My ecv/scooter experience this week

[DBMC]

Thanks for your observations. I thought it was a great post & reminders. Did give me a giggle because it reminded me of these 2 women I encountered in line at the Toy Story ride. Unfortunitly they were abusing the scooters. They should not have even rented them because they both were fully capable of walking. They were in there early 60's I guess and were one behing the other in line, directly behind me. The one in the back had no experience I am sure because the other kept yelling at her how to drive one! At one point the line moved up a bit and the scooter in the back totally rammed the front scooter right into the back of my foot. If they were truely handicapped in any way, it would have NOT bothered me 1 bit. But they were obviously abusing the scooter and using them when not needed.(I saw them several times over the trip in different parks so I am OK making that assesment) Do you think the women could have apoligized to me? NOPE! They just pretended I wasn't hit. Felt like ripping their heads off. It really hurt! I really think DIsney should require some kind of Dr note or something when renting scooters out. I also saw another family with a wheelchair rotating pushing each other around goofing off as they were going around the park. Many people really need these scooters/wheelchairs and others are taking them when not needed.

This^ is what has me scared to rent an ECV. I am in my mid twenties, and look perfectly normal. But I have a condition that makes my HR go too fast. I get fatigued very easily. I am going on a 5 day disney trip with my whole family, and I don't want to feel horrible the whole time, but I also don't want to feel like I can't get up and walk when I can without being judged. I was also wanting to take turns with my husband who has disc problems. I know I should not care what other people think, but I get embarrassed really easy. This post just made me even more nervous.

 

[POOHsie]

People who post here do so anonymously, and I think they exaggerate and sometimes outright lie. Maybe the lady got bumped into, maybe it hurt and maybe not. Maybe she took a step backward and didn't realize the scooter was there. Scooter people are always blamed in a collision, I think because of the idea that scooter people are old and therefore, have lesser faculties. (which is bs) There is no law anywhere if you use a scooter or wheelchair that you are obligated to sit in it all day. Our doctors would prefer us to be walking some as opposed to sedentary.

If you follow the illogic of the post you highlighted, you should only have a scooter or wheelchair if you look handicapped and stay in the thing 24/7. I have read countless posts of people who would try to walk some, and their party would have the scooter or wheelchair with them for when it was needed. Meanwhile, somebody able-bodied needs to push it around the park, somehow. It sure won't move itself.

So, duh, these people are talking out of their (cousin of donkey). You can ignore them. If you have heart problems, you don't mess around. Especially in the Florida heat. I can almost bet you in advance that no one at WDW will say a thing or give you a second glance. It's mostly on the internet that this secret disdain for people reveals itself, and it's just made-up drama. Sad.

Have a great and memorable trip!

 

[DBMC]

Thank you, your post made me laugh. (cousin of donkey hehe) I know I am being too sensitive. It's just that I have been really stressing over it already and wasn't expecting to see that in a thread like this and I let myself get upset.

I'm actually going to Disneyland. I always forget it's not the only disney

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

Please ask yourself the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are traveling with, such as your family, know you are disabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probably No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!

And if you check out Post #14 of the disABILITIES FAQs we have information there about Disneyland, including off-site locations for wheelchair or ECV rental. To get directly to the disABILITIES FAQs just click on the link in my signature.

 

[DBMC]

Thanks! I was wondering why I couldn't find any info about Disneyland in the FAQs, I must have scrolled past that post lol

And thanks for the questions list. I'm really working on not worrying about what other people think.

 

[Purplelv93]

I am in my 30s and use a scooter because I have Pompe Disease (Muscular Dystrophy). I live in the Orlando area and love visiting the theme parks and without my scooter I would not be able to enjoy them - or much of anything else.

There will always be looks, but they may not be as "dirty" as you think. Someone pointed out that people are sometimes just tired. Just ignore the looks and have a good time. Enjoy the freedom and independence the wheels give you.

I have taken my scooter to Europe twice this year, and believe me it is a lot less common to see one there than at WDW. I write a patient advocacy blog and there are some "Accessible Travel" entries about WDW and the Disney Cruise Line.

There is so much you can see and do, so have wheels will travel!

 

[POOHsie]

Thank you, your post made me laugh. (cousin of donkey hehe) I know I am being too sensitive. It's just that I have been really stressing over it already and wasn't expecting to see that in a thread like this and I let myself get upset.

I'm actually going to Disneyland. I always forget it's not the only disney

I am a great one for worrying in advance. Maybe you are worried because you haven't been in this situation before. It won't take long before you will get your confidence on the scooter. I mean, like, minutes. And practice always having a huge smile on your face at all times. This melts the ice when you are exposed to so many strangers in one place. BTW, I have had my own scooter for 6 years.

After my heart attack, the heart doctor told me to try to relax more, to sit and contemplate the birds and the butterflies and the beauty of the flowers. That was 12 years ago, and it's still good advice. Relax - because it's good for your heart.

 

[DBMC]

Thanks so much for the encouragement! I tend to be a super planner, so not knowing what to expect scares me. I definitely need to relax. It's really nice to talk to people that have experience. It is hard talking to my family about it because they are not the ones that have to do it, so I feel like they don't understand my fears about it.

 

[POOHsie]

Thanks so much for the encouragement! I tend to be a super planner, so not knowing what to expect scares me. I definitely need to relax. It's really nice to talk to people that have experience. It is hard talking to my family about it because they are not the ones that have to do it, so I feel like they don't understand my fears about it.

As you gain in age, your fears should subside. You will have more life experiences under your belt, so you will have more confidence. The pinnacle of my fears was when I was pregnant with my child. I was so worried I used to chew ice cubes all day and night, every day. The minute she was born, I just had a revelation to myself that everything would be alright. And I never felt the need to chew ice cubes again. (note, some people told me I did this because of iron deficiency, who knows!)

 

[KPeveler]

Thanks so much for the encouragement! I tend to be a super planner, so not knowing what to expect scares me. I definitely need to relax. It's really nice to talk to people that have experience. It is hard talking to my family about it because they are not the ones that have to do it, so I feel like they don't understand my fears about it.

Its important to remember that you are at the Happiest Place on Earth and poo on other people! So long as you do not break any rules and are courteous, its fine. If you need to stop and get something out of a bag or something, try to pull to the side of the pathway (just polite ) and avoid having family discussions about where to eat lunch on curb cuts, and you will be fine!

I have a $5000 custom manual chair and an uber-custom powerchair that I tour Disney in regularly. And I STILL occasionally encounter stupid people who think I am making up my illness. I just pity them that they have taken such a sour outlook in Disney. They are paying a fortune to enjoy the parks and all they can do mind other people's business? What a terrible way to go through life!

You do what you need and worry about your day and your family. I really have learned not to guess who need what...

Here is an example of why people need to learn not to judge. I was waiting at the wheelchair entrance for Storybookland Canal Boats, and there was a family in front of me with several children. They had a GAC, and the children were all upright and horsing around. I know not to judge, but I saw others in the main line giving them dirty looks. Then I happened to see the stamp on their GAC. It was the special stamp given ONLY to Make A Wish kids. (I even confirmed this with my former-attractions CM wife). The girl with the GAC, who looked fine, was afflicted with some catastrophic and potentially deadly disease, and she was getting to enjoy Disney with her family.

I tell this story to people who decide to lecture me about the people they see who "obviously" do not need their wheelchair or GAC. There was a little girl who may have been dying, but she looked fine. And it s no one's business but hers. Just like it is no one's business but yours if you need an ECV.

I hope you have a great trip!

 

[brat]

Thank you Kpeveler for telling about the stamp. As a kid(many many years ago) my friends and I who were all cancer kids went to Disneyland as a fun outing.I know as an adult how much planning the medical staff did to arrange this Magical trip.Mind you we did not follow as many rules as we should have, we raced each other, did wheelies and nobody said a word.We had a blast.My best friend only lived another week after that tripWhen I think back on that trip I remember her gooffing off with a grin on her face.I am sure their were some who though we were cheating the system because we looked like normal kids unless you looked a bit closer or looked at the medical types following us.

 

[kaffinito]

Thanks so much for the encouragement! I tend to be a super planner, so not knowing what to expect scares me. I definitely need to relax. It's really nice to talk to people that have experience. It is hard talking to my family about it because they are not the ones that have to do it, so I feel like they don't understand my fears about it.

Sometimes we need to over plan due to a need to control things because something in our life is out of our control. I'm a super planner too - one that never traveled until the internet. Once I could see pictures of what the places I wanted to go to looked like, and see what people where wearing (I know ) I was finally able to travel.

It will pass in time, and it will get better for you.

I had to rent an ECV on the last trip I took when my knees went out, and it was just fine. I was worried about getting looks and stares, but honestly didn't notice any. I was able to get around and do some things that I wouldn't have been able to do that day at all because of the ECV. And if my knees give out again, I'll rent the ECV.

 

[Tony NY]

wow it braks my hart to read some of your post i know what pain is and i fell it for each and evey one of you guys and know this an ECV is a god send for most of us some perm and other temp ...

 

[disneymom3]

This^ is what has me scared to rent an ECV. I am in my mid twenties, and look perfectly normal. But I have a condition that makes my HR go too fast. I get fatigued very easily. I am going on a 5 day disney trip with my whole family, and I don't want to feel horrible the whole time, but I also don't want to feel like I can't get up and walk when I can without being judged. I was also wanting to take turns with my husband who has disc problems. I know I should not care what other people think, but I get embarrassed really easy. This post just made me even more nervous.

Don't you worry for a minute! I was like you...totally scared and nervous about my "first time" but I am SO glad I rented an ECV. My kids were thrilled about it...I could finally keep up with them. Compounding my issue, like your age thing, is that I am overweight and you hear so much on these boards aabout the fat lazy people renting the ECVs when they just need to excercise. (that's not my problem, I have MS.)

I just know you will have a great trip. There are mean people everywhere, even in Disney. You just can't let them get you down.

 

[ThistleMae]

I am hoping this will not be me in May. I was diagnosed with Malenoma and have to have surgery on my lower leg. The spot is the size of a fingernail but they have to remove a spot the size of a tennis ball, take a skin graph from my hip and go into the lymph node below my knee and groin area. I will be hospitilized for 3 days then flat in bed for 2-3 weeks then on crutches.Then who knows if its chemo or radiation after that. this all happens on March 16th. My vacation is in May I hope I can walk able bodied by then. I am not very good at driving a 4-wheeler I will be stressed out if people walk in front of me alot.

You know, the first time I used a scooter I was very nervous about getting on and off the bus, the boats and the monorail. The bus drivers, for the most part, are very helpful. They will even back it in for you if you are having difficulty parking it. Don't rush....take your time...and you'll figure out how to use it, in short order. I was very good at it by day 2! Just go at your own pace in the parks and in the lines. You really don't need to be afraid of stopping. They are very responsive and stop easily. Forget your fears, just go and have a great time! I'm going again this fall and will rent another scooter. If it wasn't for the scooter, I would not be able to go to Disneyworld. They are a modern miracle for people who have difficulty walking.

 

[minnie mum]

You know, the first time I used a scooter I was very nervous about getting on and off the bus, the boats and the monorail. The bus drivers, for the most part, are very helpful. They will even back it in for you if you are having difficulty parking it. Don't rush....take your time...and you'll figure out how to use it, in short order. I was very good at it by day 2! Just go at your own pace in the parks and in the lines. You really don't need to be afraid of stopping. They are very responsive and stop easily. Forget your fears, just go and have a great time! I'm going again this fall and will rent another scooter. If it wasn't for the scooter, I would not be able to go to Disneyworld. They are a modern miracle for people who have difficulty walking.

You do realize that you are replying to a 4 year old thread? Why?