Wheelchair Abuse

[disney_hichen]

I am a 34 year old woman who to look at you would not know I have any issues that require a scooter. I have a condition that requires me to take long periods of steroids which has caused increased weight gain. After 17 surgeries last year I find myself only able to enjoy my disney trip with my daughter by renting a scooter. I am embarassed and sometimes feel that people are looking at me like I am lazy and overweight and that I just dont want to walk around. Please dont judge someone who doesnt appear to have a disability. I know it gets abused but in my case I truly have no choice unless I want to miss the special moments with my 8 year old child. Also, I never ride into a ride. I ride up to the ride then get off and wait with my family.

i'm not insulting the overweight. that comment of mine was uncalled for. i chose my words poorly. i'm sorry. I agree, you can't always tell when some one has a problem. a person that is sensitive to heat stroke can't walk around all day. They would need a wheelchair to help aleviate that. I suggest that Disney continue to rent out wheelchairs to anyone who wants them. I just believe that particular individual shouldn't be allowed to hop on any ride unless they show proof that they have an actual handicap. They can show a handipcapped pass and that would allow them to get on. If they can't show that proof, they still get to rent the chair, but they don't get to roll onto the ride.

CEO...i'll admit when i'm out of line or wrong. I was out of line on the weight issue. I chose my words poorly

 

[1disneydood]

I'm in the same boat. I'm a diabetic and have very bad leg circulation. I can stand, I can walk and jump. But I cannot walk all day. I would but my legs won't allow it, they'll simply give out. So I get a scooter and use it most of the day. But I will jump out of it to chase my son, or climb terrain or whatever. I don't use it to get in line. But I do use it to get me around.

BTW I managed my last trip without the scooter. Dunno how but I did. I know most of the people who have them hate them. They suck, plain and simple. But we gotta do whatever it takes to endure the trek.

 

[Number_6]

Just a couple of notes, and I have not read every post in this thread, only the first 20 or so, so bear with me here. First off, I did have a guest recently that was utilizing an ECV. It was one that he had rented before arriving and the reason for it was a problem with the bone in his ankle. He could stand for about five minutes at a time, and that's it. If he stood for any longer, it would cause severe pain to the point that he might collapse. If you saw him standing and didn't know he had been utilizing the ECV, then saw him walk over to the ECV, you would think that he was actually fine and was "abusing the system." But since you don't know the whole story with everyone utilizing such devices, then you can never know for certain if the person is in fact in need of it or not.

As for myself, I am not disabled, but I did once find a need to utilize a wheelchair for a few days while on vacation at Disney. My right foot started to feel sore, then started to feel extremely painful. It swelled up and would not go down and if I was on it for any period of time, there was severe pain. It turned out that I had gotten an infection in my foot. Now, if you saw me from a distance and didn't know about the infection, then you probably wouldn't notice that my foot was swollen, and you would think that I was "abusing the system." I was not, I couldn't walk. I also had no special card to say "I have a foot infection and can't walk." I wouldn't be able to "prove" that my foot hurt enough I couldn't walk on it. So saying someone should have to prove their disability really wouldn't work either.

Just my thoughts on this.

 

[barnum42]

what?? not even in the stunt show,

Im sure with a long enough run up......................

I think some of the electric scooter drivers try to get those sorts of speeds up! :lol:

 

[Alexandra]

A lot of people on both sides are going back and forth on this issue; but I'll take a stab at it myself here. 99% of the time, the criticisms for the wheel chair argument are fair. Chances are, if you are in need of a wheel chair due to a health issue or disability, then you will bring your own to the parks!! I doubt anybody who seriously needs one would casually leave it at home and take the risk of hiking all the way from the TTC to the MK and hoping they have one for rent.

Granted, there are some folks who have limited mobility and can only take so much walking until they are in need of a wheel chair; but I highly doubt those are the same folks who are rushing to get onto Space Mountain or Splash Mountain...two thrill rides which would most likely be unsettling and uncomfortable to somebody in that situation. Likewise somebody made a smart remark earlier in this topic that you can not tell if somebody has recently had heart surgery if they are in a wheel chair; in response to that, I think it's fairly obvious that somebody hasn't had heart surgery if they are jumping the lines for ANY thrill ride (be it Space, Thunder, Splash, Mission Space, or Test Track), because NOBODY in that condition should even consider riding such a ride in the condition they are in.

And some rather tasteless comments have been made regarding overweight people in scooters; allthough I do have to agree, that at some point, it does get rather frustrating when you are held up in the parks behind a larger person in a scooter who is 1. Slowing traffic down, and 2. Eating something they probably shouldn't. Granted, people are free to be whatever weight they want to be, so long as it doesn't effect others. If you're overweight and slowing down traffic or lines with your scooter because you've chosen to eat yourself to a point where you can no longer walk, then perhaps instead of being at the parks, you should be concentrating on a way to lose that weight so that a scooter is no longer a necessity. It may sound mean and maybe unpolitically correct, but it's what a lot of us are thinking at the end of a long, frustrating day at the crowded parks.

I don't know about anyone else, but I find a lot of these posts mean-spirited, especially the one I quoted. My husband has been on dialysis for the past two years. He has no kidney function at all, along with hypertension and diabetes. Nobody loves Disney more than he does and when we go, he gets his dialysis treatments in Celebration. Can he walk? Yes. Can he walk long distances? No. As far as his having a wheelchair at home, he doesn't need one because he has handicapped parking passes from both the City and State. To say that..."chances are, if you're need in of a wheelchair due to a health issue or disability, you'll bring your own to the parks," is simply not true. There is no need for him to have one where we live because he is never subjected to the kind of walking one does at WDW.

Interestingly, the first time he got a dialysis treatment in Celebration we went to the MK after and he refused to get a wheelchair, thinking he would walk without any problem. His reasons were all of the mean things people have been saying in these posts. He worried he would be looked at "cross-eyed." As a result, he began to faint while waiting in line on POC and he had to be helped out of the queue and into the medical station. Needless to say, he got a wheelchair immediately. BTW, we NEVER jumped any lines. And one more thing - his favorite rides are Space, Thunder, Splash and all the other thrill rides.

I always tried to boost his spirits because I know how he feels in the wheelchair. I always told him not to be ridiculous, no one thinks you're faking to get on rides, people couldn't care less, etc. Now I know he was right and I was wrong. People ARE thinking those things. What a shame. I guess WDW guests are honorary MD's and can tell just by a glance whether someone is faking or not. My husband looks perfectly normal and on non-dialysis days he often parks the wheelchair and waits on line with everyone else. He cannot do that on treatment days.

Thanks to WDW for making the parks accessible and enjoyable for people like my husband because he has something to look forward to every year. If we're "slowing people down," we hope that you have the kindness and compassion to understand.

 

[jholiiday]

i know that there are abuses in the system and thoes people (excluding tigger_rox00) who aren't really handicaped should be taken to the top of splash mt and thrown off. i can't understand what kind of sick person would want to take away from thoesw who really need the priviledge. if the want it that bad why don't they just break their own legs, how many people would want the priviledge if they really needed it?

and one more thing, if i see one more fat person riding in a scooter and eating at the same time, i'm going to shove a pancake down their windpipe and chase them with a steemroller :brick:

Did it occur to you, that these people may have a disability, causing them to be partially immobilized? They still need to eat.

Also, many "fat" people, more than you would guess, are overweight because of medical treatments, that cause water retention, swelling, and overactive appetites. Steroids, for example, are used to treat a host of medical conditions, without which, people might die.

Someone should shove a pancake in your keyboard.

 

[ClemsonTigger]

None of it really matters. I thank God my family and I can walk, stand in long lines and complain about aching feet after a long day. I am on vacation for my family and myself, I don't have time to worry about what other do or don't do, get or don't get.

I use FastPass and often get "those looks" as if I were cheating. With different packages, we get preferred seating to fireworks and shows and get stares. We have done backstage tours and gotten to "jump" lines (with stares) There are those I see with different packages that get to enjoy their perks, so be it.

There will always be those that abuse the system. I choose to go to this park that works to be so inclusive that there are more electric carts, wheelchairs and severely handicapped people than anywhere other than a hospital...strike that, probably more than any hospital. I view that as one of the most special things about WDW. While I may grumble about being bumped into by a chair or cart...I get it a whole lot more from baby carriages....maybe we can get rid of the da&# carriages (and the kids too for that matter)

I go there for my enjoyment, and to enjoy my family. I am able to do that every time!

 

[Captain Chaos]

Did it occur to you, that these people may have a disability, causing them to be partially immobilized? They still need to eat.

Also, many "fat" people, more than you would guess, are overweight because of medical treatments, that cause water retention, swelling, and overactive appetites. Steroids, for example, are used to treat a host of medical conditions, without which, people might die.

Someone should shove a pancake in your keyboard.

Here here!!!! People like Connor002 should be taken to the top of the Empire State Building and tossed off...

 

[Mgkcjohnson]

I think the problem is Disney letting people to the front of the line if they are in a wheelchair. I understand that there are people with special needs who it greatly benefits by skipping the lines, and I have no problem with that what so ever. I also understand that it is everyone's right to rent a wheelchair if they want... I have been to Disney 2 times when someone in my party needed to rent a wheelchair.. the first time my cousin had a broken leg in a cast, the second time, my wife was pregnant. We rented the wheelchair to make it more comfortable to enjoy the parks. We never really got special treatment or got to skip lines. Maybe once or twice our wait time may have been reduced a little, but we did not get to cut in front of an entire line. If this does happen more now, the problem lies with Disney, not the people renting the wheelchairs. If Disney did not allow everyone in a wheelchair to jump to the front of the line, then people would stop renting wheelchairs unless they really needed one. It aggravates me to see people taking advantage of this, but it would be easy to stop. Everyone waits in line.

 

[DisneyFreak529]

I think it's rude to ask someone to prove they need a wheel chair.
I do believe that people do abuse the wheel chairs!

I don' thinks it's fair to as every single handie capped person to bring medical forums with them every time they use there wheel chair.
They get enought unwanted attention drawn to them selfs I don't think they need or want anymore.

Do you as a deaf person to prove he is deaf? It's just rude in my oppion.

 

[DisneyFreak529]

I agree about the scooters too. I saw a really, really, big person riding a scooter and eating a double dipped ice-cream cone. Stop eating the ice cream and walk around, you might loose some of that weight.

All I'm gona say to that is ...

I'M BIG & PROUD!! Yes I'm a little fat! Even if you are skinny that doesn't give you the right to just post something as hurtfull and cruel as this. What did you think that there would be no "overweight" memember on this forum?

I'm not starting a fight, I just saying you need to think about who you are insulting before you start posting!!



Just so you know I never rented a wheel chair.

Why did you rent one, was it because deep down you wanted the thrill of cheatting the system, or was it really just for a test??

????

 

[donvincenzo]

My grandmother is kind of overweight and has a hard time walking around. She has a handicapped license plate. There ain't a chance in hell she could walk around the park the whole day. So she gets a electric wheelchair thing. And like everyone else with wheelchairs we get right to the front of the line. I personally feel kind of funny when we do that. Even if she doesn't go on it, she insists we go to the front of the line anyways. I hate doing it for a couple reasons. First, I feel bad for those people standing in line and who've been waiting to get on. I know if I was in line I'd be aggravated. Now if a person is truly handicapped or paralyzed or mentally challenged or something, by all means they should be allowed to go right on, a ride can be an experience of a lifetime for them. But for most they should still have to go through the lines or something. I get so aggravated when my grandmother insists on me going to the front of the line, even if I'm going on something by myself. Not for anything, but in Disney the queue lines are awesome and part of the whole experience and you miss all that by jumpig to the front. I don't know, I just agree something should be done to fix this. There should be some sort of balence where they can decide whether or not a person is eligible for the front of the line privilege.

 

[poohbear6103]

You ever think the person might be overweight because they can't walk around a lot and get exercise?

Also, do you ever eat and walk in the park? Should someone shove that pancake down your windpipe?

People should just learn not to judge others. It might help you out when you try to ender the great beyond...

Well said!!! Just because someone is overweight doesn't mean they are not allowed to eat. How does that make any sense?? Then you'd have someone falling off the scooter from fainting!!!

 

[DisneyFreak529]

People should just learn not to judge others. It might help you out when you try to ender the great beyond...

Your 100% right, very well put!!

 

[stitchlvr]

I have to say again that I don't understand why everyone keeps saying wheelchair uses jump the lines!! There are a few cases where this happens, yes, but the majority of the time, they wait like everyone else. And in several cases being in a wheelchair is a disadvantage because of lousy seats and the fact that its hard to maneuver in tight spaces like shops and most of the lines that allow wheelchairs. So I'd say overall its a wash

I also have to say that I don't recall at any point feeling that people were staring or pointing or upset etc. Except the one time our wheelchair was stolen, likely by someone who thought we didn't need it. (read my previous post for our story).

And if there is a concrete rule that a party with a wheelchair should be limited to 4 people, I'm glad that was never enforced, as our family is a family of 5. I'd hate to think they would have split up our group at any point. I go to WDW for a family vacation, which means enjoying the time with my whole family.

thank you...I'm done ranting now.

 

[RedBaron]

I think it is horrible to judge people in wheel chairs. You never know why they need them. The last time I was at WDW, which is too many years to count, I had to get a wheel chair for my mother. She has very bad knees with no cartiledge left now. The first day in the parks she insisted on walking in the park without assistance and regreted it. The rest of our trip I pushed the chair. We did not abuse the privilage as she felt well enough to walk in the queue's for the rides and in the shops. She did not enjoy having to use the chair because she said it made her feel like an old woman. That was the last time we went to WDW after going at least once a year for 10 years. By the way, because my mom cant walk or exercise she is not exactly thin. Im also pretty sure she had an ice cream cone too. By the way pushing the chair was not exactly a picnic for me either though I never complained one bit. I think people need to spend more time enjoying themselves and stop worrying about and trying to figure out why people do the things they do. Many seamingly healthy people need a chair. I would like to ask a question actually. I have been meaning to post it for a while now. How do I get my mom to get over the fact that she needs to use a chair while at WDW and get her to go back to the parks with me? My husband is not as big a fan and I really miss going.

 

[MiRi]

Some of the comments made in this thread disgust me. You know who you are. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

 

[MommytoMJM]

I haven't read the whole thread yet, I will, but I had to post a couple things....you all know that my daughter and I are in a dual wheelchair setup and have other issues (requiring a Guest Assistance Card for each of us) as well...I can tellyou that it doesn't save any time at all for us. We often haveto find a lead or coordinator to ok letting us in an exit so our chairs will fit, often people make off with the transfer chairs from attractions so we have to wait for one to be found or acquired if our chairs don't fit somewhere (fantasyland is a nightmare for us), We get a lot of dirty looks and rude people (closing doors on us, standing in front of us, cutting us off, etc) to top it off, we ahve to spend all day in the stupid chairs and let me tell you, they aren't made for comfort! We had two instances this week that made me nuts....(just have to rant, sorry)

We got to the Handicap seating area 45 minutes before the parade so MJ could be up front (very important to us) the place was packed and right before the parade some mom tryied to send her kid up to sit in front of MJ's chair, then yelled at me when I said no! (We also had a parade incident a few weeks ago where the CM dropped the back rope to the wheelchair seating area when the aprade started and we were SWARMED with people, the CM even put two kids (no parents in sight) in front of our chairs......I had to tell a coordinator about that one, I was ticked. besides her walking issues, MJ's brain damage means that she can't always control things, we use the WC seating as a way for us to keep oters safe from her too, she would never purposely hurt anyone, she just doesn't know any better)

A guest last night made some comment about how he wanted to ride around WDW like we were, I told him that he couldh ave the chair and ALL the diabilites that go with it, it is a package deal.

/RANT

 

[pax_65]

Why Be Concerned With It?

I prefer to look for the best in people, so I'm going to believe that everyone who is in a wheelchair in Disneyworld needs one. I'm glad Disney does what it can to make the park experience as pleasant as possible for those people with disabilities.

If people are abusing wheelchairs, then shame on them. It's not my problem, though.

If you are standing in line at Disney and you get easily irritated watching "apparently" healthy people move up the line in wheelchairs, you need to step back and re-evaluate things. Be thankful that you and your family are healthy, and that you are able to visit a place like Disneyworld.

Or, if all else fails, try visiting when the lines are shorter. Summer is hot and crowded.

Jon

 

[Shaman]

I haven't read the whole thread yet, I will, but I had to post a couple things....you all know that my daughter and I are in a dual wheelchair setup and have other issues (requiring a Guest Assistance Card for each of us) as well...I can tellyou that it doesn't save any time at all for us. We often haveto find a lead or coordinator to ok letting us in an exit so our chairs will fit, often people make off with the transfer chairs from attractions so we have to wait for one to be found or acquired if our chairs don't fit somewhere (fantasyland is a nightmare for us), We get a lot of dirty looks and rude people (closing doors on us, standing in front of us, cutting us off, etc) to top it off, we ahve to spend all day in the stupid chairs and let me tell you, they aren't made for comfort! We had two instances this week that made me nuts....(just have to rant, sorry)

We got to the Handicap seating area 45 minutes before the parade so MJ could be up front (very important to us) the place was packed and right before the parade some mom tryied to send her kid up to sit in front of MJ's chair, then yelled at me when I said no! (We also had a parade incident a few weeks ago where the CM dropped the back rope to the wheelchair seating area when the aprade started and we were SWARMED with people, the CM even put two kids (no parents in sight) in front of our chairs......I had to tell a coordinator about that one, I was ticked. besides her walking issues, MJ's brain damage means that she can't always control things, we use the WC seating as a way for us to keep oters safe from her too, she would never purposely hurt anyone, she just doesn't know any better)

A guest last night made some comment about how he wanted to ride around WDW like we were, I told him that he couldh ave the chair and ALL the diabilites that go with it, it is a package deal.

/RANT

To all those who have been offended, insulted, or saddened by what you have read here in this thread...I'm sorry...unfortunately people don't know how to count their blessings and are too busy with trivial things such as waiting in line far longer than those in wheel chairs...I applaud Disney for the steps it takes in making sure ALL their guest (no matter their extra need) have a great time...

These threads pop up every now and then, and each time it's the same thing...