Wheelchair umbrella

[jreeves628]

Hi all. I will be renting a wheelchair for my son on our next trip. I noticed that Amazon sells clip on umbrellas for sun/rain protection. Is this allowed in the parks?

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Hi all. I will be renting a wheelchair for my son on our next trip. I noticed that Amazon sells clip on umbrellas for sun/rain protection. Is this allowed in the parks?

Not sure if allowed but could make pushing harder with umbrella hitting you or blocking your view pushing.

 

[RoseGold]

I've seen them before, but there's a reason why pretty much all wheelchair users (and pushers) end up in the poncho route.

 

[gap2368]

I have seen them too in the parks

 

[MinnieMSue]

You can’t see to push with an umbrella over the person in the chair unfortunately. I guess maybe if it is a clear umbrella

 

[jreeves628]

Not sure if allowed but could make pushing harder with umbrella hitting you or blocking your view pushing.

I pictured the umbrella above my head to cover the both of us. Maybe I’m picturing it wrong. Thanks

 

[ttintagel]

I pictured the umbrella above my head to cover the both of us. Maybe I’m picturing it wrong. Thanks

All the images I'm seeing online look like the umbrella is higher than the pusher's head, just as you pictured.

Depending on the relative heights of the rider and pusher, I can also imagine it being possible to configure it so the umbrella is just over the rider's head but below the pusher's.

 

[DisneyOma]

If it's up above the pusher's head, the rider isn't going to get much shade, unfortunately. The lower legs/ankles, and even the tops of the legs could be uncovered.

 

[mamabunny]

Do not recommend.

I bought one of these years ago, and it was a nightmare. Not only was the canopy of the umbrellas not as tall as pictured, (I could barely duck under it) but if there was any breeze at all, it would swing the umbrella around. The mount did not hold well, and I spent an entire day as a nervous wreck.

I had gotten the umbrella for sun exposure, and the biggest take away was this: except at high noon, most of the day, sun *will* come in under the "sides" of the umbrella, unless you are driving away from the sun's position - and even then it will come under, it will just be at your back.

If you are getting it for rain, it will most likely be ineffective as well; as you are moving, the rain will come under the umbrella.

Depending on the vendor, some of the pictures are quite deceiving; increasingly on Amazon, vendors are (poorly) trying to photoshop the item into stock photos. Usually the effect is noticeable, but there are some where they do a good enough job that it's passable.

The umbrella that I bought was significantly smaller than it was pictured, which just compounded all the problems I mentioned above. You will need an umbrella that is at least 4 feet wide across (if not wider) to shelter both the rider and the pusher.

Ponchos are *much* better for rain; sun hats and UV protectant clothing is *much* better for sun exposure. My friends here all know what they are talking about it all comes from lived experience

If you have more questions, please let us know - maybe we can help you figure out an alternative solution!

 

[redberyl]

Not an umbrella but I bought a sunshade for my daughters adaptive wheelchair. It was basically worthless, unless the sun was at the perfect angle directly overhead, it just shone in the front of the stroller, the shade offered almost no protection. I'm with everyone else, save your money!

 

[jreeves628]

Thank you all!

 

[YodaGirl]

I'll link the one I have for my Fold & Go Magshock below. It was recommended by another wheelchair user. As far as I can tell, it's allowed in the parks.

I use it at our local theme park, and it works ok. I use it constantly for UV protection, and it does about a 75% job. I still get hit with UV, but it mostly keeps it off my head/face and most of my arms.

It wouldn't cover someone pushing me, and I'm not confident that it would do much good in the rain. I have a wheelchair poncho for that.

In wind, it's unusable because - like any umbrella - it tries to flip up, etc. But for the price...eh. It's okay for what it is.

I'm not sure if it would really work for your purposes, especially if you're wanting it to cover both of you. I guess you could theoretically get two - one facing you & one facing him, but I'm not really sure how that would work.

Anyway, if you want to check it out, here it is:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09WCQMSXF?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title&th=1