Wheelchair Abuse

[adhorn62]

Don't judge too quickly

I am planning my first trip to WDW. I am in my early 40's and am "temporarily handicapped" due to 3 knee surgery/replacement failures. I have a temporary handicap tag that hangs from the rear view mirror of my car, that I have to get renewed every 6 months. I never take the last handicap parking space, as I feel there is always an elderly, or worse off person than me. Every step I take is painful, and I can only be on my feet for about 15 minutes at a time before the pain gets to be too much for me. Most people would look at me and think I looked normal, not knowing the pain I live with. When I do need to park in handicap parking, I feel like people stare at me thinking, "There's nothing wrong with that person!" I want to pull my pant legs up and show them all of my ugly scars. I will be forced to use a wheelchair at WDW, and will be happy to wait in line with everyone else, if my wheelchair fits. If not, I hope no one wrongly judges me for using the handicap access.

 

[1disneydood]

Enjoy your first WDW experience. Try to take in all the little deatils and effects that makes the place so great.

And as far as anyone "wrongly judging" those who use wheelchairs while on vacation from the real world, well I have two words for them I CHOOSE not to post here. :kiss:

I sometimes have to use a chair because of the pitting adema and circ. probs with my legs. But I hope those who have a prob with it realize this diabetic will jump out my wheelchair and show them how it feels to have a painful condition.

Serious.

 

[BuzzLite_Fran]

But I hope those who have a prob with it realize this diabetic will jump out my wheelchair and show them how it feels to have a painful condition.

:sohappy: :sohappy: I think that is so hillarious :hammer:

 

[barnum42]

Contrary to many of the postings here they also go to the front of the line on quite a few attractions.

Name them.

I can't comment on jumping queues for the resort buses as I can't afford to stay on-site. But I've spent a total of four weeks pushing a wheelchair user around the parks and encountered few attractions that let us jump lines. There were more where we had to wait longer for boarding, or were denied entrance to shows because all the wheelchair spaces were gone.

 

[barnum42]

We all know that there are people out there who take advantage of the wheelchair rentals.

As I've posted throughout this thread - Inside the parks there is no advantage for the vast majority of attractions to having a wheelchair when it comes to line jumping attractions. For the few that have some advantage there are others that have disadvantages.

The only people who would loose out on people renting wheelchairs either through laziness or the misbelief they can jump queues are people who really need one and find there are none left. But as we have seen earlier in this thread, Disney still came through when this situation arose for a member.

 

[barnum42]

Living close to WDW I see this abuse all the time. The other week I witness a lady wheeling herself around through epcot. I watched as she stood up, pushed her chair by a bench and walked into a store in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:country-region><st1lace>Canada</st1lace></st1:country-region>. I walked into the store after her and just watched her walk around like nothing was wrong. She then proceeded to leave the store and get back into the chair and wheel around more.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

I believe that the people who take advantage of the wheelchairs will get what is coming to them. Maybe if they were confined to one for the rest of their life they would respect those people who actually need them to function in society. Sorry to ramble but this topic makes me mad.<o></o>

So where is the abuse in someone that can walk for short distances at a time choosing to not try and manoeuvre their chair around a crowded shop? There are people who can walk for as much as an hour in a day with no ill effect, but after that any one of a number of things can cause immense pain.

Part of the treatment is to ENCOURAGE them to walk when possible to prevent further muscle deterioration. For example, my Mother is currently having to walk extra distances a day to build up muscle around her spine ready for an operation.

If they use the chair only to jump queues then it would be abuse, but as you can't jump most queues there is no abuse.

 

[EpcotEnthusiast]

me and my cuzin ate at the mexicoan pavillon one day and then went strait over to the canda place where you get beever tales with the fruit on them. my cuzin ate 6 beever tales and got soooooo full that he had to rent a weelchare to get a round the rest of the day at epcot because he couldnt walk or nothin with out almost barfing. he was glad to rent the weelchare buecause it would have runed his vacashun if they didnt give out weelchares there. it didnt look like he needed a weelchare but he relly did. people looked like they where juging him but they shouldnt have cause he needed it and wouldnt not have goten to see disney without one that day because he only had a short time to stay and would have waisted a hole day without useing a weelchair for the few hours that day and for hte fire works that nite also.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

perhaps he should have split the beaver with you

 

[SpenceMan01]

me and my cuzin ate at the mexicoan pavillon one day and then went strait over to the canda place where you get beever tales with the fruit on them. my cuzin ate 6 beever tales and got soooooo full that he had to rent a weelchare to get a round the rest of the day at epcot because he couldnt walk or nothin with out almost barfing. he was glad to rent the weelchare buecause it would have runed his vacashun if they didnt give out weelchares there. it didnt look like he needed a weelchare but he relly did. people looked like they where juging him but they shouldnt have cause he needed it and wouldnt not have goten to see disney without one that day because he only had a short time to stay and would have waisted a hole day without useing a weelchair for the few hours that day and for hte fire works that nite also.

Wanna repost in English EE?

 

[Becky]

SpenceMan01
Junior Member
WDWMAGIC Guest Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 600


Quote:
Originally Posted by EpcotEnthusiast
me and my cuzin ate at the mexicoan pavillon one day and then went strait over to the canda place where you get beever tales with the fruit on them. my cuzin ate 6 beever tales and got soooooo full that he had to rent a weelchare to get a round the rest of the day at epcot because he couldnt walk or nothin with out almost barfing. he was glad to rent the weelchare buecause it would have runed his vacashun if they didnt give out weelchares there. it didnt look like he needed a weelchare but he relly did. people looked like they where juging him but they shouldnt have cause he needed it and wouldnt not have goten to see disney without one that day because he only had a short time to stay and would have waisted a hole day without useing a weelchair for the few hours that day and for hte fire works that nite also.


Wanna repost in English EE?

I think, Um, better make that I hope that it was an attempt at humor :lookaroun

barnum42
Senior Member
WDWMAGIC Guest
If they use the chair only to jump queues then it would be abuse, but as you can't jump most queues there is no abuse.

Barnum, I know you have told people several times that renting a wheelchair gives you no advantage on almost all rides and attractions and that there is No line jumping with a wheelchair. But it seems that some people just have to gripe about something even if it doesn't exist. I give up :brick:

 

[bigwoowoo248]

I was at disneyland california recently and saw 5 college students for a period of 4 days abusing the right to use a wheelchair. Everytime I saw them a different person was in it and ticked me off because they always jumped to the front of the line for all the awesome rides. Ex: Indiana Jones, Space Mountain... Later I was staying on disney property(Grand Californian) and saw them running around the pool area. Im sorry I just don't know how people can find it in themselves to take advantage of the wheelchair.

By the way the new space mountain is Sweet!:sohappy:

 

[bsandersjr]

me and my cuzin ate at the mexicoan pavillon one day and then went strait over to the canda place where you get beever tales with the fruit on them. my cuzin ate 6 beever tales and got soooooo full that he had to rent a weelchare to get a round the rest of the day at epcot because he couldnt walk or nothin with out almost barfing. he was glad to rent the weelchare buecause it would have runed his vacashun if they didnt give out weelchares there. it didnt look like he needed a weelchare but he relly did. people looked like they where juging him but they shouldnt have cause he needed it and wouldnt not have goten to see disney without one that day because he only had a short time to stay and would have waisted a hole day without useing a weelchair for the few hours that day and for hte fire works that nite also.

Maybe he should control himself. IMO, Using a wheelchair because he chose to stuff his face is a prime example of abuse.

 

[LoriMistress]

So you know what I did, I rented a wheelchair for just a day to see what would happen. I was able to get right on Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Pirates, HM, and IASW. I was really upset that someone like me, who is not handicapped or paralyzed in any way, was able to just get a wheel chair and abuse it.

If you hate it when people rent wheelchairs and get on rides when they are not handicapped, than why bother renting one in the first place? You KNEW that when someone has a wheelchair that they don't have to wait in line like everyone else. Your "test" seems illogical and your complaint seems pointless from someone who just proved to everyone how much of a hyprocrite you are. How can you stand on a soapbox and complain when you do the same thing? That's the one thing that drives me crazy; when people don't pratice what they preach.

 

[barnum42]

Barnum, I know you have told people several times that renting a wheelchair gives you no advantage on almost all rides and attractions and that there is No line jumping with a wheelchair. But it seems that some people just have to gripe about something even if it doesn't exist. I give up :brick:

True, some are only happy if they have something to moan about, and if there is nothing to moan about they make it up

However, I figure a lot of posters don't wish to wade through many pages of posts to have their say, hence my repeating the mantra every few pages

 

[barnum42]

I was at disneyland california recently and saw 5 college students for a period of 4 days abusing the right to use a wheelchair. Everytime I saw them a different person was in it and ticked me off because they always jumped to the front of the line for all the awesome rides. Ex: Indiana Jones, Space Mountain... Later I was staying on disney property(Grand Californian) and saw them running around the pool area. Im sorry I just don't know how people can find it in themselves to take advantage of the wheelchair.

Can't comment on Disneyland, but trust me, they would get not get to line jump in Florida for the vast majority of rides.

 

[barnum42]

If you hate it when people rent wheelchairs and get on rides when they are not handicapped, than why bother renting one in the first place? You KNEW that when someone has a wheelchair that they don't have to wait in line like everyone else. Your "test" seems illogical and your complaint seems pointless from someone who just proved to everyone how much of a hyprocrite you are. How can you stand on a soapbox and complain when you do the same thing? That's the one thing that drives me crazy; when people don't pratice what they preach.

The OP was being less than factual in that you don't get to jump queues. I've spent two trips of two weeks each with a wheelchair user.

Looking at the rides they claim let them jump the queue:

I've not gone on Space Moutatin with her, but from other posts it appears wheelchair users get a pass to come back at approx. the time it would have been had they waited in standby.

On Splash Mountain you wait in the same queue up to the bottom of the steps when you peel off to the off-load platform, so you do save a little time there.

on Pirates you wait all the way in the same queue.

Haunted Mansion you have to wait by the hearse until either there is a free CM to lead you to the off load area (you end up missing the stretch rooms) or there are enough wheelchair users in a group for them to be led through a back door to the stretch rooms. All of which takes longer than the queue.

Can't comment on Small World, but the wide ramp indicates it would be like Piarate - wait in the same queue.

Also they make no mention of the rides where you wait in the regular queue then have to wait longer at the front for wheelchair access, or the attractions you get turned away from because the wheelchair spaces are all full.

 

[AndyP]

With the exception of Big Thunder Mountain and Snow White's Scary Adventures, I don't really know of any attractions that the wheelchair helps you get on any faster. Alot has changed in 10 years.

Not only what you said is true, but even if the system is abused, you aren't going to notice any difference in your wait time so just live with it. It's not like there are hundreds going round doing it, maybe there were all just testing a theory like you!

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Do you know (do you care) all of a sudden the term "wheel Chair Abuse" has given me this image of John Cleese beating a concked out wheel chair with a branch shouting " work you vicious b'stard".

Well its put a smile on my face.

 

[barnum42]

Do you know (do you care) all of a sudden the term "wheel Chair Abuse" has given me this image of John Cleese beating a concked out wheel chair with a branch shouting " work you vicious b'stard".

Well its put a smile on my face.

Works for me

 

[jiddng]

Ok, I know i have not been on this site for very long now, but I feel I deserve my one chance to rant. I just got back from a week at WDW (my 21st time there) and I have never seen so much abuse of the wheelchair. I watched in amazment as a family of 6 rolled their way right on to Space Mountain in rented wheelchairs. I later saw the same family roll their way onto Buzz Lightyear, no wait, just went right on. I also saw other families with rented wheelchairs just roll onto other various rides and it really makes me mad to see people abuse this. So you know what I did, I rented a wheelchair for just a day to see what would happen. I was able to get right on Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Pirates, HM, and IASW. I was really upset that someone like me, who is not handicapped or paralyzed in any way, was able to just get a wheel chair and abuse it. Now, I understand that some people have a legitamate reason to get them, but I do notice people that are truly handicapped bring their own wheelchairs (my uncle does when he goes and he's paralyzed from the waist down).
I think that Disney should rethink their renting of the wheelchairs to just anyone. I think that if Disney is just going to rent out a wheelchair, then that person shouldn't be allowed to just get on the ride. Now if a person is legitamately handicapped, then they should be allowed that right. I'm sorry to go on for so long, but I am not trying to be mean in anyway . I just get bothered by people abusing something. I am just trying to see if there is anyone else who sees it other than me or my brother. My uncle sees it when he goes and he gets offended by seeing people that abuse it. Ok, now i'm done.

Any one care to comment?

I don't have a problem with the wheelchairs - I always assume that there's some need for it, and I'm not one to judge..... My big gripe comes when their entire party can number 6, 8, 10+ and they all get to go thru the handicap line. I've always felt Disney should add the policy that the wheelchair and 1 companion can wait at the handicap entrance while the rest of their party goes on the queue. When the rest of the party reaches the loading area, then everybody can load up together. Recently though I've seen queues being widened so that wheelchairs can go thru them too. I think I've heard mention of party limits of 6 for a wheelchair.

Just a thought....