee replacements and a normal household toilet is way too low.

In the HC rooms, the toilets at WDW Resorts are typically about 18" tall from the floor to the seat height (with the seat open); when I was at POFQ after the most recent remodel, I measured the toilet at 18-½" high (see this post in this thread) and when our friend, Ray Sharpton did similar measurements later at POP Century, he measured the toilet at 18" (see this post in this thread)

For at least the last 10 years, those measurements have not changed; I am a frequent traveler to WDW, and through remodels and refreshes, the toilet heights have remained consistent.

If you need to use an accommodation provided by an accessible room type, then by all means, you should book that room type! That's what those rooms are there for.

Some people will travel with a toilet seat riser so that they don't have to worry about this very issue. In the past, these might not fit every size/style of seat/bowl, so our family found them to not be worth the trouble and trunk space. Amazon has a good selection of aids for folks who need a bit of help with toilet seat height; what works for you, however could be quite different than what would meet someone else's needs.

 

[chaoslobster]

In the HC rooms, the toilets at WDW Resorts are typically about 18" tall from the floor to the seat height (with the seat open); when I was at POFQ after the most recent remodel, I measured the toilet at 18-½" high (see this post in this thread) and when our friend, Ray Sharpton did similar measurements later at POP Century, he measured the toilet at 18" (see this post in this thread)

For at least the last 10 years, those measurements have not changed; I am a frequent traveler to WDW, and through remodels and refreshes, the toilet heights have remained consistent.

If you need to use an accommodation provided by an accessible room type, then by all means, you should book that room type! That's what those rooms are there for.

Some people will travel with a toilet seat riser so that they don't have to worry about this very issue. In the past, these might not fit every size/style of seat/bowl, so our family found them to not be worth the trouble and trunk space. Amazon has a good selection of aids for folks who need a bit of help with toilet seat height; what works for you, however could be quite different than what would meet someone else's needs.

Thank you, I appreciate this! Is there any info on whether the standard room toilets are shorter? I realized that it's probably too late to ask for a HC room at this point, but I'll call and ask, assuming I determine that 18" is tall enough. It hadn't occurred to me until tonight that the toilet itself might be taller in a HC room; I booked a standard since I don't need rails or anything.

If I do need more height on the toilet, I'll be renting a standing commode seat from a medical equipment rental in Orlando, then just place it over the toilet and remove the bucket. That's how I manage at home. I've found toilet risers are very unstable aside from taking up a HUGE amount of room to pack. I have several at home because the hospital sends me home with a new one after every orthopedic surgery even though I'm very firm that I will not and cannot use them. I can only stand up by pushing my weight back against whatever I'm sitting on, as opposed to lifting 100% with my legs, and the risers pop right off the bowl! Just not safe for my situation.

 

[lanejudy]

Is there any info on whether the standard room toilets are shorter?

I can’t say for certain because I’ve never measured, but my guess is they are the same/similar. The measurements noted above were in wheelchair-accessible rooms, and the description of those rooms does not mention a different toilet height. By comparison, the Florida Accessible rooms specifically mention “lower toilet height.” That leads me to think the regular rooms and wheelchair accessible rooms have the same toilet height…

 

[SueM in MN]

I can’t say for certain because I’ve never measured, but my guess is they are the same/similar. The measurements noted above were in wheelchair-accessible rooms, and the description of those rooms does not mention a different toilet height. By comparison, the Florida Accessible rooms specifically mention “lower toilet height.” That leads me to think the regular rooms and wheelchair accessible rooms have the same toilet height…

The toilet height would probably not be mentioned in an ADA compliant room because ADA-accessible toilets must be between 17 and 19 inches from the floor to the top of the toilet seat as part of meeting the ADA requirements.

Regular toilets are generally between 2-3 inches lower than ADA toilets. I think the reason they do mention it for the Florida Special Accessibility rooms is that it is the same height as a regular room and they don’t want people to expect a raised seat toilet in the room.
There are people who may need toilet grab bars, but don’t need or want a raised seat toilet - for example, children or shorter people.
This is what the Disney website says for Florida Special Accessibility rooms.

»Florida Special Accessible Room
This room is equipped with toilet grab bars, an open bed frame and lower toilet height. A portable raised toilet seat is available upon request. »

It doesn’t include a wheelchair accessible route inside the room. My understanding was that Florida was concerned that it would require a lot of reconstruction to make bathrooms large enough for wheelchair access into the bathroom that met ADA. The Florida Special Accessibility rooms are required to meet only the guidelines for bathroom grab bars (604.5). This allows some accessibility that meets some needs without a lot of expense/tearing down walls.

 

[PirateNovelist]

I have to say thank you for this thread.
We are looking at other resorts to try and stay at this next time.
I've been researching via videos, but this is so nice to have a resource to come to!