Disney Charging for Wheelchairs

Another consideration with Disney providing free wheelchairs -- or any wheelchairs, for that matter -- is that there is always going to be a finite supply of them. How many tens of thousands of people are at the parks and the water parks on a daily basis? How does Disney know how many of them will require the use of a wheelchair? If Disney had to ensure that every guest who needed a wheelchair in the parks were provided with one, that would seem quite an unmanageable expectation. Yes, the ADA requires accommodations but it requires *reasonable* accommodations. To expect Disney to always have wheelchairs available for any number of guests who require them seems beyond reasonable. But that's just IMHO, of course. YMMV, and whatever other acronyms the crazy kids use these days.
 
You can actually get complementary chairs in most of the parks. I had to run get them a few times when I was at Cosmic's mostly used for things like someone is on crutches and can't keep going half way though the day so they are handed one, or a kid that's too old to carry starts throwing up. Or an elderly person who normal walks needs it half way though the day (Note they are a different color than the chairs you pay for)
 
figmentofmyimagination said:
Maybe a trailer attached to bus to put them in

Each of these take out at least 3/4 seats when loaded, plus lowering of the bus
Click to expand...
A trailer wouldn't work logistically. The lower of the bus happened whether you have wheel chairs or not.

There just isn't a way you can do this much better than they already do it.
 


figmentofmyimagination said:
Maybe a trailer attached to bus to put them in

Each of these take out at least 3/4 seats when loaded, plus lowering of the bus
Click to expand...
A trailer? Really?
I'm not sure that is acceptable nor will it solve any wait times.
I'm happy to let someone who has mobility issues take up all the space and time they need.
They deal with enough crap, let's not make them deal with more at Disney.
 


This is not meant to be mean or sarcastic towards anyone, I just had what I consider a funny vision of a Disney bus with an open sided trailer loaded with eight elderly pulling into the MK parking lot with bugs og their glasses and hair sticking straight up.

I realize it was meant for the ECVs without people, but come on, that's a Monty Python funny picture.
 
figmentofmyimagination said:
... apparently disney will be charging a fee to use their wheelchairs at the waterparks ... Was wondering how everyone felt about this ... Should a business be expected to provide this service for free or should people be responsible for arranging their own wheelchairs ... For what they charge for admission these days, I'm sorry it should be free ... I thought the American disabilities act protected this from happening
Click to expand...

figmentofmyimagination said:
Seems harsh that you are essentially charging a person with a disability or injury a fee to be able to navigate through ones park.
Click to expand...

There is always a charge when a business provides a wheelchair (or any service). The question is should that charge be paid for by the person using it or by all of us as a collective group. Depending on what we're speaking on, as a society sometimes we decide through the passing of laws to require all of us to pay the costs for things enjoyed by only a few. And most of the time that's a good thing. But reasonable people agree that there is a line there somewhere.

No one has a right to go to WDW parks except by purchasing a ticket. If you consider the price of a wheelchair rental as included in that ticket price like we do the cost to supply ramps and braille menus (among the rest of the things the ADA require) the cost of a ticket for all of us is going to go up. Sometimes that's a fair deal. Sometimes not.

It's possible that someone with a debilitating condition does not already have a wheelchair and Disney charging for a wheelchair rental is what makes the difference between going or not. But I have to imagine this to be uncommonly rare. You're telling me that after everything you're already spending to get to the parks, not being given a free wheelchair rental is what tips the scale?

It's unfortunate that there are people, so crafted by the gods or nature or unfortunate happenstance whatever, that they cannot as easily enjoy certain parts of this world like other people can. It's not fair. But we are not built this way by any choices made by Disney and expecting anyone to shoulder an undue portion of ones personal burden is unfair as well.

Sometimes things are just tougher for some of us than others, and to be fair, Disney does a better job than most at keeping us all included.
 
I was going to not to post to this thread, however, there are a couple of things that I feel the need to point out.
I used to work with disabled adults and several of them were wheelchair bound that could not always transfer to a regular car seat. Depending on the van type, it took many steps and triple checking to make sure that the person is secured and chair stabilized/tie-down properly plus usually I loaded that person first due to the needed space.

There were many times when I was out with certain adults with different abilities, sometimes it felt that others treated them with bad looks or in situation like at a restaurant asked me or a co-worker what the person in the wheelchair wanted instead of asking that person first.

I have a legally blind nephew that gets around Disneyland, WDW, Disneyland Paris, Universal, and many other venues just fine (has limited vision and does not use a cane or guide dog).

I had a grad level ADA course back in the early 90s and one of the main people involved taught that class. The heart of that involved what measures needed in both the access and some on what is expected in adapting services/needs in work/other. I dont remember all the details, but a trailer at the end of a bus would not pass.

I do support a cost to the wheel chairs if it means less theft/better upkeep.
 
The $100 deposit is in place for those locations where it would be easier to steal the wheelchair (Disney Springs and now the waterparks.) There is no deposit in the theme parks because you have to exit through the turnstiles where the castmember would then direct you back to return it. At the waterparks and DS you could simply walk out with it and pop it into your car, hence the hefty (but fully refundable) deposit.
 
New England Eeyore said:
The $100 deposit is in place for those locations where it would be easier to steal the wheelchair (Disney Springs and now the waterparks.) There is no deposit in the theme parks because you have to exit through the turnstiles where the castmember would then direct you back to return it. At the waterparks and DS you could simply walk out with it and pop it into your car, hence the hefty (but fully refundable) deposit.
Click to expand...
Ah, that is understandable.
 
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