Rule Against Kids Riding on Laps one wheelchairs?!

[mom2rtk]

I will say as another guest, I am glad this policy exists. I do not want my small kids run over injured by a motorized wheelchair or scooter because the operator could not see them around/over a child on their lap.
Motorized chairs and scooters can cause serious injuries. I’ve been run into at DL by someone who didn’t know how to operate it well and I was lucky to have a metal chair between us, but it would have been bad if she had been right next to my daughter’s and my legs.

I actually DID have my foot run over by a child on the lap of someone in a scooter. We were sitting on the wall near HM and the person was parked near us (the park was very packed so close quarters). The child engaged the ECV and ran over my foot! I screamed and then was promptly chastised by the adult on the scooter for scaring her grandchild. For real.

 

[gap2368]

Heard stories from CM friends and seen a few myself ... but one time a Grandma had child on her lap and driving away. Grandma hit a child and proceeded to run them over trapping them under the ECV. SCREAMING from Grandma and child on lap, screaming from child under ECV and screaming from Mom as Grandma tries to drive off the child but in fact is doing more harm than good. Then Dad screaming at everyone. Thank goodness all this damage was being done to their own family - imagine if it were a stranger.

I have seen this happen too but the child that was being run over and dragged was that a family member of the ECV driver. you want to talk about a bad day the ECV driver almost had the you know what beat out of her as she refused to stop for 3 or so seconds. and it was not the little girls that got rain over falt at all.

 

[DizneyMommy]

I actually DID have my foot run over by a child on the lap of someone in a scooter. We were sitting on the wall near HM and the person was parked near us (the park was very packed so close quarters). The child engaged the ECV and ran over my foot! I screamed and then was promptly chastised by the adult on the scooter for scaring her grandchild. For real.

So scary. These things are dangerous and a lot of people who rent them have never used one. I could not believe how many times we sat watching a scooter get on a bus at WDW last week and the rider could not parallel park the thing to save their life! We stay far away from them.

When I got hit, it was a woman who hit forward instead of reverse, slammed into a metal chair behind mine and shoved into into me which shoved me into a metal table. My kids were screaming, I had a bruise over my ribs where I was forced into the metal table. She ran into the people next to us too. I am just so thankful we happened to keep the 2 year old in her stroller while we ate. I was in tears thinking what would have happened if she was just standing there next to me or running around (it was an outdoor patio). The woman took off without so much as an I’m sorry.

 

[cmwade77]

This has ALWAYS been the rule at Disneyland, at least since 1995 and it is definitely not overreaching, as it is a safety issue. Imagine if you go over a bump and the child falls out, there are a considerable number of things they could hit their head on and honestly it does happen, even to people that do this all the time.

Sorry if I sound upset on this one, but I know these types of accidents happen, because when I was waiting for someone at first aid, I saw a little girl come him that this happened to, my understanding is that they had to rush her to the emergency room and there was a question about if she would ever recover 100%. I felt so bad for her.

Unfortunately, as an annualapassholder I have had more cause to go into first aid than I care to admit, so I have seen similar things when people put kids on their shoulders to see fireworks, world of color, etc. It is one thing to do this at home where you are familiar with your surroundings, it is quite another to do it at a theme park where there are rails, spijes, low head clearances. A little kid had to be rushed to the ER because their dad had them on his shoulders and hit one of the lights on an awning on Main Street.

So, no this policy is not overreaching and there was a point where they would have kicked you out of the park and revoked your ticket without a refund for having a child ride on your lap in a wheelchair or scooter, so consider yourself lucky that didn't happen.

So in all reality, they just want to keep you and your kids safe. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[cmwade77]

So scary. These things are dangerous and a lot of people who rent them have never used one. I could not believe how many times we sat watching a scooter get on a bus at WDW last week and the rider could not parallel park the thing to save their life! We stay far away from them.

When I got hit, it was a woman who hit forward instead of reverse, slammed into a metal chair behind mine and shoved into into me which shoved me into a metal table. My kids were screaming, I had a bruise over my ribs where I was forced into the metal table. She ran into the people next to us too. I am just so thankful we happened to keep the 2 year old in her stroller while we ate. I was in tears thinking what would have happened if she was just standing there next to me or running around (it was an outdoor patio). The woman took off without so much as an I’m sorry.

Well, I have unfortunately had to rent an ECV in the past and probably will this trip as well.

I can't parallel park my car worth beans (well I can now that I have park assist that does it for me), what would make anyone think that I should be able to parallel park an ECV?

That being said, I always try to be courteous, but people will walk 2 feet in front of you and stop or walk inches in front of you. They forget that an object in motion will stay in motion until acted upon by an outside force. Yes, the ECVs will stop, but they will not stop instantly and that is due to the laws of physics and to a certain extent by design to help prevent injuring the driver, as a sudden stop could cause back or other injuries.

But my all time favorite is when you are parked off to the side of a walkway, out of the way, not moving and someone runs into you and starts cussing you out. Come one, I was stationary, you were moving.

Not saying there aren't rude and/or inexperienced ECV drivers out there, there are and I have been the victim of them more than once, but 90% are decent.

 

[DizneyMommy]

Well, I have unfortunately had to rent an ECV in the past and probably will this trip as well.

I can't parallel park my car worth beans (well I can now that I have park assist that does it for me), what would make anyone think that I should be able to parallel park an ECV?

That being said, I always try to be courteous, but people will walk 2 feet in front of you and stop or walk inches in front of you. They forget that an object in motion will stay in motion until acted upon by an outside force. Yes, the ECVs will stop, but they will not stop instantly and that is due to the laws of physics and to a certain extent by design to help prevent injuring the driver, as a sudden stop could cause back or other injuries.

But my all time favorite is when you are parked off to the side of a walkway, out of the way, not moving and someone runs into you and starts cussing you out. Come one, I was stationary, you were moving.

Not saying there aren't rude and/or inexperienced ECV drivers out there, there are and I have been the victim of them more than once, but 90% are decent.

When you take a bus at WDW with an ECV, you have to parallel park it in the ECV space so they can strap it down. Or you have to get off and have someone with you do it. Otherwise the bus driver will stand there and attempt to direct you while 100 of your closest new friends who want to board that bus watch.

 

[verleniahall]

Did your parents really not teach you to challenge rules? Mine did.

No - and if I did, I was quickly making friends with a wooden spoon on my behind - Rules are there for a reason

 

[cmwade77]

When you take a bus at WDW with an ECV, you have to parallel park it in the ECV space so they can strap it down. Or you have to get off and have someone with you do it. Otherwise the bus driver will stand there and attempt to direct you while 100 of your closest new friends who want to board that bus watch.

Yes I know, my point was when you see me struggling with it, don't assume I am bad at driving an ECV, really I am just bad at parallel parking.

 

[cmwade77]

No - and if I did, I was quickly making friends with a wooden spoon on my behind - Rules are there for a reason

I was taught that if a rule didn't make sense to first ask why the rule is there, as they may be a good reason, then if no one can give you a good reason to challenge the rule.

But this is a case where it makes total and complete sense and I believe several of us have explained why it does.

 

[DizneyMommy]

Yes I know, my point was when you see me struggling with it, don't assume I am bad at driving an ECV, really I am just bad at parallel parking.

LOL, yeah I know several people who will literately walk blocks out of their way to not parallel park. Including my DH lol. I just think they should have a better way for you, or teach you how to do it,since it is basically a requirement to use the bus at WDW

 

[cmwade77]

Also, don't think this rule only applies at Diseny, Universal Hollywood, Sea World San Diego, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Los Angeles Zoo, Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific and Knott's Berry Farm all prohibit more than one passenger in a manual or electric wheelchair or ECV. I am sure others have similar rules, these are just the ones I personally know the policies for.

 

[cmwade77]

For parallel parking on the buses, I really prefer it when no one else is on the bus yet for that reason.

 

[DizneyMommy]

For parallel parking on the buses, I really prefer it when no one else is on the bus yet for that reason.

That's what they did every time there was an ECV or wheelchair. They held us all outside until it was loaded.

 

[Chickenlady]

I have a personal ECV but when I go to WDW, I rent from an outside vendor. Can I parallel park a car? yes. Can I parallel park my own ECV? yes. Big issue is every ECV is different...different size and turning radius. Also, the buses are different...different aisle widths and different parking space sizes. So the bottom line is some days I look like a pro and can park with my eyes closed and other days the bus driver just laughs. A lot of times it has nothing to do with how much practice you've had or how often you drive an ECV. Try to remember that if someone on an ECV is having a hard time.

 

[arminnie]

If you can't parallel park your ECV just get off, put it in freewheel and manually roll it into the space. It's not that different to move it manually than it is to park a stroller.

 

[ttintagel]

.

Unfortunately, as an annualapassholder I have had more cause to go into first aid than I care to admit, so I have seen similar things when people put kids on their shoulders to see fireworks, world of color, etc.

I'm actually surprised more kids don't have serious falls or other injuries at the Parks. I see so many parents letting their little ones climb on railings and everything else in sight, dangle their arms and legs out of ride vehicles, and run and play on the wheelchair ramps. And all on concrete paving. I guess they assume that since they're in a Disney park nothing bad can happen and they don't need to pay attention. There are also the parents who actively put their kids in harm's way by pulling or pushing them into oncoming traffic.

 

[musicmom3331]

As far as parallel parking on the bus goes, the first time I got off the ecv and the driver parked it. Most of the rest of the time, the driver told me to sit tight and he/she took over the controls. One driver taught me the secret to parking it myself. BTW...I would never have a child on my lap while driving.

 

[cobright]

This is obviously a parenting decision.

We are both horribly offended at this overreach. Our kids have ALWAYS ridden on my hsuband’s lap periodically while at Disney and we have gone for the past seven years straight (to both DL and WDW). We have never heard of this before.

Is this new?

There have been a few times I was ready and willing to call Disney out for the child in lap policy. The rule should allow what the law requires of those needing mobility aids, that a mobility challenged person has the same right to care for (including carry) their child as anyone else until a Disney employee back up a specific claim that this specific person doing so presents an immediate and abnormal risk. In one case I told a US employee to beat it when the dupe tried enforcing Universal's version of this rule on a mother breastfeeding her child on her parked ecv. I've talked to a legless vet who was told he couldn't carry his son through one of the WDW parks while using his manual wheelchair.

In principle I support the mobility challenged but in this case, the OP lost me at quadriplegic. This would seem to me to put all the responsibility for not falling off into the hands of the child. The wheelchair operator is going to have to devote his attention to driving his chair and also avoiding the masses of people who already have a poor track record with regards to allocating appropriate levels of space to our handicapped friends.

This is yet another moment that seems ripe for me to suggest that we begin demanding better mobility tech from the durable medical goods manufacturers that get a pretty sweet deal providing archaic motorized wheelchairs and conveyance scooters.

 

[cmwade77]

Umm, actually it is technically against the rules to carry any child in the parks in any manner, unless it is a baby in a baby carrier designed to work as such and if such a carrier were used in conjunction with a wheelchair it would not be challenged as long as it is safe. Carrying a child on someones lap in a wheelchair or ECV is indeed unsafe, unless the mobility device was specifically designed to accommodate carrying a second person.

I do agree though that we need some more innovation in this arena.

 

[OurBigTrip]

There have been a few times I was ready and willing to call Disney out for the child in lap policy. The rule should allow what the law requires of those needing mobility aids, that a mobility challenged person has the same right to care for (including carry) their child as anyone else until a Disney employee back up a specific claim that this specific person doing so presents an immediate and abnormal risk.

Nope, it doesn’t and shouldn’t work that way. Safety trumps accommodations under the ADA. No one has a legal right to an accommodation that poses a safety risk to himself or others, period.