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Disney World's Segway Restriction Upsets Disabled
- Thread starter mkt
- Start date
![Dean[AU]](https://d3ofq03apmfb8c.cloudfront.net/data/avatars/m/8/8019.jpg?1339212325){kind=avatar}
Dean[AU]
New Member
kaliriverrider
New Member
segways
I live in celebration where segways are abundant. I have a friend with MS and she used to use a walker to get around on bad days. Now she uses a segway and it is a big help for her. Another friend is a vet injured in Iraq. He lost his left foot and is in rehab getting ready for a prosthetic device. In the meantime a local rental shop has donated a segway so he can get around a little easier.
By the way, I used one for the first time last week and It was very simple to learn and great fun. I know that they are not easy for everyone, and there are a lot of misconceptions but they will be very common in a few years. (San Fran outlawed them in part due to the fact that segways don't climb hills very well and San Francisco is obviously not the best place for them)
remember, when autos were invented they were seen as dangerous tools for crazy rich people too!
I live in celebration where segways are abundant. I have a friend with MS and she used to use a walker to get around on bad days. Now she uses a segway and it is a big help for her. Another friend is a vet injured in Iraq. He lost his left foot and is in rehab getting ready for a prosthetic device. In the meantime a local rental shop has donated a segway so he can get around a little easier.
By the way, I used one for the first time last week and It was very simple to learn and great fun. I know that they are not easy for everyone, and there are a lot of misconceptions but they will be very common in a few years. (San Fran outlawed them in part due to the fact that segways don't climb hills very well and San Francisco is obviously not the best place for them)
remember, when autos were invented they were seen as dangerous tools for crazy rich people too!
well that all depends.
i have a prosthetic leg. i've had for enarly 18 years now (nott eh same but sicne my surgery), i was born physically handicapped amputated at age 2. through our first 10 years in trips to disney and the other parks (i'll say 8-10) i HAD to use a wheelchair. walking WAS too much. not anymore. i walk around disney world faster than most people (mainly to keep my balance) and since about 1998 i've only had 2 painful occurances and neither were at disney world. one was from standing too much, working drive thru at McD's. the other was this past month when i seem to have gotten a spider bite.
so it really depends ont he person. Walking for five hours is no bigger for me. then again, standing for five hours isn't as bad either. (note: the McD's incident, i worked continuous 8-hour a day shifts without a break...not my decision but hey...) but for other's either way can be painful. they maybe able to stand but not walk. again, my McD's incident was more standing (much more pressure on the stump) than walking.
so do i think Segway's should be? no not really, just makes you lazier. i'd rather roll around in a wheelchair anyway :lol:
There is an article on Yahoo.com that lists someone who uses them.
"The last time Doug Exum went to Walt Disney World, he rented an electric scooter to navigate the resort's four theme parks. But he tired of sitting and the scooter cost him $200.
The next time the 42-year-old computer programmer from Plano, Texas, returns, he wants to bring his Segway, which allows him to stand up as he scoots about on its platform and battery-operated two wheels.
I'm not prepared to let a corporate attorney dictate to me how I should be mobile," said Exum, who is technically quadriplegic from an injury as a teenager but functions as a paraplegic.
Disney World doesn't allow the Segways into the parks because they haven't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) as medical devices, said park spokeswoman Jacquee Polak.
"Basically, it's difficult to accommodate two-wheeled vehicles," she said.
Exum, though, won't return to Disney World until the resort changes its policy.
"Individuals should have the option to use whatever helps them get around," he said. "
Now, I've ridden a segway, and they are not difficult to use. You pick it up in 10 minutes. It is more a weight shift that is nearly imperceptible that makes you start and stop.
As far as GWB tipping one over, it wasn't turned on when he hopped on and kicked off the kick stand....
:animwink:
I want one for my 2 mile walk to work everyday, but I don't have $4500 for one right now...
"The last time Doug Exum went to Walt Disney World, he rented an electric scooter to navigate the resort's four theme parks. But he tired of sitting and the scooter cost him $200.
The next time the 42-year-old computer programmer from Plano, Texas, returns, he wants to bring his Segway, which allows him to stand up as he scoots about on its platform and battery-operated two wheels.
I'm not prepared to let a corporate attorney dictate to me how I should be mobile," said Exum, who is technically quadriplegic from an injury as a teenager but functions as a paraplegic.
Disney World doesn't allow the Segways into the parks because they haven't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) as medical devices, said park spokeswoman Jacquee Polak.
"Basically, it's difficult to accommodate two-wheeled vehicles," she said.
Exum, though, won't return to Disney World until the resort changes its policy.
"Individuals should have the option to use whatever helps them get around," he said. "
Now, I've ridden a segway, and they are not difficult to use. You pick it up in 10 minutes. It is more a weight shift that is nearly imperceptible that makes you start and stop.
As far as GWB tipping one over, it wasn't turned on when he hopped on and kicked off the kick stand....
:animwink:
I want one for my 2 mile walk to work everyday, but I don't have $4500 for one right now...
CrackerJack
Member
from allearsnet.com ----
Around the World at Epcot --
on a Segway!
A brand new tour is being introduced in Epcot. Beginning February 14, 2004, you'll be able to travel Around the World at Epcot on a Segway, those futuristic-looking upright transportation devices on which you sometimes see Cast Members zipping around Epcot.
The tour, which will last two hours, will be offered daily at 8:45 a.m. The first hour of the tour will teach safety rules and allow you to practice riding the Segway, while the second hour will be a tour around World Showcase before it officially opens to visitors.
Cost for the new tour is $80 (park admission is NOT included).
Some restrictions apply: Minimum age is 16 (guardian must sign a waiver for ages 16 and 17), maximum weight for participants is 250 pounds, and expectant mothers and persons with special needs may not participate due to safety concerns
I hope they don't shut down this tour before I get to do it. It sounds like fun ...
Around the World at Epcot --
on a Segway!
A brand new tour is being introduced in Epcot. Beginning February 14, 2004, you'll be able to travel Around the World at Epcot on a Segway, those futuristic-looking upright transportation devices on which you sometimes see Cast Members zipping around Epcot.
The tour, which will last two hours, will be offered daily at 8:45 a.m. The first hour of the tour will teach safety rules and allow you to practice riding the Segway, while the second hour will be a tour around World Showcase before it officially opens to visitors.
Cost for the new tour is $80 (park admission is NOT included).
Some restrictions apply: Minimum age is 16 (guardian must sign a waiver for ages 16 and 17), maximum weight for participants is 250 pounds, and expectant mothers and persons with special needs may not participate due to safety concerns
I hope they don't shut down this tour before I get to do it. It sounds like fun ...
Pixie Duster
New Member
This is what is ticking me off. Disney is not in the business of inconveniencing people, we are a hospitality establishment. We don't have this policy in place to make things harder on people. Can you honestly imagine the walkways of WDW being occupied by both regular pedestrians and guests on segways? It would be a disaster. It's not safe in the least!
Sure we do have a few CMs that ride them, but they are at work. They are focused and will be mindful of the guests. A guest on the other hand has many things to distract them making it much more likely fo rhtem to cause an accident.
Sure we do have a few CMs that ride them, but they are at work. They are focused and will be mindful of the guests. A guest on the other hand has many things to distract them making it much more likely fo rhtem to cause an accident.
OnWithTheShow
Member
Well my car makes me more mobile so they better let me in with it.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
I hope these people with segways realize that if they injure someone while theyre riding one, theyre liable in civil court.
I'd be interested to know how the state of florida classifies a segway, whether it falls under their motor vehicle statues or not. Because if it does, then if someone causes an accident with their segway, they'd be criminally liable as well. (How can something be a medical device and a motorized vehicle? Either/or)
Long Story Short - it opens up a huge can of worms. The associated press finding one person to disagree with Disney's policy isn't shocking.
I'd be interested to know how the state of florida classifies a segway, whether it falls under their motor vehicle statues or not. Because if it does, then if someone causes an accident with their segway, they'd be criminally liable as well. (How can something be a medical device and a motorized vehicle? Either/or)
Long Story Short - it opens up a huge can of worms. The associated press finding one person to disagree with Disney's policy isn't shocking.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
I can just see a fleet of riding lawnmowers going through fantasyland, mowing down children and characters alike..... :lol: 
Or better yet, robots on segways mowing down tourists, ala 'Itchy & Scratchyland' from the Simpsons. :lol:
Or better yet, robots on segways mowing down tourists, ala 'Itchy & Scratchyland' from the Simpsons. :lol:
Testtrack321
Well-Known Member
Originally posted by Dean[AU]
Could be another reason:
Actually, those photos are swapped. First he fell off because he didn't turn it on. Then they turned it on and was OK. The magic of editing to convey your own message.
Testtrack321
Well-Known Member
Well, we are talking about GW....
But his father was on it first and he just hopped on thinking it was on.
LadyDarling
New Member
Yup. Reminds me of those darn rollerskate shoes that kids are wearing. In CA, we have a helmet law that applies to kids on bikes, skateboards, roller skates/blades, etc. Somehow people think these things are out of that loop and I've seen at least 3 kids eat pavement right in front of me from falling. When security spots kids with these shoes, they stop them and comment to the parents.
I think the important thing is that Disney DOES offer handicapped a way to get around.
I work in the medical feild by day and can tell you that not a single insurance provider would consider a segway "medically necessary to the patient's mobility". They are a convience. There are other means out there and odds are, if you own a Segway and are disabled, you own your previous mode of transportation as well, and could bring that to the parks instead.
These things are dangerous. I mean, getting rolled over "accidently" by strollers and wheel chairs is one thing. I couldn't imagine what my toes/heels would feel like after a run in with the Segway!
~J. Darling
niteobsrvr
Well-Known Member
I am not 100 percent positive on this but I believe that Florida Law classifies any motorized scooter as a motor vehicledue to some strange wording of the laws. In several places in the state which are more conservative, wealthy, and older, the police have gone on ticketing sprees writing warnings to anyone found on a motorized scooter who failed to posses a valid drivers license. They are also illegal on most place's sidewalks
Of course the flipside to that is that on many streets they are also not considred street legal because they do not go fast enough. Only on streets with speedlimits less than 35 would they be legal to operate.
Then there is the issue of registration and insurance which is required to operate a vehicle on public roadways in Florida. To the best of my knowledge there is no registration available for these means of transportation.
Testtrack321
Well-Known Member
For Segway Laws:
http://www.segway.com/general/regulatory.html
And the Florida law:
http://www.flsenate.gov/statutes/in...Statute&Search_String=&URL=CH0316/Sec2068.HTM
http://www.segway.com/general/regulatory.html
And the Florida law:
http://www.flsenate.gov/statutes/in...Statute&Search_String=&URL=CH0316/Sec2068.HTM