Scooter/Wheelchair Advice

[mamabunny]

I honestly can’t remember, but the lady was adamant that we need to make it clear that mobility devices are an extension of a person’s body and laws and rules need to treat it as such when there is damages involved.

Yes. Our mobility devices are exactly that - an extension of our bodies. If you damage my wheelchair, or one of my beloved TravelScoots, you have damaged *me*, as I can no longer move without it.

I have never understood, even before I became so reliant upon a device, why that seems to be a surprising concept to the able-bodied.

But then again, most able-bodied folks don’t realize that they are actually just TABs: Temporarily Able Bodied people. A very large percentage of the very folks who will publicly proclaim that DAS shouldn’t be allowed, that they don’t want to see scooters or wheelchairs in the parks… those people who glare at us at WDW because we have dared to remind them of their inevitable future, with our Rollators and our canes, and yes, our scooters… They will most likely some day end up here. They will forget that they ever rolled their eyes when a ride had to stop or slow for us - but in the future, they will demand that it does for them, or their loved one. They will never understand that for the last 50+ years, other folks - including us, right now today - have helped pave the way for future generations of disabled Guests at Disney Parks by being a living experiment in how to manage both the temporarily able-bodied *and* the disabled smoothly and easily.

/:::end soapbox:::
/:::end rant:::

I can’t fix everything, but I won’t stop trying!

 

[Evita_W]

Yes. Our mobility devices are exactly that - an extension of our bodies. If you damage my wheelchair, or one of my beloved TravelScoots, you have damaged *me*, as I can no longer move without it.

I have never understood, even before I became so reliant upon a device, why that seems to be a surprising concept to the able-bodied.

But then again, most able-bodied folks don’t realize that they are actually just TABs: Temporarily Able Bodied people. A very large percentage of the very folks who will publicly proclaim that DAS shouldn’t be allowed, that they don’t want to see scooters or wheelchairs in the parks… those people who glare at us at WDW because we have dared to remind them of their inevitable future, with our Rollators and our canes, and yes, our scooters… They will most likely some day end up here. They will forget that they ever rolled their eyes when a ride had to stop or slow for us - but in the future, they will demand that it does for them, or their loved one. They will never understand that for the last 50+ years, other folks - including us, right now today - have helped pave the way for future generations of disabled Guests at Disney Parks by being a living experiment in how to manage both the temporarily able-bodied *and* the disabled smoothly and easily.

/:::end soapbox:::
/:::end rant:::

I can’t fix everything, but I won’t stop trying!

This is too true, DH has long maintained that everyone should have to have disability sensitivity training (a week or two “living with a disability” and all of its ramifications) before graduating high school. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would go a long ways towards helping people see.

 

[mamabunny]

This is too true, DH has long maintained that everyone should have to have disability sensitivity training (a week or two “living with a disability” and all of its ramifications) before graduating high school. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would go a long ways towards helping people see.

I still maintain that every single person above the VP level in the Disney Resorts org chart needs to spend however long it takes in a mobility device (I don't care, but I know some who believe they should be required to use one of the *old* Parks buggies ) and should have to navigate every single ride, attraction, shop and dining venue at every single Park at WDW, as well as every form of transportation and every size hotel room.

I would hope that the outcome would be greater compassion for everyone, true barrier-free design of future rides, attractions and facilities, and perhaps even some thoughtful redesigns that are more fully accommodating.

 

[elvispursley]

This is too true, DH has long maintained that everyone should have to have disability sensitivity training (a week or two “living with a disability” and all of its ramifications) before graduating high school. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would go a long ways towards helping people see.

Agree! One of the most impactful classes I took when I was in OT school as a class that not only explained a variety of disabilities but had us actually go about a day-in the-life. We all had to go about campus (and I mean everywhere) using a manual chair, power chair, ECV. We had to wear vasiline-smeared glasses that allowed us to experience some visual impairments, glasses that mimicked macular degeneration, breathing through a straw to give some insight into asthma and COPD. It really brought home a little sense of what those who live with theses conditions face every day and allowed us to think “outside” of the box to modify activities that are for self care, work, and leisure.