forr2grls said:
check out this site
www.medicaltravel.org click on florida mobility
Have you rented from them and have any comments about your experience?
There are several companies listed in the disABILITIES FAQs thread that many DIS posters have had good experiences with over the years.
The 84 year old the OP asked about may actually feel more comfortable being pushed in a wheelchair. A lot depends on how comfortable he/she feels driving, especially driving in crowds. Some people find that it takes a lot more attention and makes them more tired to drive an ECV, especially if they don't drive a car. A good place to practice is either in a grocery store or a large store like a Walmart. Those types of places often have
ECVs for use by their customers. Those ECVs are much larger than the kind you can rent at WDW (either from the parks or off-site). Besides that, they have a large cart stuck onto the front. So, if someone can drive one of those, they won't have much trouble driving one of the rental ones.
For the 12 yr old with a broken toe; if she is small, she may be more comfortable in a pediatric wheelchair - those are more available from the off-site rental places than in the parks. And, as was already mentioned, she would not be able to drive an ECV.
We recently got back from a trip to WDW with a total of 14 people, including my youngest DD with a wheelchair and multiple problems, my nephew with ADD, a friend with bad knees, and my MIL and FIL, who are both over 75 and have some mobility problems.
My biggest hint is to not try to stay together. With a group that large, it's very difficult, especially if the parks are crowded. If you eat out, it's hard to find a place that the entire party likes and you won't be at one table anyway. It's not likely that everyone will be ready to eat at the same time and if you are at counter service places, it's hard to find seats at the smae time for that many. Some people may want to hit all the thrill rides, while others don't want to go on any. Some might be happiest tanning by the pool (friend's wife) while others don't like to swim at all (MIL and FIL). Some walk fast, others walk slow.
I'd suggest planning activities for parts of your group, not the entire group and use cell phones to hook up with each other. We sometimes were in the same park, but doing different things.