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View Full Version : In defense of wheelchairs first



LibertyTreeGal
01-22-2009, 04:34 PM
I just wanted to point out to the folks who get bent out of shape about the wheelchairs and their families boarding first.

Yes, it is exceedingly frustrating when someone who hasn't been waiting barrels in and gets on first when you are tired and aching and the kids are cranky from too many sweets and too much stimulation, but you also have to look at it logically. The busses can only board so many wheelchairs. So if you have 8 wheelchairs and only two or three can be taken per bus that is a wait four buses deep right there. Taking them in order of the line is not practical because if you did then probably at the end of the night you would have busses shuttling nearly empty but packed with their quota of wheelchairs. Logistically speaking, that is a nightmare.

So no, it often is not fair and sometimes it can really stink but in the end it works out to everyone's best interest. So chill in the bus lines and just be glad that Disney provides free transportation in the first place :D

Hayden's Dad
01-22-2009, 04:50 PM
:ditto: Here Here!! I love your spirit!! :thanks::exactly::tink: And some extra pixie dust for good measure

Itchy
01-22-2009, 06:01 PM
As many trips as I have made to DW and waited in line while a wheel chair is being loaded I have never gotten upset because of it.

Life is to short to lose your cool over something that you or they have any control over.

I look at it this way I don't need a wheel chair now but some day I may. Then I would expect the same courtesy that I am giving them.

Just think if we did not have wheel chairs and how many people would not be able to enjoy what we take for granted.

God bless those who can still enjoy life to the fullest even if is in a wheel chair.:mickey:

beksy
01-22-2009, 06:34 PM
:ditto: Here Here!! I love your spirit!! :thanks::exactly::tink: And some extra pixie dust for good measure

I couldn't have said it better myself! BTW, Hayden's Dad, its good to "see" you again...you all have been in my thoughts. :mickey:

LibertyTreeGal
01-25-2009, 05:45 PM
Kyle, it is so wonderful to see you here. Kiss and hug Eva for me :)

g8rgirl29
01-26-2009, 10:31 AM
The way I see it, the person in a wheelchair took 10 times as long just to get down Main St!! Cut them a break!!!! I am not wheelchair bound but have gone to the park with a person on a scooter and WOW, it is a challenge!!!!! I figure they have had an extremely frustrating day of people dodging, waiting behind slow movers that they can't squeeze by and that doesn't even bring into account how they feel d/t their illness/disability. Disney does a lot to take into consideration people in wheelchairs but it still is difficult. If the one thing they get is to get on the bus before me or get to the front of the line.... GREAT!!!!! They have earned it!!!

emmatink
01-26-2009, 10:48 AM
I don't have a problem waiting for the person in the wheelchair to be loaded. What did annoy me is the eight other family members that came along with the person in the wheelchair. I was pregnant on our last trip to WDW and also traveling with a 2 year old. Now everybody with children knows the entourage that goes along with a toddler. We had been waiting for a bus for a looong time and finally it was our turn to board.....along comes family with wheelchair. So we waited...no problem. Well then the rest of the family boarded. So now half of the seats on the bus are taken and my husband and I and our 2 year old are stuck standing. So here I am pregnant carrying my 2 year old while my husband balances a stroller and diaper bag and holds on to us with the other hand so none of us topple over! I was just aggrevated that nobody in that large family had the courtesy to give up at least 1 seat. I know we are all equally tired but that is just ridiculous IMO!!

Hayden's Dad
01-26-2009, 12:19 PM
I don't have a problem waiting for the person in the wheelchair to be loaded. What did annoy me is the eight other family members that came along with the person in the wheelchair

But what did you expect them to do? Wait in line? So because you are in a wheelchair your family can't ride with you, or only two people can? Now don't get me wrong I believe they shouldn't have taken the seats they should have stood or at the very least let you and your child sit down. I always had to stand with Hayden since he couldn't leave his chair, but I would have to make my wife actually take a seat although she usually stood as well. But you can't expect someone's family to wait at a different location than the person in the wheelchair, imagine if that was expected of everyone else who wasn't in a wheelchair. "Sorry Mrs your husband will have to wait here, but you and your children can go now." It doesn't make sense.

KLD
01-26-2009, 02:39 PM
But what did you expect them to do? Wait in line?

Yes they can wait. I went to WDW this past Nov/Dec for 10 days with a 9 yr old in wheelchair (also chair bound). We went with a party of 11. Never once did anyone but my husband OR I stand with him. The rest waited in line (including our other sons BTW). They always got on the same bus as us except for one time. We just waited for them at our stop - it was only ten minutes! So it can be done and should be for the consideration of all others in line.

emmatink
01-26-2009, 04:04 PM
My point was not to say that the family cannot ride along in the same bus but just to be a little bit more considerate of others especially if you are traveling with a large party. Alot of times families that are traveling with people in wheelchairs do get to go to the front of bus lines without having to wait at all while others may have to wait for a second or third bus. The least the families members without disabilities could do is be considerate and stand so that people who have been waiting a long time can have seats with their tired toddlers.

Daisy'sMom
01-26-2009, 07:35 PM
Or perhaps all the other guests on the bus could have given their seats up as well. There are alot of other seats with healthy people sitting down, not just the family of the disabled. :(

peemagg
01-27-2009, 08:40 AM
Something I see over and over again with these boards and others about scooters and wheelchairs is that people always blame the family members of the disabled person for taking all the seats. It doesn't matter if there was 1 extra person in the party or 10, it is always their fault that someone couldn't sit down. Like another poster said "What about all of those other able bodied people on the bus who are sitting there?" No one is saying anything about them not getting up and offering their seat.

More often than not I have seen mostly teens and young able bodied adults with their rears in the seat and not moving. That is where the problem is. People do not show courtesy to their fellow man anymore. It used to be very discourteous if a man was sitting and a lady was left standing. Mankind is just becoming more and more everyone for themselves. That is too bad!

Stop blaming those who need extra help and their parties! Take a look around and see if there are others who are being discourteous before you set blame to others. This might also be your own parties response sometimes. Would you or your party get up for others if you were on the bus first? Think about it before you say something about others.

Fyi- I give up my seat to anyone who needs it.

Dragongirlx
01-27-2009, 09:26 AM
More often than not I have seen mostly teens and young able bodied adults with their rears in the seat and not moving.

I just like to ask - how do you know these people are able bodied. I am 32 and outwardly I look fine but I have arthritis in both knees since the age of 13 I have to use a cane sometimes but not all times. I have been shouted at and harranged on numerous occassions by older people on the bus for not giving up my seat or even just for sitting downstairs because I look fine, even when that older person is fitter than me. Now I would always give up my seat to people who need it when I am well enough to do so but I get upset at those who judge me as well soley on appearance.
Ok rant over
I do agree however that if you are able to do so you should always give up your seat to someone who needs it more

Hayden's Dad
01-27-2009, 10:30 AM
Alot of times families that are traveling with people in wheelchairs do get to go to the front of bus lines without having to wait at all while others may have to wait for a second or third bus.

This is what agravates me so much!!!!!! :mad: DO you think it is a PRIVLIDGE that my son was handicapped, that for one minute I would have not traded one more day with him if it meant we would have to wait in a longer line!! Handicapped people did not choose to be where they are, they did not choose to have to be loaded into a bus before everyone else that is the only way it can be done!!! If they had a choice most of them would rather wait in line!!

Strmchsr
01-27-2009, 03:11 PM
:cop: MODERATOR NOTE :cop:

Alright, everyone. Take a deep breath and calm down or I'll close the thread. We all have opinions on this issue, and especially in this case it can bring out strong feelings, but let's stay civil. If you want to be nasty there are other sites that allow that. :D We prefer a calmer tone, though, so please no attacks and be considerate when stating your opinion.

The fact is, it's not fair that the entire party of a wheelchair bound person can walk right up when everyone else has been waiting 30 min in line, but it's also not fair that that person has to be in a wheelchair every day (especially a child). Life is unfair. Having a child with special needs, I'll take the waiting in line and having someone go ahead of me unfairness any day against what the person in the wheelchair has to deal with every other day. I honestly wish I knew a better solution on the transportation. I'm sure Disney has analyzed it a hundred times over. They want to get you moved quickly. Unhappy guests don't come back and don't spend money. If you're on the bus or waiting in line for a bus you're not helping their bottom line so moving folks about as quickly as possible is in their best interest. There's just not a better system out there right now (except the monorail, which is very efficient, but not cost-effective) I suppose if the current system irritates someone they can just rent a car and avoid the WDW transportation all together.

vicster
01-27-2009, 04:17 PM
Very well said Strmchsr and I couldn't agree more!!!

I've learned not to worry about what everyone else is doing but what I am doing and especially at the happiest place on earth. How can you let anything bother you there???

Just be happy you woke up in the morning and are able to stand in line.

crazypoohbear
01-29-2009, 04:50 PM
I have waited in Looooong lines to board the bus back "home" at the end of a long hot day. I have waited while the "handi's" and their families board before. AND I feel blessed that I am able to stand in that long hot line and that no one with me is wheelchair bound.
I have also visited disney with my mom who is wheelchair bound, and I have felt blessed to be able to visit disney with my mother and my son. I feel blessed that we were able to stay together as a family.

If people took a moment to put themselves in someone else's shoes, life would be much easier.
Either way, I'm at disney with loved one's and I am blessed.:mickey:

ibelieveindisneymagic
01-30-2009, 08:15 AM
When we took my Mom last spring, with an ECV we were actually surprised how different it made the trip!

It was wonderful to be able to take her at all, and I really believe that Disney does a great job with transportation, we were completely unprepared for the comments and down-right rudeness of some of the other Disney guests. I'm really not sure what they are thinking when they make the rude comments.

Yes, sometimes we got on busses sooner, sometimes we sent DH into the line, and waited a bus or two, and sometimes we had to wait longer as there were already 2 ECV's/wheelchairs and sometimes the ramp wasn't working! I didn't keep track, I just enjoyed that we were at Disney, and we got to take my Mom for her first trip!

I guess I'm just trying to say that, like many of you, I've seen it from both sides, and that it itself was the best education ever. We've always been considerate of everyone, that's just the right thing to do, but it is different once you "rolled a mile in their EVC!"

kakn7294
01-30-2009, 04:02 PM
But what did you expect them to do? Wait in line?

Yes they can wait. I went to WDW this past Nov/Dec for 10 days with a 9 yr old in wheelchair (also chair bound). We went with a party of 11. Never once did anyone but my husband OR I stand with him. The rest waited in line (including our other sons BTW). They always got on the same bus as us except for one time. We just waited for them at our stop - it was only ten minutes! So it can be done and should be for the consideration of all others in line.You know, that's a very admirable approach by your family. I commend you for it! However, it's not what I expect. As I've gotten older (ahem...), I've learned to take life in stride and it no longer bothers me if a family of someone in a wheelchair boards before me even if the entire bus fills up with their family. The next bus will be along shortly and I'll hitch a ride on that one - I've never had to wait for more than 2 buses. Yes, it can be frustrating but it's well worth the wait to have the privledge to wait.

KLD
01-30-2009, 09:22 PM
You know, that's a very admirable approach by your family. I commend you for it! However, it's not what I expect. As I've gotten older (ahem...), I've learned to take life in stride and it no longer bothers me if a family of someone in a wheelchair boards before me even if the entire bus fills up with their family. The next bus will be along shortly and I'll hitch a ride on that one - I've never had to wait for more than 2 buses. Yes, it can be frustrating but it's well worth the wait to have the privledge to wait.

Well if everyone who visited WDW was like you, then my son would not have been in tears by our 2nd day there. The rude comments started day 1 and continued the whole 10 days, that is why our approach was necessary - for our own sanity. I am happy that you feel that way, like I said, you are definitely in the minority.

Thanks for your compassion.

Tinkerbellaella
01-30-2009, 09:43 PM
ME..ME...ME...

That is what our society has turned into. Stop and be considerate of others. On both sides, able bodies and people who need assistance. Make the world a friendlier place.

Hayden's Dad
02-02-2009, 11:33 AM
We found it much easier on our last trip to just drive to the parks. I wish we had done this before, but when your wheelchair doesn't look like a wheelchair it just makes life easier. We didn't have any rude comments from other guests, our problems came from a couple of bus drivers that either didn't believe we had a wheelchair, or just didn't see us.

GrandFlo
02-02-2009, 05:21 PM
I don't mind when these things happen. I know from a family member that she would rather wait in line for hours if she could just have the use of her legs back. When I have to wait longer, I don't complain, I thank God I have legs that I can stand on.

irish1967
02-20-2009, 10:14 PM
I've lurked on this thread for quite awhile now and finally decided to tell you a story that I hope makes everyone realize that there are many people who are sensitive to the challenges that physically handicapped people face.

It was about 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 10. Two friends and I were waiting for a bus back to our resort from DTD after eating lunch. Prior to going to DTD for lunch, we had gotten up at 3:00 a.m. and participated in the half-marathon. We were tired, we hurt and the only thing we wanted to do at that moment was to get back to the resort and take a nap.

Add about a dozen more people in the same condition, or supporters/children who had gotten up at 3:00 a.m. to cheer the race particpants on.

Most of us had just missed the previous bus, so we had been already waiting 30 minutes for the next bus. The bus arrives, we all get on and a man in a wheelchair rolls up to the door to ask the driver a question. He had, apparently, missed his bus and wasn't sure when the next one would come and where to go. Not only did the bus driver get him to the right place, he also waited for the appropriate bus to arrive in order to make sure the man did not miss the next one.

He explained the situation to the people on the bus and NOT ONE PERSON said a word of complaint. Every single person on that bus realized that even though we were exhausted, even though many of us were in pain, nothing we were experiencing at that moment compared to what the person in the wheelchair went through on a daily basis.

My only wish was that I had been on the ball enough to get the bus driver's name. He definitely deserved a letter of commendation for his act. I did thank him for his compassion as I exited the bus.

Please don't the the actions of a few cloud your perception of all - in my experience, the vast majority of people agree that wheelchairs should go first!

Marilyn Michetti
02-27-2009, 09:30 AM
Opinions aside, it's still the law. The driver must load wheelchairs and scooters first, as his seat is unattended during that time. :mickey:

Nini5055
03-03-2009, 04:50 PM
I am sorry for those who do not understand the WDW policy about wheelchair & ECV users. My father was unable to walk for more than a few steps. He used an ECV and yes my mother, myself and dd6 boarded with him. I always made my dd sit on my lap so we would take up as few seats as possible.

HOWEVER...my father was REFUSED boarding by a bus driver who did not feel the policy was correct. He let EVERYONE in line on before my father. It was so blatently obvious a bus driver behind him went over to speak with him and called for another bus to come right away because his bus was not handicapped equipped. We waited an additional 20 minutes because some driver was having a "Bad Day" (the words we were told).

My father is now completely wheelchair bound and it was really an awful stressful situation to be in for his last trip to WDW with his grandaughter. It just makes me so sad. :(

Personally, I don't care if there are 10 wheelchairs...they can board first. I waited when I took my dd by myself...I even had to stand a few times while holding a sleeping child while MEN just sat and looked at me....maybe I'm just too darn good looking!!!!! :D

vicster
03-03-2009, 04:54 PM
So sad that some people are like that. And yes, I have seen many men not give up their seat to a woman holding a child. Maybe they should try holding a child and hanging on to the bars during the bus turns - maybe then they'd understand.