Zero Entry Pools

[autumnblue]

I'm just wondering what kind of experiences wheelchair users have had with the zero entry pools. CSR says they have them at Poly AKL and Grand Floridian.


Autumnblue

Wish one of the moderates had one!

 

[Michigan]

We haven't used the zero entry pools at WDW but my oldest DD's elementary school had one. She would just roll down the ramp in a chair that the school provided, they were basically old hospital chairs that they didn't care if they got wet. However WDW has pool chairs made from PVC and I think someone has to puch you in. Now that DD is in middle school the pool floor goes up and the water goes under the floor once everyone is in the floor is lowered and the water goes back in.

The moderates have medical steps that you park your chair on the side of slide over on and do the butt bump while holding on to the rail with one hand and the step with the other.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

ARRRGGGGGG!!!!!!! Zero-entry pools!! I had a thread about this topic a couple of months back ...

We had major problems at Animal Kingdom Lodge with their "zero-entry" pool. I went in May to AKL with my friend who uses a power wheelchair, and she can't walk at all (she has a very rare disorder called Friedreich's Ataxia). We got a manual wheelchair from Animal Kingdom Lodge and used it to get her into the pool, which worked okay. Wasn't the smoothest process, but she got into the water. Right after, the lifeguards came and said we can't do that with an AKL wheelchair, since it could rust and be ruined. They had no PVC wheelchair at that time. We were told we could only use the zero-entry ramp with our own wheelchair, but we only had the power chair - not like we always bring spare wheelchairs everywhere we go! So we had to use the medical stairs instead, which was basically dragging my friend up and down the stone steps. Very tedious process for someone who can't walk. But my friend told the front desk at AKL how useless the zero-entry was, and she was told they would get a PVC wheelchair very soon. That was in May, so I sure hope they meant it and did get the PVC wheelchair by now!

AKL was very new at the time we went, so we knew we would be some of the first people to test these wheelchair-related issues.

Oh well, we had some major problems, but hopefully some of these problems have been solved by now!

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[autumnblue]

I know all about being dragged up and down stairs . I was really excited when I heard about the new pools but It sounds like they are still working the kinks out. From what I understand there is currently a PVC chair at the Poly and the ANimal Kingdom chair sounds like it is still on order. Thank you for your help.


Autumnblue

 

[SueM in MN]

We never did get to one of the zero entry pools to look at it. The other thing someone else mentiones was that there was not a handrail for someone to walk down the zero entry part if they could walk, but were not steady and couldn't do stairs. I would be able to carry my DD in or walk her (totally supporting her weight) if there was a handrail to steady us on.
I don't have time right now to search for the other post, but hope to find it and post a link tomorrow.

 

[Julia H.]

We used the zero entry pool at the Polynesian in early August. They did have a pvc chair, which they keep under a lifeguard stand, where it's readily available.

Since we have two teens in wheelchairs, I called in advance and asked how many of the water chairs they have. The Polynesian only has one, but Cindy in Recreation volunteered to borrow one from the Grand Floridian for the duration of our stay. The only problem we had was that the chairs are meant for adults, so they were pretty uncomfortable for the girls--especially since they don't have sitting balance and are fairly stiff--but we managed. And it was so great to get them into the pool! They've gotten too big for me to carry in. We experimented with floating them out of the chairs once we got into water deep enough vs. keeping them in the chairs, which tend to float. What seemed most comfortable for them was for me or my husband to sit in the chair and hold one of them on our lap and kind of drift around.

Oh, the other problem we had was that we vacationed during Tropical Storm Barry, so we only managed to find one day that we could get into the pool and, even then, we got called out for the worst storm I can remember getting caught in. Bamboo and tree limbs were crashing around us as we made a dash for our longhouse. Boy, did I wish the girls' motorized chairs went faster!

Anyway, even if AKL doesn't have their chair yet, there is a precedent to borrow one from another resort.