Question about accesibility to rides

[Annam26]

I have been reading guides about accesibility to the rides, but I find that those which describe that "Guests have to transfer from whheelchair/ECV to the ride" aren't very explanatory.

For example, they say that you must transfer from wheelchair to ride for Maelstom. But on a another place I read that you must climb a couple of stairs to the ride. To me and those who can't walk at all this makes it "ambulatory"

I wish the guide on Disney's site would point out which rides had stairs to get to them.

I was at Epcot once for a day, and I had no problem riding Test Track. I also could get to Spaceship Earth (This one with my sister's help).

Could any one who has been to the parks plese tell me if there are many rides with steps?

Or wich require you to walk (even if it's a little bit?)

Also, even if I'm to old to do so, I'd love to ride Dumbo and the Tea Cups (just because I used to see them on TV all the time when I was little). How accesible are they?

And someone said that Space mountain (another one from childhood memories) was unaccesible for someone in a wheelchair.

I know that there are to many rides to list here, but any tip or personal experience anyone could share would be very appreciated.

 

[Talking Hands]

[/U]First we would need to know how far you could walk if at all. Can you transfer from the wheelchair if it can be brought to the ride vehicle? Can you stand and step down? Will you have someone to help you transfer?
MK
DUMBO - must be able to walk from entrance to ride vehicle and step in
TEACUPS - unsure, haven't ridden in a long time
SMALL WORLD - can stay in wheelchair, accessible boat
POOH - has a wheelchaiur accessible vehicle. Must transfer to a manual wheelchair if in an ECV but they normally allow my to stay in my electric wheelchair through the line and then I transfer to the ride vehicle.
PETER PAN - must be able to walk a few steps to get on. They do not stop the moving walkway on this one.
SNOW WHITE can bring wheelchair up to ride vehicle to transfer if necessary
HAUNTED MANSION will stop and allow you to bring wheelchair up to vehicle and transfer. You must tell them that you need this. They do not offer.
PIRATES must transfer to manual wheelchair and must be able to step down into the boat.
SLASH MOUNTAIN must be able to step into log
BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN must be able to step into ride vehicle
BUZZ LIGHTYEAR has a wheelchair accessible vehicle
TRANSIT AUTHORITY must be able to go up moving ramp and enter ride
SPACE MOUNTAIN must be able to step into ride. bucket seats below where you are standing
All shows are accessible

 

[Talking Hands]

MGM
TOWER OF TERROR manual chair and must be able to take a few steps into elevator
ROCK AND ROLLER COASTER manual wheelchair and transfer to vehicle
BACKSTAGE TOURwheelchair accessibe
STAR TOURS can bring wheelchair up to seat and you stand and transfer and then will bring chair back to you at the end on other side if you can walk or to the same side if you cannot. Pls let them know you need it brought back to you.
GREAT MOVIE RIDEwheelcahir accessible
All shows are accessible.

 

[Talking Hands]

EPCOT
SPACESHIP EARTH will bring wheelcahir up to ride vehicle and then you need to stand and transfer to vehicle
UNIVERSE OF ENERGY ELLEN RIDE wheelchair accessible
SOARINGtransfer to ride vehicle (not tried myself yet)
LISTEN TO THE LAND wheelchair accessible
IMAGINATION wheelcahir accessible
TEST TRACKmust transfer to vehicle.
LIVING SEAS completely accessible
MEXICO RIDE wheelchair boat
MAELSTROM must be able to step onto boat. Is a big step to get out. Will bring your wheelchair to you.
all shows are accessible

 

[Talking Hands]

ANIMAL KINGDOM
KALI RAPIDS must step down in to the ride from a stopped
SAFARI wheelchair accessible
DINOSAUR haven't ridden. my kids forbid me to ride it.
PRIMEVIL WHIRL haven't tried

All show are accessible

Remember that castmembers may not assist you on and off rides so if you need help transferring you will need an able bodied companion.

 

[SueM in MN]

[/U]TEACUPS - unsure, haven't ridden in a long time

I don't have time tonight to write much except to add to what Talking Hands wrote.
This is my daughter's experience, you have to be able to park your wheelchair outside the ride at the exit and walk (or in her case, be half carried) to the teacup. You are competing for teacups with ambulatory people getting in at the regular entrance. So, you might get almost all the way the a teacup and then someone else gets in. Also, when the ride stops, your teacup may not be close to the exit where your wheelchair is.

TRANSIT AUTHORITY must be able to go up moving ramp and enter ride

It's a steep ramp that goes up to a second floor level. When you leave, you have to go down the same ramp to get back to ground level.

There are not any rides that actually have what you would think of as steps or stairs. There are some rides where you have to step down into a boat. I think that might be what the other site was talking about when they talked about climbing steps.
Maestrom involves stepping down into a boat.

 

[BillSears]

Annam26,

I'm not sure what your situation is but I can give you my point of view on some of these rides. As a point of reference for you I'm a T8 paraplegic, I have no feeling or us of anything from my ribcage down. I'm 46 and have been using a chair for 28 years now.

Talking Hands has given an excellent breakdown of the rides from her perspective. I agree with most of them but I'll toss in a few differences for if you cannot walk but are good at transfers.

TEACUPS - I haven't riden this since the late 90s but at that time they would allow you to enter in via the exit with your wheelchair. I could then do a MAJOR transfer into the cup, partially dragging myself into the cup. Then when the ride stopped you had to position the chair as close to the teacup exit/entrance and if you were lucky the chair could get close enough to do another major trasfer back in. Otherwise you might have the apperatus for the ride blocking the opening and you'll have to drag yourself around the "saucer" for the teacup back to your chair. This ride is a major effort for me to get on and off of but it can be done.


PIRATES - As Talking Hands explains you will have to use a manual wheelchair to even get to the boat. But you don't really have to step down into it. You can trasfer/flop down onto the floor then slide yourself over the lip of the boat and board. Then at the exit you will have to transfer/pull yourself up about a steps worth of height to leave the boat, then the hard part you will have to transfer from the floor to the chair. Again alot of effort but I love Pirates so I do it every time I visit WDW. I do schedule this ride at the beginning of the day so I'm not worn out.

SLASH MOUNTAIN and SPACE MOUNTAIN are the same as Pirates in that you need to do the whole transfer down to a level that is at the floor then transfer back up to your chair at the end. I often will skip these but I still do them every now and then....I must be getting old cause when I was in my early 20s I never passed them up.

BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN - This is actually one of the easier transfers to do. Probably about the equivelent of transfering into the back seat of a compact car. As long as I have someone hold the Wheelchair steady I can do this one easily. Again no walking is involved if you're good at transfering.

DUMBO - I've never riden this. I've very surprised that you can't take a wheelchair up to the ride to do a transfer. I suspect you can but it may be decided by on a case by case basis. I know I have never been told that I couldn't take my wheelchair up to any ride vehicle at WDW and I've even managed the Carousel in my early 20s.(that was one heck of a transfer onto the horses back)

PETER PAN - I've riden this one before and I do not recommend it if you have to transfer. The CM stationed there encouraged me to try it even though I was hesitent. They told me they could slow the walkway down and that would give me plenty of time to transfer. Well just as we were getting ready to do it a woman exiting the ride walked right into the railing at the end of the moving walkway and they hit the panic button to stop the ride. As they did this we rushed on before the ride started. Getting off is easier and faster so I was able to make that transfer to leave but it was closer then I'd like.

I'll explain more in my next post.

 

[BillSears]

EPCOT, again just telling of my experiences on these rides in areas that differ from Talking Hands.

SPACESHIP EARTH - This is a tougher transfer then Big Thunder Mountain but it's doable. The hardest part for this one was getting my hips through the narrowopening and I think they may have widend it in recent years. Maybe it's as tough as transfering into a minivan.

TEST TRACK - This is about as easy as transfering into a normal car. Just request that you board at the special area for wheelchair guests and they will bring a car over to you at just about perfect height.

MAELSTROM - Another one of those down to the floor, into the boat back on the floor then transfer to your chair type of rides. It's not usually worth it to me but I've done it a couple of times.

MISSION SPACE - A little easier then Spaceship Earth and harder then Test Track. There is alot to grab onto when transfering in and out of this one and the seat is not too high up.

Body Wars(This also applies to Star Tours) - An easy transfer. If you can transfer from your chair into another chair sittiing right next to you then this should be a breeze.

I haven't riden Soarin yet so don't know.

The rest of EPCOT is easy.

 

[BillSears]

MGM-

TOWER OF TERROR - You can now transfer to this ride. The opening for the elevator used to be too narrow for my wheelchair to get close to the seat. This used to mean I had to drag myself to the ride then off the ride and transfer from the floor to the chair. On my last trip I was pleasently surprised to find out they had widened the opening and now I could take the chair right up to the seat and transfer. I mentioned this to a CM and he gave me the impression that they actually did this for wheelchair access.

STAR TOURS - Again it's just a transfer from one seat to another. You don't have to stand up if you can do a transfer.

ROCK N ROLLER COASTER - A transfer about as hard as Big Thunder Mountain. So about the same as the back seat of a compact car.


ANIMAL KINGDOM
KALI RAPIDS - Never done it because I hate sitting all day long in wet pants.

DINOSAUR - I've riden this once but I can't remember how hard it was. Probably pretty easy since it didn't stick in my mind.

PRIMEVIL WHIRL - Not too hard at all. I think they pulled a car off to the side for me and I made the transfer as easily as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.


Have a great trip and if you have any specific questions just ask. I'm sure someone here has the answers. These people are great.

 

[Annam26]

This is so helpful, thank you all for the information! I use a manual wheelchair. I can't stand, but I can use of my arms and upper body.

Have a great trip and if you have any specific questions just ask. I'm sure someone here has the answers. These people are great.

WORD, Bill.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

Best thread ever. Bumping it up because of VERY useful info!

N.E.D.

 

[Andrew Bichard]

BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN
TEST TRACK
TOWER OF TERROR
STAR TOURS
ROCK N ROLLER COASTER - A transfer about as hard as Big Thunder Mountain. So about the same as the back seat of a compact car.

Bill, you have convinced me to try some rides I haven'r ridden for years - since before I was using a wheelchair. I cannot stand up from sitting in my wheelchair easily and have little upper bodys strength so have difficulty pulling myself up.

I might just about be able to use a sliding board if the ride seat is around wheelchair height with an unobstructed opening. From memory, some of the rides you mention such as Test Track and Rock n Roller Coaster, the ride seat was much lower. I would be able to get in - but not out.

Have they improved access to these rides?

Andrew

 

[SueM in MN]

From memory, some of the rides you mention such as Test Track and Rock n Roller Coaster, the ride seat was much lower. I would be able to get in - but not out.

Have they improved access to these rides?

Andrew

Test Track seems to me to be about the height of the side of a bathtub. You have to get over the side and the seat is a bit lower than that. They do have a wheelchair load point (which you might already know about). The regular load point has the car below the level of where the riders are waiting, so it is a step down to the seat and another step down to the floor of the car. The alternate load area is at the "seat belt" check point and the track is at floor level there, so the car is up. They also have a grab bar that can be installed on request. Probably not a help getting out, but it was for getting DD in. The wheelchair is left at that point and you unload at the same place.
At the very least, you should be able to go to that area and "eyeball" a car so that you can judge whether you are able to get in and out.

I have not been to Rock 'n Roller Coasters (that sounded like one that would make me sick!). Does anyone know if they still have a "trial" car there for people who want to see whether or not they could get in and out, or a new car for people with disabilities?

 

[BillSears]

Andrew,

Have they improved access to these rides?

I don't think they have changed it for Rock and Roller but Test Track has a special boarding area that makes it easier and I do think the seat was at about a normal car seat height.

I hope it works out great for you. It's tough to try new things especially when it might involve disapointment. But you never really know until you try.

I do have a fair amount of upper body strength so our situations are abit different. Sue's explaination of it being equal to getting in and out of a tub might be the best way of looking at it.

For me the transfers for all of the coaster types involve a multi step proccess. I remove my footrests. Bring the chair straight in so the front of the chair is touching the side of the ride vehicle. Then I lift my legs over the side of the car. Then I slide forward so I'm sitting on the edge of the ride vehicle. Then it's an easy slide down into the seat. To get out I have my daughter bring the chair up to the side of the car. For me the chair must be facing the side of the car, not at any angle at all but straight in. I lift myself up to the edge of the car using whatever is handy to grab hold of, most rides have lots of solid railings. Then I reach behind me and slide myself back into the chair.

One thing I've noticed is on most of the coaster rides is that the seat is lower then your wheelchair but the side of the car is usually very close to the seat height of my wheelchair. So the transfer to the side then into my chair works well for me. The Rock and Roller coaster actually had a door on the car that would open up. I requested that they keep the door closed for me since the top of the door height was a much easier place to transfer in and out of.

Tower of Terror and Star Tours hopefully will be easy for you. The seats on them are very close to the height of my wheelchair seat. So they are fairly easy transfers. From what Ive heard I think Soarin is a similar transfer. I'll be trying it out this November.

 

[BillSears]

I have not been to Rock 'n Roller Coasters (that sounded like one that would make me sick!). Does anyone know if they still have a "trial" car there for people who want to see whether or not they could get in and out, or a new car for people with disabilities?

I think they do have a trial car. But from what I remeber the car is not at the same height as the actual ride. I vaguely remember that it was higher then the normal car. To me transfering up to the side then down to the seat would have been much harder then the real ride which had the side of the car at about wheelchair seat level.

 

[SueM in MN]

I think they do have a trial car. But from what I remeber the car is not at the same height as the actual ride. I vaguely remember that it was higher then the normal car. To me transfering up to the side then down to the seat would have been much harder then the real ride which had the side of the car at about wheelchair seat level.

I wonder if the difference might be that the trial car is sitting on the floor, as opposed to the real car which is sitting on a track that is built into the floor. It could be a minimal difference (like 6 inches) that would not make much difference to some people, but would be the difference between making a transfer or not to some people needing to transfer out of wheelchairs.

Your explanation of your transfer technique brought up a good point.
You may have to plan your strategy for getting in and out. If it's a new ride to you, your abilities changed or you got new equipment and you think it would be useful for you to watch people for a while, tell the CM that so they don't prepare to load you right away. Also, if the ride is a continous load ride and you need to stop or slow it, ask the CM if that is possible. If it's not, ask how long you have to transfer (I've heard on Rock 'N Roller Coaster you have 30 seconds).

 

[zaksmom]

Helped my son onto Soarin' several times. It was pretty easy. You can bring your wheelchair right up to the seats. They are about equal height as his wheelchair seat. With the wheelchair at an angle, it was very easy to pivot him into the ride seat. The seat has an extra belt that can go between the legs -- required for young children -- but worked great for my 21 year old son. Even though the chair was very supportive and he didn't slide, he felt more comfortable knowing he couldn't slide out. The right was smooth and they allowed us to be the first in the row going in so we had more time to load. Have fun!

 

[SueM in MN]

Here are some pictures of Soarin from www.wdwinfo.com. One of them shows a good picture of the "glider".

Deb Will's site also has some very good pictures that show the boarding area even better.

 

[4greatboys]

Lots of great info!! Thanks Bill!

 

[diswheels]

Hi! I am confused about the access to Universe of Energy. I have a motorised chair, but I am able to tranfer into the ride vechile. Do to this new rule about motorised wheelchairs on the ride, I am not sure if they will let me transfer.

Ashley