Extra Wide Wheelchair-- Access?

[Mom-2-2Princesses]

Hi everyone,

We are travelling in April with my dad, who is now in a wheelchair pretty much full time. For a variety of reasons, his wheelchair is the "extra-wide" or "extra-large" size (I'm not sure what the proper term is), and while I did find the list of rides/attractions for which he can remain in the manual chair, I can't figure out if the larger size of the chair will be an issue. I'm not concerned about the shows, but I'm thinking more of the queues and of the rides (like Small World and Pooh, where we could theoretically push him in his chair right into the ride vehicle). If anyone has any insight into this, I would appreciate it.

TIA!

 

[cobright]

Gonna have to know more before anyone can post anything close to definitive. Need to know the width of the chair, 'rim to rim', meaning from the side of each wheel when it is fully extended (assumes it folds up). If you don't know that offhand or cant measure it, the make and model of the chair... or the seat width will get me close enough to make some educated guesses.

Extra-wide chairs seem to have a seat width from 20 inches to 30 inches. A chair with a 20 inch seat will probably have a RtR width of 31" when open. This is unlikely to cause a problem in most queues. The widest wheelchair I can find is still less than 36" RtR, so it can fit through accessible doorways. My friend's powerchair is 24" wide and I can't think of a line that left her with less than a foot of wiggle room at the tightest point. Most of it we travel side by side.

 

[mamabunny]

As long as it fits in the "Disney box" - The rectangle, painted white, on the ground at Resort bus stops - there should be no problem. The maximum allowable size (the size of the box) is 36 inches wide by 52 inches long.

As far as rides where he can *use* (stay in) his chair, here is the current list from Disney's website. If he can stand up and walk a few steps, (and go up and down stairs) he will pretty much be able to do anything he wants to.

 

[WonderlandisReality]

Following. My girls have a double pediatric adaptive stroller. Rim to rim is exactly 36". I have been more concerned about hotel room door width/elevator door width. With width of ride queues a close second.

 

[redberyl]

Following. My girls have a double pediatric adaptive stroller. Rim to rim is exactly 36". I have been more concerned about hotel room door width/elevator door width. With width of ride queues a close second.

I'e never seen a double adaptive stroller. What is it called and where did you get it? Thanks

 

[SueM in MN]

As long as it fits in the "Disney box" - The rectangle, painted white, on the ground at Resort bus stops - there should be no problem. The maximum allowable size (the size of the box) is 36 inches wide by 52 inches long.

As far as rides where he can *use* (stay in) his chair, here is the current list from Disney's website. If he can stand up and walk a few steps, (and go up and down stairs) he will pretty much be able to do anything he wants to.

Some of the ‘ride on’ wheelchair cars are tighter than others and could be an issue even with a chair that is within the size limits.
Follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread. Page 2 has some further info about size.

 

[WonderlandisReality]

I'e never seen a double adaptive stroller. What is it called and where did you get it? Thanks

We have a double Maclaren Major Elite. It was made by a company in the UK.
Ottobock also makes a twin tandem bit it is really expensive.

 

[Bete]

Could you use a smaller wheelchair for the trip?

It might help not only in ride queues but pushing a lighter wheelchair will be easier. There are portable travel wheelchairs that weigh 15 pounds or so.

The average trek at the parks is about 6 miles a day.

 

[mamabunny]

Could you use a smaller wheelchair for the trip?

It might help not only in ride queues but pushing a lighter wheelchair will be easier. There are portable travel wheelchairs that weigh 15 pounds or so.

The average trek at the parks is about 6 miles a day.

@Bete: I too thought about that as a possible solution for the OP, but having sat in a "standard" size chair all day, when I truly need to be in a larger chair (because, I am a self-admitted 3L: Large Lovely Lady) I can tell you that my hips, my lower back, and even my shoulders all hurt at the end of that one miserable day.

If someone truly needs the larger width of a bariatric chair (for any reason), "squishing" into a standard width is a recipe for pain and discomfort in fairly short order.

There are lighter weight bariatric chairs, and bariatric travel chairs, however, in the OPs shoes, I would want to have Dad try out any chair that he wasn't used to prior to the trip, so that you knew for sure he would be comfortable at the end of a "Disney Day".

 

[Erin Martin]

Following! I plan on taking my parents to WDW in a few years and they will both need wide wheelchairs. I've too been concerned about rides and everything. Anyone know where a good place is to rent them from? Looking for motorized ones.

 

[SueM in MN]

Could you use a smaller wheelchair for the trip?

It might help not only in ride queues but pushing a lighter wheelchair will be easier. There are portable travel wheelchairs that weigh 15 pounds or so.

The average trek at the parks is about 6 miles a day.

Even though small and light sounds better, there are other things that might be good to think about.
Even with an extra wide bariatric travel or transport wheelchair, one of the issues with the ‘travel’ type ones is the small wheels. On a wheelchair, whatever weight is in the chair is supported by the amount of the wheel that is in contact with the ground. The small wheels might each have only 2 inches on ground contact - so total of 8 inches. Each of the larger wheels on a wheelchair might have 8 inches of contact, so the total contact on a wheelchair with larger tires could be 20 inches. Larger wheels are easier to push.

Even with a bariatric size transport chair, the seat might not be that comfortable. They are designed to be easy to fold and for short term transport, not necessarily comfort.

Following! I plan on taking my parents to WDW in a few years and they will both need wide wheelchairs. I've too been concerned about rides and everything. Anyone know where a good place is to rent them from? Looking for motorized ones.

If you are asking about power wheelchairs (controlled with a joystick, please be aware that the companies that rent them usually only rent to people who have experience driving them. They look easy to drive, but there is a longer learning curve to learn to control them compared to an ECV since the joystick controls everything.

ECVs or power mobility scooters are much easier to control since steering is much more similar to using a bike or a steering wheel.
You can find information (links and contact info) in post 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. That thread is near the top of this board or you can follow the link in my signature.