Question About Wheelchairs

[Cory's Gal]

We are going to Disney in January with my Dad who will have just had a procedure on his foot. He will be able to still wear his regular shoes but shouldn't be walking all day on it. We are going to rent him a wheelchair but he will be able to stand and wait in line and walk short distances for shows, etc... Can we just leave the wheelchair out by the stroller parking while we enjoy the attractions? Thanks so much!

Beth

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Short answer: Yup!

Long answer: Yes you can, but, depending on what constitutes a "short distance" you might want to consider taking the chair through the queues (most lines are w/c accesible now).

 

[Cory's Gal]

Thanks!! We are hoping going in January that there won't be much waiting and he will want to walk some, but it's good to know that he can take the chair through certain queues, how do I know which ones can accomodate the chair?

 

[OneLittleSpark]

The majority of rides have mainstream queueing for wheelchairs, though in a number of them you will be pulled off towards the end of the queue to load at the exit (so that the chair is waiting for you). For those rides that don't have mainstream queueing there will normally be a wheelchair sign, indicating the alternative entrance, and there will always be a Cast Member around to answer any questions.

Have a great time

 

[Cory's Gal]

Thanks so much OneLittleSpark!! Your advice is appreciated!

Beth

 

[OneLittleSpark]

No problem, just glad I could help. Just a thought, I don't know the specifics of your father's problem, but if you feel he might have difficulty with boarding and disembarking from rides with moving walkways, this thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=273092&perpage=15 might help.

Have a great time, all of you!

 

[emmad1973]

We just got back from dw - My mum is similar she can walk short distances butr cannot stand for long periods of time. Most rides she could go right up to the ride in her chair and then swap into the ride. We also found that we didn't have to stand in line for a lot of the rides - we started calling her our Nanny fast pass

 

[SueM in MN]

Most of the lines are wheelchair accessible and the wait in line for someone using a wheelchair will be similar to people not using wheelchairs. Those lines are called "Mainstream Lines" and AK and MGM were built with almost all Mainstream lines. For the few lines that are not wheelchair accessible, there will be an alternate way to get into the attraction.
If you check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there is a link to the official WDW Guidebooks for Guests with Disabilities. The "mobility" link has a list of the attractions that are fully wheelchair accessible. There are some attractions where a wheelchair can go into the attraction, but the line is not ECV accessible. There will be a sign at the entrance to the queue that advises how accessible an attraction is - there is also an icon on the park maps that lets you know the same information. A wheelchair symbol means the attraction and queue are fully wheelchair accessible and you will wait in the same line and for the same time as everyone else. A symbol of a person on an ECV driving toward a wheelchair means it is wheelchair accessible, but not ECV accessible. A symbol with someone getting out of the wheelchair means you must get out and board a ride car. A little stick person walking with a cane means you must be ambulatory to experience the attraction.

The disABILITIES FAQs thread also has some links to helpful past threads. One of the biggest things to check out has already been mentioned - before walking into a line, find out from the CM how far you will need to walk before boarding (even with a 5 minute posted wait time, you will walk a LONG way to get from the entrance to boarding for the Safari and A Bug's Life at AK).

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Just to add, if the attraction is not ECV accessible but is w/c accessible, you can park the ECV up and transfer into one of their chairs for the attraction, then return to your ECV and carry on rolling

 

[Mickiethepooh]

One more thing, you can pick up HC access brochures for all the parks at guest services it tells you which rides are accessible and how they are accessible and the HC restrooms etc.

 

[SueM in MN]

One more thing, you can pick up HC access brochures for all the parks at guest services it tells you which rides are accessible and how they are accessible and the HC restrooms etc.

You can also get the text from them by following one of the links in the disABILITIES FAQs thread.