Wheelchairs: Not as great as you think!

[Jennasis]

I am glad I got to see WDW from a wheelchair. It made me much more aware of the needs of those who are in them. For the remainder of the trip I was acutely aware of holding doors, making room, and being aware of wheelchair/ECV user's space-needs.

I should have mentioned that only on WWTBAM and Fantasmic, were the handicapped seats good. In WWTBAM it was on the floor across from the 10 "fastest-finger" seats. For Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Muppets it was way in the back and viewing was tough.

 

[NewlyWedsInMinnesota]

We are leaving for WDW in 10 days and my new DH is already realizing that he may need to get a wheelchair or ECV while we are there.

He has had 7 knee surgeries over the years and at some point will need both knees replaced. He does not WANT to do the wheelchair thing ... but he is realizing that unless he wants to be in pain ... or possibly wake up and not be able to put any weight on it ... that he probably should get a wheelchair.

For him he finds that standing in lines is the hardest on his knees. If he is walking it isn't too bad ... but too much walking can be a problem.

I give him two days ... then he will break down and need to get some wheels.

I know you can request a wheelchair at your resort (we are staying at Wilderness Lodge) ... is there any way to get an ECV?

Are there any off site companies that will deliver an ECV ... and if so does anyone know how much they cost?

Thanks !!
Norma

 

[DVC-Don]

I used an ECV after foot surgery about 6 years ago. But I had a cane with me in the basket that I could have used to wack anyone who questioned me. Seriously I found that I spent a lot of time watching peoples feet so's not to run anyone over and not seeing the sights.

 

[Meezers]

OK, so let me get this straight. If I don't see a hot pink cast, I'm rude. If I'm absorbed by this really long hot pink cast, I'm rude. Make up your mind! You're wearing a long hot pink cast, how could people NOT stare!

Please laugh now. I'm only teasing.

Yes..I laughed....what was funny was the people who were staring were the ones that didn't realize the cast was attached to a PERSON and walked right into me! Took me right off my crutches a couple of times...that would be when I switched to the chair for "public appearances"

 

[WDWNJ]

Hi - wife and I spent four days in May at WDW with my brother, who has CP, and my 85 year old Mom. Brother is in a wheelchair and we forced my mom into one after the first day due to her bad hip. I do not remember having any issues with rude behavior. My wife and I actually had a good time pushing them both through the parks racing around, and we are 50 and 48........

We were very alert to our surrondings at all times and we made sure to smile alot and thank those who helped hold doors and such. I think sometimes we are a product of our own environment.

Those of you who are going and will need assistance, remember to take your smile and sense of humor. If you go looking for a bad time, I'm sure you will find it.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I honestly have no idea why people have to get a bug up their butt's about strollers, ECV's and wheelchairs. All you have to do is pay a little bit of attention and everything will be fine!

I've read the heated threads here about ECV's and have heard all the horror stories, but seriously, I'm quite sure the "only gets an ECV to hotdog around and cut in line" group is very small and the group that couldn't even go to Disney if they weren't available is the majority.

My mom got an ECV last trip, if they weren't available she could not have gone. She has bad knees and there is no way in the world she could have done all the walking that you do at Disney. She was very self conscience about using the ECV though which is a shame. We didn't have any real problems with staring or rudeness, but she got a couple funny looks when she got off to enter an attraction and people saw that she could in fact walk...well HELLO, yes, she can walk, but with a limp and only for short distances and why do you even care anyway?

 

[happylady]

Two years ago I was forced to use an ECV while visiting the parks...second foot surgery in 6 months...non weight bearing....BIG cast....you get the picture. We stayed at WL and had a blast. My 13 DS raced me up and down the ramp leading to the Villas....okay so maybe I wasn't setting a good example, but we had a blast.

During the two days at the parks I only had three complaints...the first two are totally out of WDW control, but the last could be fixed:
1) the elevator was broken at The Living Seas, so I couldn't go upstairs.

2) the bathroom at The Living Seas had such a narrow entrance that I took out a piece of wall trying to make the turn into the bathroom and finally gave up.

3) when I had to switch from the ECV to the push style to enter some of the ride....they were built for someone much, much smaller than me and were very, very uncomfortable.

One of the things that bugged me, was the bus system. There is a separate line for the wheelchairs. When the bus arrived, we were always loaded first even if there was a long line of people waiting much longer than us. We started to feel guilty, so we would tell the driver that we were waiting for the next bus.

 

[krbq]

We are leaving for WDW in 10 days and my new DH is already realizing that he may need to get a wheelchair or ECV while we are there.

He has had 7 knee surgeries over the years and at some point will need both knees replaced. He does not WANT to do the wheelchair thing ... but he is realizing that unless he wants to be in pain ... or possibly wake up and not be able to put any weight on it ... that he probably should get a wheelchair.

For him he finds that standing in lines is the hardest on his knees. If he is walking it isn't too bad ... but too much walking can be a problem.

I give him two days ... then he will break down and need to get some wheels.

I know you can request a wheelchair at your resort (we are staying at Wilderness Lodge) ... is there any way to get an ECV?

Are there any off site companies that will deliver an ECV ... and if so does anyone know how much they cost?

Thanks !!
Norma

My DH is one of those who should use a wheelchair or ECV, but won't. We've inquired about renting an ECV at the parks, but have been told by CM's that they are all rented out quickly every morning ($30/day comes to mind, but I'm not certain of that). On our last trip we talked to a woman who had rented hers from a off-site company. She said the ECV was delivered to her hotel for her use during her entire stay, and it would be picked up at the hotel on the day she checked out. I forget exactly what price she quoted, but it worked out to less than the daily rental at the Disney parks. I'm sorry I don't have the name of the company, but I'll bet an internet search would turn up a name. Good luck!

 

[LoveWDW]

... Took me right off my crutches a couple of times...that would be when I switched to the chair for "public appearances"

This reminds me of when I had to wear a sling on one arm, the doctor said the only time I needed to wear it was when I was out among people, because they would be alerted to not run into me.

This thread has been a real eye-opener. I am cautious around people who use wheelchairs or motorized vehicles or who otherwise have difficulty getting around since I work at senior centers, but I had no idea how much of a challenge it is to deal with the crowds and seating at WDW.

 

[SueM in MN]

I know you can request a wheelchair at your resort (we are staying at Wilderness Lodge) ... is there any way to get an ECV?

not from the resort
You can get the information about getting a wheelchair from the resort by going to the disABILITIES Board (follow the link in my signature) and then look in the disABILITIES FAQs thread stuck ner the top of the board.

Are there any off site companies that will deliver an ECV ... and if so does anyone know how much they cost?

There are quite a few companies that DIS posters have used and have good experiences with. You can get the contact information for them from the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

 

[homer424]

We were very alert to our surrondings at all times and we made sure to smile alot and thank those who helped hold doors and such. I think sometimes we are a product of our own environment.

Those of you who are going and will need assistance, remember to take your smile and sense of humor. If you go looking for a bad time, I'm sure you will find it.

I'm not sure how to read this. We also were extremely polite to everyone, thanked anyone who helped us (which were few and far between as far as guests go, CMs were AWESOME), quite alert to those around us (I was always afraid of hitting someone so I tried to keep a rather large distances between the chair and others) and did not let anything get us down. But, I do admit, we experienced more rude people on this trip than any other time we went. We weren't looking for them, expecting this or put out a bad vibe-I was actally quite shocked by it, considering we never had ONE problem before and our last 3 trips were pushing a stroller(which seem to be the bain of most everyone's existance LOL). But it happened. Like I said, it didn't get us down or ruin our trip by any stretch of the imagination but we experienced it, no matter how polite or nice we were to everyone.

Sometimes, you can not help the people around you and you just have to make the best of your situation and NEVER let it get you down, which is what I hope you were saying. Keep your good mood up and you will have a great time no matter what!

 

[diekatze]

While I agree with most of what has been said so far, I think we need to thank Disney for being great about how much more accessable they are than most other companies. My mom has Scleroderma (autoimune disorder) making it hard to walk long distances. We recently went to Enchanted Village (Seattle area six flags park) and the park was horrible for a person in a regular wheelchair very hilly and bumpy. Making it impossible for me to push her around at times, luckly she can still walk, otherwise she would not have been able to get to all the areas in the park not to mention my tired arms and legs( and I'm only 36 and in pretty good shape) My DD5 was with us as well. We also went to the zoo and was very greatfull for all the help from people holding open the doors for us. You don't realize how hard it is to get around in a wheelchair until you have experenenced for yourself. I have a much greater appreciation for all those who are wheelchair bound and will never ever judge anyone again.

 

[kilee]

We're going to WDW in January. My DS (13) very well may need to use a wheelchair. I'm sure we'll get plenty of stares too because he's going to look 100% healthy. He injured himself in a dirtbike accident a few weeks ago. Needless to say he too has a "hot pink cast" (yep he picked pink just to get reactions from people) that goes from his tippy toes to the most upper part of his thigh. He fractured and damaged his tibia, knee, and ACL tendon.
Thankfully the cast is coming off most likely next week. His Doctor said by January he can do the rides at WDW, but only 1/8 of the walking. So, I'll let them all judge. Because his outward appearance is going to look like absolutely nothing is wrong.

We've done WDW w/ my MIL in an EVC. Not fun- but hey we're going to Disney World and we'll make do.

 

[Meezers]

Kilee...don't know what kind of fracture...but it took me 10 months of LONG HARD work to walk without a limp....that was a spiral tibia fracture (kinda like a triple fracture

I went to physical therapy....they said...why are you here...I said...duh...I'm limping...they said...lady, you aren't supposed to be walking yet!

Found out MUCH later that my type of fracture doesn't heal often and all that work I did (leg lifts in the cast) really paid off.

Best of luck....

 

[jann1033]

We just returned last week from trip with our DS-14 who has cerebral palsy and uses a non-motorized wheelchair. As the days went by, we grew increasingly disgusted by the motorized scooter-using adults who zoomed past us to get to the wheelchair access areas. At Spectromagic on our last night, there was a large man on an ECV and his companion taking up a large portion of the wheelchair accessible viewing area on Main Street. I managed to squeeze my son's wheelchair in, but the next disabled child who arrived couldn't get close enough to view the parade. My DH eventually asked the pair if they would allow the CHILD to go in front to view the parade, and the ECV ADULT could view if over the child's head...I know Disney can't make judgements about people's diabilities, but there is an obvious difference between an adult who can't stand for long periods and a child with developmental disabilities...
no flames please, just had to get this off my chest...

by your reasoning then
a 7 yr old should get to do everything before your son?..you are judging people because they can go faster than you due to having an electric scooter? just don't see where you( or anyone else)has the right judg just how disabled someone is by looks or age...so to you someone who can't stand due to terminal cancer has less right to use a ecv or be in a disabled space cause your son isyounger???that makes no sense and imo is pretty selfish. i understand you could be upset over something you perceived as unfair but how about to all the other people in the same situation. not very kind imo. you don't say what happened when your husband asked, did they let the kids go in front? if so you should have added that detail since that means they were less mean to you than you have been to them.

 

[luv2playallday]

I had to use a wheelchair for our last night at MGM, and it was a nightmare! I was at MGM, and it was raining. Well when the paint on the sidewalks gets wet it is SUPER SLIPPERY! My feet slipped out from under me, and I landed on my right knee. It was terrible! I hobbled as best I could, but I was so slow and full of pain I couldn't go anywhere very far. It was about 6:45, and my DH asked for a wheelchair for me. He mentioned we should get a discount since it happened at MGM, but they wouldn't give him one. He was told if he came back at 7 we could get one for free because they would be closed. We went back at 6:58, so they gave him a Magical Moment card, so we got the wheelchair free. It was TERRIBLE! Noone wanted to push me, and my butt is so big the wheels rubbed the sides, and it made the sides super hot, and it burned my butt! I did get to sit in Handicapped for Fantasmic, but other than that it was TERRIBLE! Noone moves at all, and they get right in front of you, and stop. Several times people banged right into my knee, and didn't even say excuse me. When I got home I went to the Dr. it turns out my knee cap is broken! Now I wish I would have went to the first aid office. I told 3 different CM's but they said go to first aid which seemed so far away! I wouldn't sue or anything, but maybe they would have given me a free night or T-shirt or something! Watch out for that Paint if it's raining!

 

[kaytieeldr]

I think a couple of people have commented on the small size of the wheelchair seats.
To the best of my knowledge, Disney's wheelchairs come in two seat widths. Just a couple of inches can make a BIG (no pun intended) difference in comfort. Wheelchair users can also see if the arms can be easily removed - sometimes they just pull out, other times there's a screw or bolt that needs to be removed first.
Anyway, if you borrow or rent a wheelchair from Disney and it's too tight, simply ASK if there's a wider seat available. I know for sure the ECVs come in two sizes; and I also know the off-site companies offer manual wheelchairs in at LEAST two seat widths.

 

[BroganMc]

Dealing with perceived AB attitudes is the first obstacle for new wheelchair users to learn. I'm so used to it now it's below my radar anymore. Basically you just feel like a huge neon sign because your self conscious radar goes on high alert. Once you get comfortable it goes away.

Only problems I've really had are with some of the older bathrooms. The ones with stalls just big enough to drive straight in but not turn around. How they expect someone in a wheelchair to use it is beyond me.

Oh, and using a companion bathroom while 15 people try to ram the door off its hinges instead of reading the OCCUPIED sign above the door handle. I've screamed "occupied" so many times in so many languages this trip... I'm staring to sing "It's A Small World" instead.

Other than that, I just have fun with the ABs. You know, speed down a ramp and tease about how much I get for picking up roadkill. See how well I can navigate a crowd. Kids are the most fun for testing your reflexes. They do love to dart out of nowhere. And the ones who drop the toy they've been fiddling with right in your path then reach out for it with those small boned and tender hands. Ah the joy of braking fast!

Disney on wheels can be loads of fun. Now if all the rides would be as accessible as Jungle Boat, Buzz, Small World, etc. I only get to ride Pirates, Test Track, Maelstrom and Mission Space when my strong brothers are here to help lift me. Pirates is the hardest one by far.

 

[GroovyWheeler]

My fiance' is partially blind and has Traumatic Brain Injury, as am I, in one eye (along with being born with a rare genetic syndrome), although we can both still see somewhat. He also has a hard time judging how close something is to us, and several different times when he would be pushing me in my manual wheelchair around Disney World this last January, we'd accidently bump into someone, or he'd run me into a wall, doorway, or even off a curb. Going around all of the Disney World parks were no exception. I can't count the number of times we've had to say "sorry" for both of us, only to have people look at us, like we didn't know what we were doing.

Next time we go, I'm hoping to take a folding power chair from my local DME dealer, because I will never be able to take my own power chair from home-The frame is rigid, and because the power chair is big and heavy, it would be hard for my mom to find transportation for it, when she likes to rent cars. That, and my friend who works as a wheelchair seating/mobility specialist at the DME dealer that I go to, said that taking my power chair on an airplane would just be asking for a lot of damage to it.

It would be a lot more fun to take a power chair to DW, as I've seen how much fun it can be, driving them around the parks.

Samantha