wheelchair security?

[lovethecastle]

Thanks Shorty82 for the response. I think next time we will bring a lock just to be on the safe side.

Sandy

 

[KPeveler]

i am bringing a small cheap bike lock - my chair is light enough it can be moved with the lock on it, but no one will be wheeling off with it! thanks for all the great advice

 

[KPeveler]

i am thinking about making a chain of lime green mickey heads and writing "this is not yours!" in big letters on it, and stringing it across the push handles - i think then people will be able to tell it is not a rental chair for their use!

 

[SueM in MN]

As long as the chair is not locked to something it is okay. If a CM can still move the chair then you can lock it.

As long as your son's chair doesn't look anything like the park's it will probably be okay left unlocked. I've never heard of a personal chair being stolen. The chair talked about earlier in this thread that was stolen was a resort chair and whoever took it probably figured it was fair game, like some seem to think about the park chairs.

as long as it is not locked to anything, it will be OK.
But, you mentioned your son can't walk at all, so you really don't have to worry about his chair. For some attractions (like shows) he will be able to stay right in it from the time you enter the line until you are done with the attraction. For ones where he does need to get out to board a ride car, the wheelchair is usually going to be at the same place where you boarded the whole time. The CM might move it if it is in a pathway (like if you pulled it up very close to the ride car to board), but it will not be far from where you left it. People getting off have no idea who the chari belongs to or if they might be in the next ride car, so they leave them alone.
I would bet that most people don't even notice those wheelchairs at the exit. They are focused on getting out and most of the time don't even see it.

As for anyone sitting on your childs' feet, that happened a long time ago and we were pretty vocal for our DD. Recently, when we went to Lights, Motors, Action a man with an ECV was just behind us in the line. He parked his ECV and his wife and small child sat on the ECV while he sat on the bench. The wife proceeded to prop her feet up on the tire of my DD's wheelchair. I was sitting behind DD and didn't say anything because DD had not noticed. I figured if she did and hauled off and hit the lady, it would serve her right. That lady (if you can call someone really rude a 'lady') ignored DD and turned her head the other way when DD tried to engage her by smiling (DD can't speak, but she understands just fine). The lady also cleaned underneath her fingernails and flicked the 'junk' over by DD's wheelchair. I was half hoping DD would hit her, but she didn't.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

As for anyone sitting on your childs' feet, that happened a long time ago and we were pretty vocal for our DD. Recently, when we went to Lights, Motors, Action a man with an ECV was just behind us in the line. He parked his ECV and his wife and small child sat on the ECV while he sat on the bench. The wife proceeded to prop her feet up on the tire of my DD's wheelchair. I was sitting behind DD and didn't say anything because DD had not noticed. I figured if she did and hauled off and hit the lady, it would serve her right. That lady (if you can call someone really rude a 'lady') ignored DD and turned her head the other way when DD tried to engage her by smiling (DD can't speak, but she understands just fine). The lady also cleaned underneath her fingernails and flicked the 'junk' over by DD's wheelchair. I was half hoping DD would hit her, but she didn't.

Goodness me! I know there are rude people in the world, but I never thought anyone would be that.... well, I shan't use the language I'm thinking of, as this is a family site.

On a similar note, I was at some weird theatre show a while back, where the audience were constantly being moved around, so there was no seating. Everyone was therefore just standing or sitting on the floor. There was one group of people took it into their heads to use me as a backrest. I ended up with one adult leaning on either side of my wheelchair, and a kid dangerously close to my footplates (I have joint problems, so if she'd hit my foot, I would have been screaming), all talking across me and passing their picnic around! I started shaking my wheelchair about, and they soon found their comfy place wasn't so comfy any more . If this kind of thing happens to me again, I will be having words.... at the top of my lungs

Anyway, I'm going OT, sorry!

 

[lovethecastle]

as long as it is not locked to anything, it will be OK.
But, you mentioned your son can't walk at all, so you really don't have to worry about his chair. For some attractions (like shows) he will be able to stay right in it from the time you enter the line until you are done with the attraction. For ones where he does need to get out to board a ride car, the wheelchair is usually going to be at the same place where you boarded the whole time. The CM might move it if it is in a pathway (like if you pulled it up very close to the ride car to board), but it will not be far from where you left it. People getting off have no idea who the chari belongs to or if they might be in the next ride car, so they leave them alone.
I would bet that most people don't even notice those wheelchairs at the exit. They are focused on getting out and most of the time don't even see it.

As for anyone sitting on your childs' feet, that happened a long time ago and we were pretty vocal for our DD. Recently, when we went to Lights, Motors, Action a man with an ECV was just behind us in the line. He parked his ECV and his wife and small child sat on the ECV while he sat on the bench. The wife proceeded to prop her feet up on the tire of my DD's wheelchair. I was sitting behind DD and didn't say anything because DD had not noticed. I figured if she did and hauled off and hit the lady, it would serve her right. That lady (if you can call someone really rude a 'lady') ignored DD and turned her head the other way when DD tried to engage her by smiling (DD can't speak, but she understands just fine). The lady also cleaned underneath her fingernails and flicked the 'junk' over by DD's wheelchair. I was half hoping DD would hit her, but she didn't.

Thanks for the info about leaving my ds's wheelchair at the ride. And EWWWW. That lady is rude & gross. yuck.

Sandy

 

[hematite153]

... There was one group of people took it into their heads to use me as a backrest. I ended up with one adult leaning on either side of my wheelchair, and a kid dangerously close to my footplates (I have joint problems, so if she'd hit my foot, I would have been screaming), all talking across me and passing their picnic around! ...

I must admit that I have been known to use my DW's chair as a backrest, but, let's face it, if she weren't sitting in a chair, I'd probably be using her as the backrest.

I'd certainly never do it to someone else! Leaning on someone implies a certain closeness of relationship!

 

[KPeveler]

my chair is an extension of my body - family cna touch no problem... but if you do not know me - do not touch!!!!

thanks for all the advice about security!

 

[KPeveler]

i just thought of something related to the POTC discussion earlier - wouldnt it be easier if they sent you in the exit? you go in the exit, your chair is right there, and then you get in the boat in the exit... you ride around and are already seated when others get in the boat at the normal loading station... like when on buzz lightyear...

wouldnt this be easier than transferring chairs around?

 

[Shorty82]

If I'm not mistaken the path that the boats follow from the exit to the boarding area is to low for anybody to stay in the boats.

 

[KPeveler]

AH! makes sense now! thanks

 

[OneLittleSpark]

As Shorty said, the roof of that section comes just above the top of the seats on the boat. If you tried to go this way, you might lose a few inches off the top It works at DLR, but not at WDW, unfortunately.