Getting Around

[LMC]

We are going on a couple of more disney visits this year and my son has outgrown the rental strollers. He has a genetic syndrome which has a broad spectrum of issues but the main issue I am concerned with is his ability to keep up with us all day. In the past, I have pushed him in a double rental stroller but this past October it was very evident that he was getting too big for those. Leaving the park and returning is not an option because with him and my other two kids it would take 1/2 a day just to get from point a to b. He does well if he can be pushed around.

Anyway, my question is, what is a viable alternative to the double stroller. I have never pushed a wheelchair before so I don't know if they are heavier or harder to steer. With three kids (ages 9yrs and under) my husband and I both are pushing something so I know at some point I will be pushing this particular child. I don't think he can control an electric cart; however, we thought about renting one and mom or dad could ride with him) We are not "commando" park parents; we take the day easy. When you have one special needs and two others, one being a hard to handle 3yo you have to take things in stride. We have done the all day park thing many times (this will be our 5 & 6 trips in 3 yrs) so I know it is not asking too much out of my DS if he can ride around in something. If he has to walk, we would never make it; we would be sitting down as much as we were on the go. So we are looking at doing the double stoller for him again, a wheelchair, or getting an electric cart and me or dad helping him ride it! Thanks for your input!
Lisa

 

[Sue & Co.]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but children cannot use ECV's and nor are they allowed to ride as a passenger on one. When we went in 2001 it was so hard at the end of the day when Jen was tired making her walk back to the front of the park whilst I was riding (we were at Epcot) but the rules are very specific. I think a wheelchair would be your best option.

Sue

 

[pampam]

A wheelchair shouldn't be too hard to push. My daughter uses one and I find it easy to use. Mind you, the older I get the slower I become. On flat pavement I can push it with one finger, because it is well balanced. Also it depends on the weight of the person in a wheelchair. She weighs 135 lb. I pushed a friend who weighed about 250 lb. and that was tiring. Also the monorail ramps are steep, but if you are not alone that won' t be a problem. You don't say where you are staying. Very often at the resorts there are complementary wheelchairs for guests to use on Disney property.

 

[Anne MN]

You don't say how old or big your DS is. I have been looking into strollers for one of my daughters. They are made by Babby jogger and are called the SNR 5 or the jr. These are specific for special needs older children and adults. The weight capacity goes to 150 lbs.

These are a spendy item! But if you know that it will be used long term, it might be worth wile to look into. ( cost is around $700-800)

You might want to give walker medical a call and see if they have these to rent. I have not done this yet. My DD is 9 and weighs 40 lbs. and 45 inches tall, so she can still fit in a normal stroller. I may call walker and see anyway. I would have to bring the other stroller anyway because we also have a 3 yr old that is not afraid of anything! she likes to go and play hide and seek in he store! stroller will be for her and she will have to be buckled!

 

[LMC]

$700-$800??? Whew! Don't think I'll be buying one of those. DS is about 75 pounds. If we bring our own ECV to Disney why would they have a problem with son catching a ride with one of us adults? I could see where they wouldn't want you doubling up on their equipment but if it is not theirs then why would they care? We will be at FW. If we get a wheelchair there can we take it to the parks? We usually catch the boat over to MK. If all else fails, then I go back to the double rental stroller for him and the other two can share a stroller.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Originally posted by LMC
If we bring our own ECV to Disney why would they have a problem with son catching a ride with one of us adults? I could see where they wouldn't want you doubling up on their equipment but if it is not theirs then why would they care?

I think basically the problem is access to the controls of the ECV. Whether the ECV is your own property or a rental, if you have a child (especially about 75 pounds) riding on your lap he could accidentally jam the control lever. That wil cause you to either run into people (at a high speed) or crash into something solid.

Effectively you would have your (9 year old?) son driving a motor vehicle in a crowded area! I just hope that if you do this you have a lot of personal liability insurance. Note if you have a rental ECV it would be grounds for cancellation of the contract (on the spot) and forfeiture of anything you had paid. You could even be ejected from the park.

 

[Sarahsmom85]

letting a child ride double on an ECV is very dangerous. Especially in a crowded park. ECV are designed to be ridden by one person.
I was wondering if you could bring a wagon. I see people taking them to our local 6 flags. I can hold a large child and they can take a nap when tired.
Otherwise I'd thnk about a wheelchair. They are very easy to push with a 75 lb child in it. If you do take use one, make yourself a sack for the back. make it the size of a pillow case. Put two loops in each corner and hand it on back of the chair. You can hold a whole lot of stuff back there.

 

[LMC]

So they let wagons in at WDW?
I guess the parks rent wheelchairs? (If you are lucky enough to get one). Or, can I get one from our resort and take it to the park or are they limited to resort use only?

 

[McCall]

Originally posted by LMC
So they let wagons in at WDW?
I guess the parks rent wheelchairs? (If you are lucky enough to get one). Or, can I get one from our resort and take it to park

some of the resorts have them but they are sometimes in awful shape.
you can rent off site and have it delivered and picked up at your resort might be your best bet to get something good.

 

[dj2]

Originally posted by LMC
can I get one from our resort and take it to the park or are they limited to resort use only?

yes. if you get a wc from your resort, you can take it to any WDW location. we had a very good experience in june 2004 using one from POR. it was in excellent shape, and it came with a lock and chain for when we felt we needed the extra security when parking it outside.

dj

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES.

To answer some of the questions that came up:

• 
  1) WDW doesn't rent wagons and you are not allowed to bring wagons int0 the parks. The reason is that they are low to the ground, so others don't notice them and since you are pulling them, you can't see where they are. This becomes a danger for other guests.
  2) Riding with someone on an ecv is dangerous (and, like others said, not allowed on rented ecvs). I have seen ecvs go out of control because a child inadvertently bumped the control. No one under 18 is allowed to drive them, and even if they were, a child who has never driven one before would have difficulty. People tend to move in front of you without noticing you while you are driving.
  3) The bigger strollers that were mentioned are often referred to as Special Needs Strollers. Some are designed like arge umbrella strollers, some more like joggers. If a medical issue would make one sometimes useful for you, insurance will often buy one for the child. I know of people who have received one with children with Down's Syndome, autism and sensory integration isues, for example.
  4) You can rent Special Needs Strollers. These are the places I've been told rent them.
  Care Medical:
  http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/
  Phone (407) 856-2273 • Toll Free U.S and Canada (800) 741-2282
  
  Colonial Medical
  http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html
  (800)747-0246
  
  http://www.all-about-kids.com/main.htm
  The first 2 also rent pediatric wheelchairs and smaller, lightweight wheelchairs with small wheels (Those are usually called "transport chairs" because they are meant to be pushed, not propelled by the person who is riding in it).
  5) The Disney resorts do have a limited number of wheelchairs available on a "first-come, first served basis". Some people have reported very good luck with these and others have reported there were no wheelchairs available when they asked, or the one that was, didn't meet their needs (like only exta-wide available when they needed extra small. Disney will try to get a more suitable one, but people have reported the time to get one can range from a few minutes to a few days. They have a very limited number of pediatric wheelchairs available.
  6) The park rental and resort wheelchairs are not the lightweight models that people who own their own wheelchairs usually have); for example, my DD's wheelchair weighs about 30 pounds total.
  They are heavy duty (and quite heavy), probably on the order of 60 pounds for the chair. It can get tiring to push those, especially in busy places, like MK and hilly places like AK.
  7) You didn't say how old or big your child is, but they do have 2 sizes of strollers at the parks (at least according to CMs who post about them on the boards). So, it might be that you have had the smaller size. The larget one reportedly holds up to a small 12 yr old.

 

[LMC]

Thanks for all the info SueM. Although my child's genetic syndrome can be likened to that of down syndrome, the health insurance company won't cover half of what the doctor's and I feel are necessary treatments so I am sure they won't get me a special stroller. There are fewer than 400 people worldwide with it and I guess until it is more widely recognized the health insurer will fight us on everything. When I describe it to people I say it is sort of like DS (with the muscle tone problems), he also has sensory integration dysfunction, autistic tendencies,etc. But to look at him, unless you had a degree in genetics, you probably couldn't guess he had any issues. I will check out the companies you suggested just in case we decide to get a rental while we are there. I think I may get him the double rental stroller for himself (The other two kids will have to share theirs) and if it doesn't work then I'll try the LIGHTWEIGHT wheelchair. I don't think I could push a 60 pound chair w/ a 75 pound child in it! Thanks again! and, I don't like the wagon idea either; the thought of dragging something behind me in a crowd like that makes me nervous!

 

[SueM in MN]

Don't give up entirely on getting a special needs stroller from your insurance.

One trick with insurance companies is to have make sure that the letter of neccessity lists the reason why the equipment is needed is the symptom that it's going to help with (like "hypotonic muscle tone due to ___ syndrome which causes fatigue") rather than just listing the syndrome as the reason he needs the equipment. A lot of times the person receiving the claim has never heard of the condition and just denies it because of that (that doesn't sound like it happens, but I know from people I work with that it sometimes does).

Another thing most insurance companies count on is that, if they say no, most people don't file an appeal. I've read, something less than 40% of people file an appeal. It sometimes takes several appeals to get equipment, especially if it's a condition the person receiving the claim has never heard of. (Can you guess I work in the Quality Management Department of a hospital? I don't deal with insurance, but the other people in my office do. Often they get claims denied because the insurer wants more information, but instead of telling what it is that's needed, they just deny the claim!)