Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

[Adrienne]

Hey there, am pretty new here but have been lurking for the the last two weeks

wanted to know if there is anyone here with Chronic Fatigue syndriome and whether u have any tips for doing WDW with CFS

also do u think i should get a GAC at hm here in Adelaide I have a disabled parking permit... can i use it at WDW if i get a rental car? sometimes even just walking through the mall can wipe me out so..

yeah feel like i'm babbling but really just looking for advice.....

Adrienne

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi Adrienne and welcome to both DisBoards and disABILTIES.

First of all, there is nothing wrong with babbling as long as it makes sense, which yours does.

If you have a government-issued disabled tag it should be valid here. In the US they are either blue or red, have the universal wheelchiar symbol, and are about 24cm tall and about 9cm wide and hang from the mirror support. I have heard that some people from UK have brought and used the "blue badge", but I have never seen one. I have checked with my local Sheriff's Office and they said any government issue tag, even from outside the US, will not get ticketed if parked in a handicap space.

I would also suggest you look at the "disABILITIES FAQ" for a lot of information. especially about the rental of electric convenience vehicles (usually referred to as either ECVs or scooters). The off-site rentals are usually much better than the one's Disney rents, both for maneuverability and speed. They are designed to break down and fit in a car's trunk. The Disney ones rent for $30 per day and may not be available at all times. If you rent from off-site the rentals are $30 or less, but having a weekly cap under $200 and after one week the prices drop considerably. Also you have one available at all times.

If you have stamina/mobility issues you will not be given a GAC but will be told to use a wheelchair or ECV. Only if you have other "invisible" disabilities will you be able to get a GAC.

I hope these answers help. Just ask more when you think of it.

 

[JoannaOhio]

wanted to know if there is anyone here with Chronic Fatigue syndriome and whether u have any tips for doing WDW with CFS

Welcome to the boards. I have been living with CFS & Fibromyalgia for 11 years (ever since dealing with breast cancer & chemo). When I came to WDW in 2000, my DD pushed me around in one of Disney's rented wheelchairs. This December our group will include DD's fiancee, who uses an electric wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy disabilities. He also has a manual chair that he prefers to use in the house - (we're staying in an accessible rented villa) - so I'll be using his manual chair (with DD pushing) in the parks. When you get to each park, you can get a booklet for Guests With Disabilities that tells you which rides you can take a wheelchair or ECV on - what kind of transfers you might need to make, etc. I definitely encourage you to go the wheelchair or ECV route. I know that I could never make it through any of the parks walking. As for your handicap tag, it should work fine in a rental car.

 

[Talking Hands]

A handicapped tag from a foreign country is not valid here. I believe you can bring yours and get a temporary one for Florida issued.

 

[JoannaOhio]

A handicapped tag from a foreign country is not valid here. I believe you can bring yours and get a temporary one for Florida issued.

Oops! Sorry I didn't notice that Adrienne wasn't from the US. Thought it was a question of one state to another. I have used my handicapped hang tag in Canada without ever getting a ticket. I wonder if I was just lucky?

 

[JoannaOhio]

After making my last post, I got really curious, and did a search on the Internet. I found this site:

http://www1.oecd.org/cem/topics/handicaps/parking.htm

It states: (I added the bold emphasis)

ACCESS & INCLUSION - RECIPROCAL RECOGNITION OF PARKING BADGES

In 1978, the ECMT Council of Ministers agreed that all Member Countries of the ECMT would grant the same parking concessions to people with disabilities as they offered to their own nationals. These concessions usually allowed special parking in areas reserved for people with disabilities, or allowed longer parking periods or exemptions from charges.

This Resolution was updated and extended in scope in 1997. In addition to all the Member countries of ECMT this Resolution now applies also to the ECMT Associated Countries (Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, United States). This means that disabled motorists from all ECMT Member and Associate countries are now entitled to the same parking concessions as nationals in all ECMT Countries. The only condition is the display of a badge showing the international wheelchair symbol.

I also found a chat board that addressed this issue, with one member reporting:

Don't count on it being adhered to. We were given a ticket at Laguna Beach even though my Australian permit was visible. We got out of it by faxing them proof of ID. But how many others will pay the fine, just because it is easier. And this is probably what they are counting on.

In an attempt to get definitive information from the state of Florida, I just sent the following email. I'm sure this information would be helpful to others as well. I'll report back when I get a response.

To: dmv@hsmv.state.fl.us
Subject: Reciprocal parking with Australian handicap tag?
Message: I have a friend who will be visiting Walt Disney World and the Orlando area from her home in Australia. She has a valid handicapped parking tag that was issued to her in Australia. Will this allow her to park a rental car in handicapped parking spaces in Florida? Does she need to bring any further proof that the handicapped tag was issued to her? I'll look forward to receiving your response at your earliest convenience.

 

[Talking Hands]

I have written them as well and am awaiting an answer.

 

[Sue & Co.]

We were at WDW in February this year and were given a written notice stating that in Orlando it had been agreed that a European blue badge would be accepted for disabled parking spaces (previously the rule was to get a temporary permit). It didn't say anything about other parts of the USA - we are going to California next year and despite e-mailing them twice I still haven't had a reply about whether it will be accepted or how and and where to apply for a temporary permit.

Sue

 

[Figaro]

Sue & Co.

Below is a link to the correct page of California's DMV. Click on the travel placard link and it will take you to a page where you fill out the first part of a form and print it and then you can print the second page which you have to take to your physician to fill out. Then you mail it in (no fee for a travel permit) and they will mail you back a temporary placard good for 90 days.

This is only possible if you have a permanent disability and it is a royal pain in the ***. As far as I know, California is the only state that makes you jump through these kinds of hoops to be able to get a parking sticker and it is very frustrating. A friend who went to California didn't do this and she actually had her placard taken from her and it was a huge hassle for her.

http://tinyurl.com/7rwd9

 

[JoannaOhio]

We were at WDW in February this year and were given a written notice stating that in Orlando it had been agreed that a European blue badge would be accepted for disabled parking spaces (previously the rule was to get a temporary permit).

From whom did you get this written notice? I got a response today to the email I sent, and it gives instructions for getting the temporary permit.

A 90-day temporary handicapped permit can be issued at the county tax collectors office with the following requirements. A copy of the out-of-country parking permit. If the permit has two sides, copy both sides of the permit. Photo identification to verify ownership of the permit. A passport or comparable identification. The fee is $15.00
Paula Stanfield
Bureau of Titles and Registrations
Division of Motor Vehicles
Tallahassee, FL

I'm going to write back to ask about the special Orlando situation.
----------------
Just got a response from Paula Stanfield:

Walt Disney World may allow the use of the European blue badge for their parking spaces, but if you will be using other parking spaces you will need to obtain a Florida temporary parking permit.

In my most recent email to her, I even referenced the information about "Reciprocal Recognition of Parking Badges" that I posted above. However, it seems that the "official" Florida response is still to jump through the hoops to get a temporary permit.

 

[SueM in MN]

When you get to each park, you can get a booklet for Guests With Disabilities that tells you which rides you can take a wheelchair or ECV on - what kind of transfers you might need to make, etc. I definitely encourage you to go the wheelchair or ECV route. I know that I could never make it through any of the parks walking. As for your handicap tag, it should work fine in a rental car.

I just wanted to mention that you can find the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities fro each WDW park on line. If you go to the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of these threads, you will find a link in one of the posts that takes you to the official Disney site.

 

[zumbergc]

I just wanted to comment on the wheel chair vs scooter thing. You get a lot more freedom with the scooter. Since you have CFS I imagine you can get tired at the hats notice, so being in a scooter is nice, you can just drive yourself back to the park entrance, and hop a bus to your resort (if your staying onsite) take a break/nap. Then later meet up with your group, or have your group take a swim break if you nap.

I've done both, with the scooter, you can go where you want when you want. You don't have to wait for some one to push you here, push you there. I'm only so good at the push chairs, I can only move myself a short distance. I have fibro, so my legs don't get me very far at WDW.
Last trip was the first scooter trip. It was easy to learn how to operate them. My husband was kind of leaning towards us doing the push chair, and i said no way. I love the more independance of the scooter.... one reason when your in the chair, someone stops, a lot of times they don't reallize what you are looking at. generally its the person in front of you butt...
Or when its a park time to take a break, my husband will stop and have me face the total wrong direction, looking at something you don't want to see and i don't always have an easy way to turn around without bumping someone.

I will say its easier to navigate myself in a push chair than in the scooter in the stores. Turning myself is easier around tight spaces in the push chair, however if the store has carpet, the arms get really tired, really fast in the push chair. If its concrete, tile, its easier to move around. I can't stand having my husband push me around in a store in the manual chair.

I also recommend renting offsite. This way you have the scooter from your hotel, to the bus stop, bus stop to room, bus stop to park. Its a long way from rooms to the bus stop and the bus stops to the park entrances.

Connie

 

[Adrienne]

Thank you so much to all of you for your help and advice. especially to those of you that emailed the relevant authorities for me.. u guys rock!

Adrienne

 

[mbb]

my mom had brought her tag with us to use in their rental car. On days that she was able to go to the Parks..she and dad would follow the blue line, and off they would go - waved in, no problem.

So one day, they decided to come in the van with us...and what did we forget - yep, the hanging tag. We were already along the line when we realized...

Nice CM took one look at my mom in her collar and her wheel chair in the back.. "No problem, folks..just remember it tomorrow."

We felt AWFUL, though, parking the van without a tag in the spaces..we worried all morning that we would be ticketed - we weren't...we found out that the CM had let Security in the lot know that our van was ok to be there.

Disney magic

...we didn't forget it again!!

 

[SueM in MN]

For people who don't have a handicapped parking permit, there are some spots in the handicapped parking that have blue paint markings and then there are some in that lot without blue paint. The ones without blue paint are "safe" to park in without a handicapped parking permit.
Also, be aware that if you don't have a wheelchair (or have a foldable wheelchair) and can climb onto the parking lot tram, in a lot of cases, you will have a shorter walk by parking in the regular lot and taking the tram.