Other than Disney: places elsewhere you may want to check out!

[dj2]

i was at the arch in st. louis this summer in my ecv and it's not very accessible as far as i could tell. i did go up, but it involved a long walk and some steps. up top was sloped flooring. the golden access pass provided a small discount.

the nearby Mississippi riverboat tour is accessible (lower level of boat); however, getting down to it requires about 1/2 mile (hard to estimate, took at least 15 minutes for us to walk/ride) unpleasant journey with steep slopes along traffic to avoid all the stairs leading down to the river. hth

[SueM in MN]

I'm actually going to move this thread to the top of the disABILITIES Community Board. Maybe more people who are not going on WDW trips will see it there.

[mechurchlady]

I am tired so I may have to edit later.

San Diego Wild Animal Park

On the left is guest service which gave me detailed instructions and literature. I received free admission as companion of my mother. Parking is close to the entrance. Walk ways are paved and not a problem but them hills can be murder on the person pushing the wheelchair. They explained the steep areas and I was told to go to the offices and they put mom and me in a modified golf cart with a drop down ramp so that ECVs and wheelchairs can board. All a person has to do is call from a box which they tell the location of. We got rides all over the park.

I had no reactions from the food and cannot remember that part. The park is inland and can be unbearably hot or cold. Mom was chilled the first hours. The monorail is an hour long trek and no getting off. It is a bench seat with plenty of room to stand up. I put mom's wheelchair near the door and she stood up and walked in. I believe up front there is a wheel chair spot. The first car or two are quiet zones where you cannot be too loud as it makes it hard to hear the guide.

Overall they were good with my food requests, offered assistance without me asking, were very helpful, free transportation to avoid steep hills, and disabled bathrooms. Down side was the wheelchair's front wheel getting stuck in a hole in a bridge. Mom slid forward a couple inches and I got jarred by the sudden stop. Bring a friend to help on the hills.

[memorykeeper]

Originally Posted by BeckyScott

We just returned from a weekend in Branson MO.

Silver Dollar City does have something very similar to a GAC! Our youngest son is autistic. I didn't know what they would do, but it never hurts to ask. I went to Guest Services right at the entrance. There was a very helpful lady there, I asked about accomodations for "non-visible" disabilities. Really, at that moment, Justin's disability was pretty "visible" he was flappin' it up and singing to himself, so she figured out what was going on with no problem. Gave us a copied letter to show, she filled in some info like the date and the size of party, and told us to use the Disabled Entrance (which for most rides was the Exit) along with a booklet about the rides.

The employees are fairly young and not as experienced as you might find at Disney, but they were really nice about it. Most took the letter to whoever the ride supervisor was, and came right back with it and knew exactly what to do. Our wait time, if I had to guess, was 3-5 minutes, and we were able to wait right by the exit gate where Justin could move around.

I think it might also be a policy to offer an immediate "second round" if you want, they kept asking us if we wanted to go again. We never tested it out, though, once seemed to be enough.

I just wanted to share. SDC is a smaller park and I wasn't expecting them to be equipped to "handle" something like autism, but they obviously have had this happen before and were very gracious about it. A two-thumbs up from us!

We did plenty of other stuff in Branson itself, but nothing you'd need special accomodations for. Everything seemed to be very wheelchair-accessible.

We traveled to Branson with my then 6 yo who has autism and had a similar experience. Everyone was absolutely wonderful at Silver Dollar City and Celebration City. We would visit again in a heartbeat.

[cforgan67]

Just wanted to pass on this info. My son has a form of autism, Aspergers Syndrome, more of a social disability. Anyway, before leaving home we got a letter from his doctor stating his disability, just in case.

Sea World provides for express line. We went to the courtesy booth when entering. Told them we had a party member with a disability. They didn't ask for proof but we provided the letter. Throughout the day we had express entrance to all rides and shows. Was great and they were so courteous.

[DisneyWheeler]

We were only here for a short time in the off-season in October, so if anyone has any other information they'd like to add, chime in. My mom had to give a talk at a meeting in Dewey Beach, and I was lucky enough to go with her.

On our last day in Delaware when my mom was free of her duties, we headed over to Rehoboth Beach to see what it looked like. I immediately fell in love with it from the moment we drove through the town to find a parking place. The town and the boardwalk was fairly wheelchair accessible even though there wasn't much going on, on the boardwalk. Some of the shops were wheelchair-accessible as well. We didn't go into very many of them though.

Now, I'm hoping that my husband and I could go there for our ten-year anniversary. It's such a neat place to visit.

Samantha

[IDreamfDisney]

Does anyone have any suggestions/experiences for touring Vegas? I will need to rent an ECV - any places you know of I can do this? Thanks!

[pugdog]

What do you want ot know about Las Vegas? We have been there a few times now with a powerchair and love it. It is now our second vacation spot behind WDW.

[MrEvilGuy]

thanks, good suggestions!

[MrEvilGuy]

Originally Posted by IDreamfDisney

Does anyone have any suggestions/experiences for touring Vegas? I will need to rent an ECV - any places you know of I can do this? Thanks!

vegas is a crazy place

[bopper]

I saw this and thought I would pass it along:

http://www.morganswonderland.com

The World's First Ultra Accessible Family Fun Park

The mission of Morgan's Wonderland is to set a new standard for excellence in providing outdoor recreational opportunities for individuals with disabilities. We believe that there is a real need for a special place for special people, one that provides an oasis for people with disabilities, their families and caregivers who need facilities specifically designed to assist them in enjoying outdoor activities.

[dj2]

we're thinking of a trip to san francisco. anyone know if it is a difficult city for those with mobility issues? any recommendations for things to do and see?

[hematite153]

Originally Posted by dj2

we're thinking of a trip to san francisco. anyone know if it is a difficult city for those with mobility issues? any recommendations for things to do and see?

We had a very challenging time in San Francisco. The extent and angle of the hills was ridiculously challenging. I found that pushing my DW was a constant battle of pushing uphill and holding tight on the downhill. (Think twice as steep as the ramp to the monorail from the TTC, pretty much full time.) I don't know how a power chair would do. We saw a woman with an ECV who was really struggling. But, I'm sure there are people who live there who can provide better information about how to deal with things.

[dj2]

Originally Posted by hematite153

We had a very challenging time in San Francisco. The extent and angle of the hills was ridiculously challenging. I found that pushing my DW was a constant battle of pushing uphill and holding tight on the downhill. (Think twice as steep as the ramp to the monorail from the TTC, pretty much full time.) I don't know how a power chair would do. We saw a woman with an ECV who was really struggling. But, I'm sure there are people who live there who can provide better information about how to deal with things.

oh boy, terrific....

[disneykiwi]

Hi there

We are heading to WDW for 2 weeks in September 2010 and from there driving to Savannah for a few days then Washington DC for a few days and then onto New York for 5 days. I am trying to find accessible places to stay. I am spina bifida and confined to manual wheelchair - have good upper strength and can transfer myself usually pretty easily.

I wonder if anyone has stayeed in these cities and can recommend a particular hotel/motel or place to stay that had good wheelchair access and the bathroom was all setup - i.e hand held shower and/or roll in shower?

I have emailed quite a few places who say they meet ADA specs but arent specific about what the shower is like etc and it gets expensive ringing from NZ to ask what they mean so thought it would be better to ask here if anyone had experiences

Thanks