Brand new life in wheelchair: is a special room necessary?

[froggy flo]

Hi

My DS has a myositis, so far she could walk a bit but her condition has just worsened ans she presently has been in a wheelchair for 2 weeks.

It is the first time so we are not yet accustomed to this new way of life. We booked a 1bdr in SSR in August and just wonder : is it worth asking for a room for disabled people? Of course I would need access to the room via an elevator but her wheelchair is a small one (she weights 25 kg which is I believe 50 lbs?)

From your posts I understood there is more room in a disabled room around the furniture and a seat in the shower (at home we only use the bath and I carry her all day long...). I don't know how to use the mysterious restrooms...

Can you tell me more, Thanks.

PS Are such rooms always available when you ask for one?

 

[madenon]

Hi Froggy Flo,

I would definately ask for a handicapped accesible place. I've had a look at SSR, and with not stating that you'll need it, you really run the risk of getting something at 2nd floor with no elevator. There is some more room in those accomodations, from what I've read mostly because they plan a bit smarter with furniture. This will make it easier for her to get around. That won't only increase her holiday-fun, but also yours (not having to help her as much AND not worry upfront).

What does she need in the bathroom? Is she OK with a standard bathroom with grips, or does she need a roll in shower? If you don't know (yet); get a roll in. That's easier to use in many different ways, finding out which way works best for her and/or the person who might be helping her. You'll have to go through special reservations, and they'll block an accomodation for you right away (instead of taking bookings and wait untill the last moment to block).

A vacation normally will take more energy because of the new place and finding your way around with the wc. With her being new at this, it might take some more energy. Also the parks will take so much energy, they allready do if someone is healthy. Therefor it is even that more pleasant to have an accomodation that makes the stay as easie as possible. Ask for handicapped accomodation. She's intitled to it, an in this case with you all being still new to the wc and not knowing yet what to expect; rather be with and finding out next time you can do without, than go without and run into big problems. More even so with you coming from France, it's not like "oh well, didn't work out, we'll try it again next month". (know all about it, I'm flying in from Amsterdam in Sept )

Availability will off course vary, depending on other bookings. You could call SR first to ask if it is available at the time you want to go. I've had no problem when I booked mine (booked about 3,5 months before the actual trip, I'm going to ASMo), there were still plenty standard and preferred left.

Have you looked into flying with a wc allready? There are a lot of options to make her travel as comfortable as possible, but it does take some planning and is best to do it as quickly as possible.

Have fun!

 

[vonpluto]

Hi Froggy Flo,

I would definately ask for a handicapped accesible place. I've had a look at SSR, and with not stating that you'll need it, you really run the risk of getting something at 2nd floor with no elevator.

Technical point:
All floors at SSR have elevator access.

 

[madenon]

Technical point:
All floors at SSR have elevator access.

OMG, am I so not awake that I took the okw-info and considered it ssr? Woops! Time for a brain-transplant.

Frgooy Flo, did you find this link yet? http://allearsnet.com/acc/faq_ss.htm

 

[froggy flo]

Hi again

Thank you for your prompt answer.

I'm very familiar to Disney (we are DVC members), I'va been taking my vacation here for 10 years. The previous years I used to get a GAC and rent a stroller or my DD but then she could walk up to the park entrance. We also asked for assistance in the airport so that she wouldn't walk too long.

The only thing I never experienced so far was travelling all day long with an WC.

Is an equipped room the same number of points than a normal one? Do you need an official disability card (which I do not have because I need to submit to a commission and besides so far I hope her status will not be permanent provided we find proper medication.)?

 

[madenon]

Hi Froggy Flo,

did you read the FAQ yet at the top of this section of the board? It's full of great tips, including a link to a site which states per ride if she can enter it in her chair, if she has to transfer etc.

Airport assistence is great. They don't only make things easier, but because their time is valueble (if they can help me within 30 minutes instead of 60, they can also help someone else) I've allways been allowed (flights to Europe, Asia, Australia) to skip the lines at customs and go right through. That said, I haven't flown to the usa yet, so don't know how that'll turn out.

You don't need a disability card or anything, no need to prove that she needs this. She needs it, period. Easy isn't it? The price of a handicapped room at Value is the same as any other room, as is with all the other resorts I've checked out (from value up to deluxe), so with DVC I'ld think it's the same amount of points. I wouldn't be surprised if the ADA has some regulation in it stating that it isn't even allowed to price these accomodations higher than others, but that's where Sue's knowledge comes in handy.

If you have more questions, just feel free to talk to special reservations. I've talked to them a couple of times, and it seems that the CM's there aren't only more knowledgable (spelling?), but even nicer than the regular CM's.

 

[SueM in MN]

Is an equipped room the same number of points than a normal one?

it's the same amount of points. I wouldn't be surprised if the ADA has some regulation in it stating that it isn't even allowed to price these accomodations higher than others, but that's where Sue's knowledge comes in handy.

It is the same.
You are correct, madenon. It is against the law to charge more for a room just because the person needs a handicapped accessible room.

Do you need an official disability card (which I do not have because I need to submit to a commission and besides so far I hope her status will not be permanent provided we find proper medication.)?

You don't need anything. Do make sure to talk to the CM in Member Services (since you are a DVC member) and make sure they know what you need. If you do decide you need a fully wheelchair accessible room, they will check to make sure there is one available for the time you need it. If there is, it will actually be blocked and reserved for you. If there is not, they can give you information about which resorts do have them for the time you are going. Or, they can tell you what dates one would be available at SSR.

I have a 22 yr old daughter with cerebral palsy who has used a wheelchair since she was less than 3 yrs old.

My DH and I have stayed in a non-accessible SSR one bedroom when we were not with DD and have stayed in a fully wheelchair accessible one when she was with us. The size of the room, type of furniture and room arrangement were the very same in the handicapped and non-accessible room with a few exceptions.
The non-accessible room had a snack bar in the living room that is missing in the accessible room. The kitchen area has a little bigger opening into it and the arrangement of cabinets is slightly different to allow a wheelchair user to drive up to the sink.
The bed is a bit lower to make transfers easier. I am not positive, but the whirlpool tub might have been a few inches lower. The bathroom is where you will see differences. The fully accessible room has a higher seat toilet with grab bars next to it. The shower is a roll in shower with grab bars and a seat that folds down for showering. The showerhead is on a long hose and can either be placed into a holder that has adjustable height or it can be taken out of the holder and used as a handheld shower.

I think you need to look at whether or not the 'features' of a fully wheelchair accessible room will make your stay easier or not. Depending on your DD's needs, they may or may not.
When our DD was littler, we decided that some of the features (specifically the raised seat toilet) would make things harder for DD and for the rest of us. If you need the raised seat toilet, it is a wonderful thing and can make getting up from the toilet easier. But, if you don't need it for that purpose, the raised seat may be very inconvenient because the extra height makes it hard for people to rest their feet on the floor while sitting on the toilet. I am tall, with long legs (34 inch inseam) and it is a stretch to make my legs reach.
My DD is only 5 feet tall, so her feet are several inches off the ground while using it.
Now, we don't have a choice because DD is too big and heavy to lift into a tub, so we have to 'put up' with the raised seat toilet. The grab bars next to it are nice, but she would be more secure on a lower seat without grab bars.
Until DD was too heavy for us to put her into a tub, we just got a regular room and it worked out fine.
I have pictures of the wheelchair accessible SSR one bedroom, but have not had time to post them. I am very busy this summer, but hope to get them up this fall. I may be able to email some pictures to you if you want.

 

[froggy flo]

Hi again

Thanks for all this information. In fact the point about toilets make me think about accessible room again. A chair in the shower could be nice but higher toilets definitly no... I do not know how tall is 5 feet, I only know I am 5.5 and my DD fits with most attractions hight requirements, although she is 9 1/2 years old she looks less (especially in the US where children look older than in Europe I think.)

So maybe I'll stick with my current room, try it and decide next time if she hasn't recovered. She can't stand on her feet more than a few second because her knees hurt, which is why she is in a WC, otherwise her legs work perfectly well.

Now my new question is : do they rent specific"sand WC" in the water parks? If so, where shall I leave my own WC? I've seen such sand devices on Castaway Cay when I sailed on the Disney Magic.

Have a nice week-end in the Netherlands and in America too

 

[madenon]

Froggy, if you do stick with the current room; you can ask about getting an aid they've got so she can sit on a seat above the tub. That might be helpfull if it is hard for you to help her in and out of the tub. Lifting in and out of a tub can be heavy because of the low level, afterall. They are very simple aids that you can put in place and remove real easy, so you also can enjoy a bath (or get it out of the way if you don't like it) When calling Special Requests for my handicapped room, they told me these aids can be put in any room, handicapped or not. Don't know if you (and she) will need it nor like it, but the option is there.

Haven't got a clue about the beach-wc, but knowing Sue she'll have an answer for allmost any question.

How much time left before you're going?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

In the US the standard toilet is 13 inches (33 cm) while the taller ones (in accessible rooms) are 17 inches (43 cm) high.

Also, 5 feet = 60 inches = 152 cm. The factor to convert inches to cm is multiply inches by 2.54 (or divide cm by that to get inches).

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Sorry in advance for the brevity of this post, but if you want more information on WDW on wheels, this site might be of some use to you:

http://www.themouseonwheels.com/index.htm

It's still under construction, and there's very little on resorts yet, but the parks section is pretty much done and has details on ride boarding etc.

Good luck!