Why ask for a non-handicap room?

[nhmomx2]

I don't quite understand why you would have to request this. I would think it would be the other way around? Does one resort have more handicap rooms than non-handicap? And what would be the down side, for lack of a better term, to having this type of room?

 

[Mrs. Snowgod]

I have not had a handicap- friendly room in DVC, but have at AS-Movies for a 1-night stay. The bathroom had a shower which drained into the middle of the floor. There was no tub, and after showering, the entire bathroom floor was wet. While this would likely be preferable for a person unable to navigate in a standard bathroom, is poses some inconveniences if not needed.

These rooms, if not needed by persons in a wheelchair, are given to other guests. When one is not in need of these special arrangements, they can be percieved as a real inconvenience. Though we are fortunate that we don't need them.

 

[TIdoublegaER]

If you are in a studio and have small children, there will be no bathtub. The shower is a roll in and water generally goes everywhere, the counters are lower, less storage space, higher toilet. We haven't ever requested NOT to get a handicap room, but I would prefer not to get one if given a choice. We had a HC studio at HH a couple of years ago and we made it work (youngest was 3), but had DD been a little younger, it would have been a problem for us.

 

[Dean]

The HC rooms are booked directly for those that need them. There are more HC rooms than needed though. They are not good rooms, IMO, and we'd rather not go than get one.

 

[KNWVIKING]

We've had HC rooms a couple of times. I actually think the rooms are bigger to allow wheel chair use,but I'm not certain of this. The only real complaint I have is the higher toilet. I have to cut down on my reading time because my legs fall asleep too fast.The roll in shower was not a big deal as we don't take baths- just DW and I - and our bathroom floor was never flooded by the shower so I don't know what the problem other posters have experienced.

BTW, we only use studios so I don't know what the larger units are like.

 

[jaysue]

 

[Kim&Chris]

We had a HC studio at Hilton Head in early April.

The main difference is the roll-in shower. This is perfect for someone who depends on a wheelchair, but as a previous poster stated, most of the bathroom floor is a slick watery mess after a shower. I had to lay towels all over the floor to prevent anyone from falling. The toilet is higher, but that wasn't a big deal. There is no cabinet under the bathroom sink, which meant that all of our bathroom stuff had to be stored on top of the toilet tank.

Also, the beds are very low to the ground, enabling a handicapped person to easily move from his/her wheelchair onto the bed. This was not a big deal to us either.

All in all, there's really not that much difference between the two room types. However, I admit that I prefer a regular tub because I love to take baths.

 

[AEN]

We just had a HC room in BCV last week (#225). Our room didn't have a role in shower but did have two bars to assist a physically challenged individual while in the shower. That, along with the higher toilet were not the problems. The tougher things that we had to accomodate with was the shower head, which was the hose type, and the head kept pointing down. I had to jimmy it up to stay pointing outward. Also, there was really no bathroom vanity accomodations. The sink is designed that a person can pull right under it with their wheelchair. Also, there was no counter accomodations next to the bathroom sink. They have supports on the wall to assist an individual onto the toilet. It just became difficult figuring where to put the towel when in the shower, your toothbrush and toothpaste, hair accessories. You don't want to leave the towels on the floor since we have limited towels. Also, DW had to try to figure out where to put the hair dryer when it was plugged in. I think I would rather this room than a smoking though. I too would request out of both.

I hope this helps.

I am glad though that they have these accomodations for the physically challenged.

 

[KyBill]

As a DVC member who always asks for HC rooms, I find DVC to be completely inconsistant in how they perceive the needs of the HC.
1, They assume that HC persons have no toilet articles since they provide no space to put them other than a small shelf. This is also true of motel chains.
2. DVC is completely confused as to how to build their beds. At HH the beds are about a foot off the floor. At the sudios at OKW the beds are so high that when you sit on them your feet don't touch the floor. (And I am 6 feet tall). The 1 BR at OKW are OK. But at the new BCV in the 1 BR again they are about 1 foot off the floor.
3. Roll in showers are a joke.
4. They need to get a real HC person to design them.
5. And while on this subject. I only saw 2 HC parking spaces at BWV. How can that be ? I wonder how that compares to the # of HC units at BCV. ?
All that being said, if you are a WC user or ECV user, the 1 BR and up are the hands down choices at OKW compared to other DVC resorts.

 

[new_yawka]

We have not minded HCA rooms. We've had them at ASSp and at HHI (a 2BR lock off - the studio was HCA).

The main differences were lower bed and walk-in shower. For us is was a bonus, as our DS (3 at the time) was able to climb into his big bed. He felt like king of the hill!

It might be less comfortable for an adult, although we really did not mind it at ASSp.

 

[nhmomx2]

Wow...thank you all for your responses! I guess it's a personal call for the most part. Or one of those you'll have to see for yourself things. We do not require a HCA room, but I've seen so many postings stating "requested a not to have an HCA room" that my interest was piqued!

Thanks again...

 

[KNWVIKING]

.... I know nothing about HC room design but I'm curious to know if DVC/WDW builds them wrong out of ignorance or are they just following ADA guidelines. With all the rules and regs surrounding ADA it doesn't seem likely that a resort/hotel could just build what they feel a HC room should be. Seems they would have to follow some highly researched and approved blueprint.

 

[NancyDVC]

They are probably following ADA guidelines which are specific for many different situations. The toilet seat height is great if you have difficulty arising from a low seat (as many of us do as we get older). (I personally never understood why the bathroom industry made the standard toilet height lower in the first place.)
The ADA guidelines require a certain amount of turning radius for a wheelchair in an accessible space, as well as leg room under counters, space around doorways to allow access to door handles, lower peep holes to see out of entry doors, lower light switches etc. The ADA guidelines take up volumes and are very specific when it comes to the heights and space needs. I don't know what it says about bed heights for hotels etc.
As a physical therapist I come across similar questions from patients and families everyday. I have stayed in a HC unit at OKW and loved the height of the toilet but yes the shower did tend to get the floor wet. I did like the seat in the shower-great for shaving my legs!

 

[bbowers]

Originally posted by KNWVIKING
The only real complaint I have is the higher toilet. I have to cut down on my reading time because my legs fall asleep too fast.

Why did I know this was a man?????? ROTFLMAO

 

[TroyWDW]

I asked my wife about the ADA Title III Guidelines (part of her professional certification requires knowledge of this subject matter). Hopefully, I remember her answers correctly.

Re: Few handicap parking spaces at BWV:
Valet parking is an acceptable alternative to providing handicap spaces and it is provided free of charge at WDW. There could be zero handicap parking spaces if they wanted.

Re: Height of beds:
There does not appear to be any specific guideline on bed height. It's up to the designer and hence this probably explains the variety that people have noted. The ADA does require certain spacing around the bed to provide a clear path.

Re: Roll-in showers:
Hotels with greater than 50 rooms must have a few rooms with roll-in showers. Roughly 1% of the rooms are roll-in and 2% to 4% must have an accessible shower (grab bars, etc.). The ADA guidelines allow a lip-less roll-in shower to fit in the same space as a bathtub without requiring additional space for turning.

Re: ...curious to know if DVC/WDW builds them wrong out of ignorance or are they just following ADA guidelines:
The ADA guidelines are specific but do not cover every detail of the design of a space. The guidelines cover most public spaces and uses. It is a pretty broad area to try and legislate. Some of the guidelines are requirements, some are recommendations, and they are specified to be minimums. The majority of the guidelines deal with accessibility and maneuvering. There is no standard blueprint that must be followed. Just simple statements for a given turning radius, distance from a grab bar, ratio of special facilities to standard facilities, loudness of audible alarms, etc. The entire design process is left to the designer/architect to determine for the given environment.

Also remember the ADA guidelines have not been around for that long, so many buildings were built prior to the new construction requirements.

Hope this info helps answer some of the questions.

Troy

 

[KNWVIKING]

That was kinda the answer I suspected. I guess trying to build the perfect HC room is the same as trying to build the perfect non-HC room: You can't please all the people all the time. Some need a low bed,some need high.Same for toilets.

 

[SueM in MN]

That was kinda the answer I suspected. I guess trying to build the perfect HC room is the same as trying to build the perfect non-HC room: You can't please all the people all the time. Some need a low bed,some need high.Same for toilets.

You are right on that. The perfect HC room would depend on the needs of the person who will use it. Someone with paralyzed legs, but good upper body strength has a lot different needs than someone who, maybe had a stroke and has paralysis of one side of their body. And the needs of someone who has paralysis on the left side of their body are different than on the right - they would have needs for grab bars and space on opposite sides of the room/toilet. Also, someone who is independent has much different needs than someone who requires an assistant. Then there are people who are able to walk, but are a little unsteady. The HC rooms are trying to meet the needs of a wide range of people with a wide range of needs, so it's no wonder they are not perfect.

And, for the roll in showers, some are designed better than others. The drain and the slope of the floor have to be in just the right relationship for it to drain properly. Then, if the shower head is spraying out too far or spraying into a pool of water, you get more splash. I think they should give extra towels in the roll in shower rooms since you will need some for the floor.

 

[Pa@okw95]

I am with Dean on this one, I rather stay home then have one. They tried to stick me with one once, when I reacted they quickly changed their minds. YOU SHOULD NOT GET ONE UNLESS YOU REQUEST IT. THAT SHOULD BE RULE AT DVC AND ALL OF WDW FOR THAT MATTER.

 

[KNWVIKING]

"YOU SHOULD NOT GET ONE UNLESS YOU REQUEST IT. THAT SHOULD BE RULE AT DVC AND ALL OF WDW FOR THAT MATTER."

If there are no other rooms availible what should happen ? DVC is required by law to have a certain percentage of HC rooms. If HC guests aren't using them, and you call for a ressie, would you rather be told nothing is availible ? I also believe MS has to hold off booking HC rooms to non-HC guests as long as possible in the event an HC guest would call. Bottom line is that there is no easy answer. Either the room stays empty and someone doesn't get to stay at the resort when they wanted to or you simply grin and bear it as just part of life. Maybe one solution is that when you call MS, they could warn you in advance that all they are showing availible is HC and you could decide then what you want to do.

 

[Pa@okw95]

No grin and bearing it for me. I spend a lot of time in the resort and room area, the last thing I need is wet bathroom floor. There is far too much "grinning and bearing it" going on here. No one should have to grin and bear at these prices. A one bedroom runs about $450 per night give or take, let's not forget That is a lot of money to put up with a wet bathroom floor and the lack of a proper bath and shower area. This is suppose to be a resort.