Tips For Guests With Wheelchairs

For some people who visit Walt Disney World, a wheelchair is an important piece of equipment. It may be something you rely on for daily life, something you need only in certain situations or a even a last minute necessity due to an injury. Whatever your reason, today I’ve got some tips that may be helpful for you during your next Walt Disney World vacation.

Bring Something To Stay Warm

One of the first things that everyone seems to think about when planning their Walt Disney World vacation is how to stay cool while at the parks or enjoying the resorts. That makes perfect sense, especially considering how hot and humid Florida can be. The thing is, just because it might be hot and humid during certain parts of the day [or during certain seasons] doesn’t mean you’ll be dripping with sweat for the duration of your vacation.

With temperatures cooling off in the evening hours and air conditioning keeping indoor spaces cool, it can be easy to catch a chill; especially if you’re confined to a wheelchair.

This was a surprising problem that Russ ran into during the few days that he was in a wheelchair while waiting for a knee scooter to be delivered. Though the rest of us were working up a sweat walking through the parks, he got and stayed cold rather quickly.

The best way to solve this problem will likely be different depending on your personal preferences, but one option that seemed to work best for Russ [and my mother who uses a wheelchair during long days at the parks] is a blanket. In particular, they both prefer the blankets that fold into pillows. While folded, the pillow can be used as back support or can be stowed rather easily. When it’s cold, just unfold the blanket and you’re good to go.

Poncho

Piggybacking on the matter of being cold, a poncho is a must have item if you’re in a wheelchair at Walt Disney World. Not only will it prevent you from getting wet, and then ending up cold because you’re not doing a whole lot of moving, but it can also keep your wheelchair dry. Remember, unless you’re physically incapable of leaving your wheelchair, you’re likely going to find yourself transferring into ride vehicles or even parking your wheelchair outside when at certain dining locations. On a rainy day, this could mean arriving back at your chair to find it completely soaked through or covered in a puddle of rainwater.

Ponchos are available at Walt Disney World for purchase at pretty much any shop, including the locations where you can rent wheelchairs, so be sure to grab one if you’re seeing rain in the forecast. It will be well worth the money.

Accessorize

It’s amazing how effective the right accessory can be at improving your experience doing just about anything; using a wheelchair at Walt Disney World is no exception. Fortunately, there are a lot of great and easy to use accessories out to choose from.

When taking some time to look up different accessories that would be worth mentioning in our discussion today, I stumbled upon two that really stand out to me. The first was a pouch that can easily be snapped on the outside or inside of the chair’s armrest. This is a great option for someone who is renting a wheelchair daily at the parks because it can easily be put on and off the chair. It’s also a great way to hold those basics, like a phone or wallet, that you might want to have immediate access to. The price for this item is around $22.00, which to me seems like a pretty fair price to pay. The second item that stood out to me was a cupholder. This can be easily clipped onto the chair and removed without causing any damage. Again, it’s around $11.00 which seems like a fair price in my opinion.

Get The Chair If You Think You’ll Need It

Now, I realize that this is not a tip that will help those of you who are already set on getting yourself a wheelchair for when you’re at Walt Disney World. I’m including it in today’s discussion though, because I’m sure that there’s at least one person out there reading this who is still trying to convince themselves that they won’t need a wheelchair despite the challenges they have getting around.

If you think that you might need a wheelchair while you’re at Walt Disney World because you have a hard time getting around, get a wheelchair. I know that for many, the idea of using a wheelchair is not appealing for one reason or another. This is especially the case if you’re not someone who uses a wheelchair in day to day life. However, a trip to Walt Disney World presents a lot of challenges that day to day life does not. For example, walking for long periods of time for miles and miles each day. Also, the inability to just sit when you need to. [Disney does have places to sit around the parks, but they can be far and few in-between. They can also be virtually nonexistent during more crowded times of the year.] Though it might seem like an inconvenience to have your family member push you around or spend the money on the rental, what’s most important is that you don’t find yourself in a potentially dangerous situation.

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Have you ever found yourself in need of using a wheelchair while at Walt Disney World? Was it a difficult decision to make or were you sure right away that it was the right choice? I know that it was a difficult choice for Russ at the start, because he didn’t like the idea of me having to push him around, but it was the right choice at the end of the day. Let us know your experience and any tips that you learned along the way by leaving a comment below!