Kennedy Space Center Accommodations for Mobility Scooters Users
Planning your vacation to Orlando? If you're interested in seeing everything this locale has to offer, one of the most exciting places you can visit is the Kennedy Space Center. Since the 1960s, this spaceport has hosted a number of manned spaceflights, and while the shuttle program ended in 2011, it remains an unmanned flight center with three pads at the Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral. Its visitor's complex plays host to 1.5 million visitors each year and offers a range of films and exhibits that make history come alive.
The visitors complex is what you'll enjoy when you plan a trip to the Kennedy Space Center, and it can be quite exciting. If you're using an Orlando scooter rental, though, you may be wondering if you'll be able to take part in everything the center has to offer. The short answer is yes. Kennedy Space Center's visitor complex provides a number of ADA services that will make your visit an enjoyable one.
Kennedy Space Center and Your Mobility Scooter
So, what all does the visitor complex offer for those using mobility scooters?
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Accessible Parking- For a small fee, ($10 for most vehicles,) accessible parking is readily available. As a guest with disabilities, you will still need to pay this fee, but you can visit any ticket window for a temporary disabled parking permit. This will provide you with more accessible parking options.
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Transportation- Tour buses at the Kennedy Space Center are all equipped with lifts that are wheelchair accessible. You can request to use these lifts at the ticket window or when at the boarding location. In addition, you also have the option of transferring out of your mobility scooter and onto the bus, then picking up your scooter at the destination.
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Theater Access- Visiting the IMAX Theater within the visitor center is an amazing experience, and easy to do, even in a mobility scooter. Ground level entrances are available, and lifts are also in place if you would like to watch the even from an upper seating location. Companion seating is available as well.
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Restrooms- Accessible restrooms are available at the visitor complex for those using Orlando scooter rentals and any guest with disabilities. If you need assistance from your family, the visitor guide will also help you find family/companion restrooms.
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Shuttle Launch Experience- You don't have to miss out on the fun and experience of the Kennedy Space Center just because you're in a mobility scooter. The Shuttle Launch Experience, for instance, is open to guests who use wheelchairs or scooters. Each seat on the simulation is ADA equipped with a pivoting grab bar that makes transferring to the seat easy. If you aren't able to transport to the seat, another room right next door will allow you to experience the launch without the simulation so you don't have to exit your mobility scooter.
Thinking of visiting the Kennedy Space Center when you're vacationing in Florida? If you're using an Orlando scooter rental, you can rest assured that this attraction will provide you with plenty of options for fun and excitement.
Tips for Avoiding Falls in Your Vacation Home or Hotel
When you plan a trip to Orlando, Florida, you’re expecting the best of the best. You want magic, beauty, and excitement. You want to explore the various theme parks it offers, taste the best food, and enjoy luxury hotels and rental homes. The last thing you want is to become injured. Unfortunately, it happens, and when you have mobility problems, the likelihood of an injury increases dramatically.
So, what can you do about it?
Avoiding Falling on Your Vacation
- Scooter Rental in Orlando- Whether you’re traveling from your hotel room to the hotel swimming pool or you’re enjoying the magic of Disney, renting a scooter is essential to ensuring you’re as safe as possible. Being able to utilize the scooter will allow you to eliminate the need to walk any type of long distance, which greatly reduces the risk of falling or tripping, especially when your mobility is limited already.
- Equipped Hotel Rooms- When you plan your Orlando, Florida vacation, be careful how you make your hotel reservation. Be clear that you will be operating a mobility scooter and that your mobility is limited. Request a room that is on the ground floor, or one with disabled-access. As whether the room is equipped for individuals with limited mobility as well; the room may come with shower bars, hand rails, and lower countertops to accommodate for your needs.
- Equipped Vacation Homes- It’s much more difficult to find a vacation home with the scooter-friendly access, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Contact a realtor while you’re planning your trip. They will be able to help you find exactly what you need; this very helpful when you don’t live nearby and are unable to visit Orlando to find the perfect rental yourself.
- Go Clutter Free- Living out a suitcase isn’t very conducive to organization, but allowing the items in your hotel room to clutter up walkways can be dangerous. Even if you only have to walk short distances, like to the bathroom or to where your scooter rental is charging on the other side of the room, making sure path is free of any clutter will help you avoid falling.
- Rely on Help- There may be instances during your trip when you won’t be able to do what you want to do if you’re in a mobility scooter. For instance, some rides and attractions at the theme parks in Orlando will require you to transfer from your scooter to a wheelchair that will fit on the ride. Don’t be afraid to rely on a bit of help when you must make these changes. Being able to stabilize yourself on the arm of someone else can keep you from becoming injured and can keep the rest of your trip from being ruined. When you’re in your vacation home, think of things the same way. If you need help getting from your scooter to your bed at night, ask for help.
Want to make the most of your trip? If your mobility is limited, do everything you can to plan to avoid falling. Find the right hotel room or vacation home, get a scooter rental in Orlando, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Can You Find Scooter-Accessible Hotel Rooms in Orlando?
So, you’re thinking about taking this year’s vacation in Orlando, Florida. It’s the perfect place, really, with all the attractions, entertainment, and fine dining available. If you’re disabled in such a way that you can’t walk or have trouble walking very long distances, however, you might have to consider a scooter rental in Orlando. This will allow you to easily get from place to place, so you can take part in all the fun with the rest of your family.
Of course, renting a mobility scooter means you’ll have to think a bit more carefully when planning your vacation. The places you go and the hotel you stay in will all have to accommodate your needs and the space required to use scooter. Luckily, this isn’t difficult in Florida. In fact, you’ll find almost every attraction, recreational activity, and lodging choice is especially equipped to accommodate your physical needs.
Getting a Mobility Scooter-Friendly Hotel
Florida law is very strict about how businesses and hotels provide for handicapped guests. In fact, state statutes mandate that every licensed hotel and facility for lodging must make sure that at least five percent of their rooms accessible to those who are disabled in any way. The various features that are available in these rooms will vary, depending on the resort or hotel you select, but many will offer the following:
- Lowered toilet seats
- Roll-in showers with foldable chairs
- Handrails near the toilet and bathtub for easy transfers
- Lowered countertops
- Lower peepholes
- Handheld shower nozzles
- Lowered faucets
- Rooms available on lower levels
- Rooms available by hotel elevator
Outside of these hotel rooms, disabled guests using scooter rentals in Orlando can take advantage of even more of the hotel’s accommodations. While each hotel will vary, many offer:
- Special parking permits provided by the establishment. Even if your vehicle is from out-of-state, if it displays a disability parking permit, you are still allowed to park in spaces designed for those with disabilities.
- Restrooms in the lobby, pool area, and even in the bar or restaurant that are mobility scooter accessible.
- You’ll have access to easy to use ramps in common areas, so you never feel as if you are left out of the fun.
- Zero-entry pools, or pools that have ramps going right into the pool, allow individuals in wheelchairs and scooters to go swimming even if they can’t leave their chair. Chair lifts are also available in most hotels that do not have zero-entry available. Most hotels also have wheelchairs available so for you to transfer to so you don’t have to get your scooter wet.
If you are interested in enjoying a fun-filled vacation in Florida, but feel as if you will become too tired if you are forced to walk around with a cane or walker, you should consider an Orlando scooter rental. Every licensed hotel in Florida will be able to accommodate your mobility scooter and provide you with a number of features you’ll be able to utilize and enjoy while on vacation.
