Disabled Facilities In Florida
Disabled visitors to Florida will be pleasantly surprised with the level of catering for the needs of someone with a physical or mental impairment. Disabled visitors are well catered for in the theme parks and all parks provide disabled parking spaces, wheelchair accessible vehicles and equipped restrooms. Most of the rides in Disney, Universal and Sea World have a special entrance for disabled visitors who find it difficult to wait in long queues. This means that anyone with a special need can enter the show or ride ahead of everyone else and be right in the front few rows of the attraction. A word of warning here, the Twister attraction in Universal Studios does feature pyrotechnics and even though I was a few rows back the heat is pretty incredible. The intense heat may not be too good for a sunburnt face in the front row!
Theme Parks and Disability
Disabled visitors who require to have a blind dog will find that the dog must be admitted to all public establishments in Florida. Disney has rest areas for blind dogs and also allow the dogs on some rides, although I am not too sure how much the dog will appreciate Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror, maybe best to leave the dog at a rest station or with one of the friendly Disney staff who are on hand to assist with blind dogs, for the more adventurous rides. As mentioned in the last paragraph, all the major Theme Parks cater for wheelchair and mobility scooter users, offering preferred parking spaces and suitable restroom facilities.
Villa Rental and Disability Facilities
Many holiday homes provide facilities for disabled visitors with the homes being suitably equipped for wheelchair users with ramps and toilet facilities, including hand rails and shower seats. My mother who is now 95 but was 89 year old on her first visit to Florida does not normally use a wheelchair but because of the heat and time spent in the parks we felt it would be best to rent a wheelchair for her stay. This was done quite easily through the company who looked after my home and at a reasonable cost. When booking accommodation, enquire if the owner would be able to rent a wheelchair through their appointed management company, most owners would be glad to assist with this request. If you are still not too sure if the chosen villa would be suitable ask to have digital photos of entrance steps, bathroom etc emailed to you, again, this shouldn't be a problem and if the owner is not resident in Florida they can have their local management company go round to the villa.
Hotel Facilities and Standards
If disabled and staying in a hotel during your vacation it is best to enquire prior to booking that the hotel conforms to ADA standards (Americans with disabilities Act) Many hotels offer special services for guests with visual and/or hearing impairments. It's best to ask specific questions relating to your disability when making the reservation, such as, is there room to manoeuvre a wheelchair, are there any steps leading into the room, are staff available to help if the need should arise, is there a hospital or emergency clinic nearby.
Mobility Scooters and Wheelchairs
I have no affiliation with any company who hire out equipment but one company I came across a few times while carrying out research for this site was Randy's Mobility. Randy's Mobility in the Disney area rent out scooters and wheelchairs at a reasonable cost which includes delivery and pick up.In 2007 mobility scooters cost $180 for people 300lbs and under, while for people over 300lbs the cost is $200p.w. A wheelchair costs $75 for people up to 250lbs, over that weight is $100. A substantial discount is offered for a second week, if required. Please check price of equipment with independent companies, villa/ hotel management etc. as the cost can vary greatly from company to company