keishashadow said:
It's official, my DS will still be restricted in his walking when we visit WDW/DCL in Dec. He is able to stand and can walk a limited distance, but is supposed to wear his removeable ortho boot. Have a few additional questions, hope you can help:
1) On Dr's advice, we'll be taking a transport chair for him. We'll be staying @ the VWL and plan on using the boat. Will they allow it onboard. We'd be folding it up & he'd be sitting in a seat.
You can bring it aboard the boats. You don't need to fold it if you don't want to. If it's hard to fold, it may be easier to just have him get out and then lift it on board. They do have portable ramps so you can wheel it right on it you want. Sometimes the distance between the dock and the boat is OK to roll on, sometimes it's not - it depends on the water level.
2) On the buses, is it allowed to fold up the chair & haul it on board?
If you haven't already done so, check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread stuck near the top of this board. You can fold the chair and bring it on board the bus or you can use the back door lift or ramp to bring it on. If it's not folded, they will probably ancor it down with wheelchair tiedowns. Transport chairs are not meant for riding in while in a bus thoug, so even if they tie it down, he should sit in a seat rather than the chair.
3) If we drive to the parks, should we use the handicapped parking. If so, what is the procedure for this.
If the transport chair folds up easily and small enough to hold on the tram and your son is able to walk a few steps and step up to get onto the tram, then you might actually be better off just using the regular parking lots. There is no tram service from the handicapped lots to the park entrance. The closest spots in the handicapped lots require a state issued handicapped parking permit (they have either a handicapped sign, a wheelchair symbol or blue painted lines). If you park in those spots without a handicapped parking permit, it is possible to get a ticket. You can ask his doctor about getting a temporary permit or tell the CM (each one you come to in the parking lot) that you have a wheelchair, but don't have a handicaped parking permit. They should direct you to a place where you can park.
4) Will he be allowed on the more vigorous rides with his boot? He could take it off to enter the ride vehicle, but then we'd have to leave the boot in the chair - hope no one would take it.
WDW used to have a FAQs page on their disability information that addressed full leg casts; that page is no longer there, but it basically listed rides that had more room for the cast, rather than any restrictions.
WDW lists the rides that are more "wild" and then it's up to you (along with his doctor's advice) whether or not to ride. An arm cast would probably be more of a problem than something on the leg (because the cast may interfere with the person's ability to grab and hold on; also it could hit other people if the person's arms fly).
It would probably be better to have the boot on to provide support while he's getting on and off and to prevent his foot/ankle from hitting the ride car as he's riding.
5) Should I request a letter from one of his Dr's to obtain a GAC or will it be self-evident to the CM's?
You don't need a letter from the doctor to get a GAC (if you haven't seen it, there is information about the GAC in the disABILITIES FAQs thread). In general, people with wheeelchairs don't need a GAC, unless they have other needs that are not evident to the CMs. Most lines/attractions are wheelchair accessible. The CMs should see that he has a boot and that you have a transport chair, not a stroller, and direct you toward the accessible spot if wheelchair users don't board at the regular spot. If the transport chair is small and might get mistaken for a stroller (or your son is very young, so they might just assume it's a stroller), you may need a GAC (just in case the CMs don't recognize it's a wheelchair).
My main question(s) revolve around what we do with the chair when we arrive @ an attraction. I assume we can push him up to where you actually board the ride...but what happens to the chair? At some locations, you get off @ a different place than where you board. Will the CM let you leave it there & retreive it afterwards?
The disABILITIES FAQs thread has a link to a thread about rides with moving walkways and a link to the official Disney Guidebooks for Guests with Disabilities.
You can push a wheelchair up to the boarding area - if he can walk 20 feet, they might have you park it 20 feet away. If he needs it closer, the chair can be brought right up to where you board (like my DD can't walk; we bring her wheelchair right up to the ride car).
The way they usually handle the locations where you enter in one place and exit in another is to have people with wheelchairs board at the exit. Usually, you wait in the regular line until you get quite close to the regular boarding area. At that point, there is usually either a gate/chained area with a wheelchair symbol or there is a CM there who will direct you to the correct place for boarding.
For attractions where boarding is on one side of a track and the exit is on the other, it is either set up to have wheelchair users board on the exit side (an example would be Small World) or a CM moves your chair to the exit while you are riding (examples: Barnstormer, Test Track, Maelstrom in Norway). On some attractions (like Pirates) you get out of the wheelchair and your wheelchair is lifted by the CM into the ride car with you.
If we park the chair in the stroller area outside an attraction (ex. Peter Pan); do I have to worry about theft?
Park rental wheelchairs and strollers are the most often taken. It may be because they all look alike and people don't look carefully enough when they come out. It may be because people figure if they take one, the original user can use their receipt to go get another. Personal wheelchairs are usually left alone (at least in my experience and reading).
one thing to be aware of - if you do leave it with the strollers, the CMs may move it to keep the area tidy, so it may not be in exactly the same place as you left it.
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