whill ci and rides

[cmnshari]

Hi there,
My son uses the Whill Ci power chair. He has only used this one since COVID so we have not been to the parks with it. Usually when we get on rides they push his chair off to the side and lock it with the brakes and unlock to bring it back to you. With the Whill ci once you turn it off and put it in free wheel mode you do so by pushing these little red levers that are kind of hidden on the bottom of the chair. I am worried that staff will be confused when trying to lock his chair. His previous chair was a quickie with power wheels so there were regular brakes staff could easily use when it was turned off. Has anyone used a whill ci in the parks? It is always chaotic boarding a ride as it is and there is little time to show someone how to find those...

 

[SueM in MN]

Just clarifying - was the Quickie a manual chair with power wheels?

I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
All power chairs have levers to disengage the motors from the wheels - one for each powered wheel. The levers are always sort of underneath, close to the tire they affect and may not be easy to see. CM will know the general area to look; you could make it more obvious by adding something like a sticker in the area that would be easier to see and/or a ‘lock’ symbol at the lever position when it’s locked and ‘an open’ lock for the unlocked position. From the manual pictures I’ve seen, it is marked already. If you are concerned about the seeing it, you could copy and laminate the picture from the manual and put it/hang it on the back of the chair.

The Whill instructions call it ‘releasing the brake’, but it’s really just disengaging the motors so the wheelchair can be pushed, the same as other power wheelchairs. ‘Putting the brakes back on’ is just re-engaging the motors, which only allows the wheels to move if the power is turned on and the joystick/controller is engaged.
That‘s something CMs do frequently on ECVs and power wheelchairs.

The things you want to check before getting back on - make sure ‘the brakes’ are totally engaged before getting back onto the chair so it doesn’t roll when getting on. If you get an error message or it won’t go after turning it on, make sure the motors were both completely re-engaged

 

[Chickenlady]

Using my Whill Ci, we always try to ask the attendant if they want the chair "in free wheel". If they do, my son flips the levers. I did put a big cardboard wrap on the "disconnect" lever on the Whill that says "No the brakes".

 

[RoseGold]

I've taken a Whill Ci on many trips. My family member can lean a little while I park, I can assist a few steps to get back to the chair, and we can assist to get on the ride between the two of us. Most of the time, you can park it for him, and you can see it as you board. So you lock it from your phone as you board the ride. There are a couple places this doesn't work, like MMRR. For that ride, I flip it in manual then and let them valet it. If it doesn't move like a manual chair, they won't mess with it. Almost all of the time, I am able to park it quickly, and the staff are glad for me to do it. When the ride ends, unlock from the phone as we pull up. I run to get it and we assist out. With three people, which we usually have, this is even easier.

I have left it on and let them drive it a couple times. They won't sit in it, so the whole thing is awkward, and I don't like having it on and not locked. It's very hard to drive electronically without sitting on it.

They've never messed with my brakes, and they won't be able to find them on a Whill anyway. If they do flip it, it just makes it into a brick, so not unlike brakes, I guess. I generally want it to be a brick while we are riding, so no problem.

I've done this plenty with just the two of us. We are quick, and it isn't a big deal. The Whill is an AWESOME choice for Disney. Bring an extra battery and a poncho for a couple bad, outdoor parking locations, like Kilimanjaro.